UW Mission Statements

College of Arts and Sciences:

As the intellectual core of the University of Washington, the College of Arts and Sciences discovers, preserves and transmits fundamental knowledge in the arts, humanities, natural and social sciences.

Discovery lies at the heart of our enterprise. Our faculty, with the active participation of our graduate and undergraduate students, continuously expand the frontiers of knowledge through research, scholarly interpretation and creative production.

The College provides a liberal arts education in a research university with rich opportunities to explore our cultural and natural worlds. Our students learn to think rationally, creatively and critically; to communicate clearly, correctly, and persuasively; to gather and interpret data; and to engage the arguments of others with understanding and respect. These skills and intellectual attributes form the foundation for a lifetime of learning and a thriving democracy.

The College plays a vital role in the cultural, economic and public life of local, national and international communities. We prepare our students to become leaders in an increasingly diverse society.

____________________

College of Built Environments: As a college that embodies multiple perspectives on the creation and stewardship of built environments, we are at the forefront of a global discourse increasingly focused on the process of urbanization, globalization, and sustainable development. Our work has immediate and tangible impacts in the physical world and profound implications for urban systems, human health, environmental resilience, social equity, and economic vitality. As an academic community with a strong professional orientation, we are committed to the advancement of integrated planning, design, construction, development, and investment through teaching, learning, and research in the built environments. Our collective work as a college sits squarely within the broader mission of the University — to advance and disseminate new knowledge through scholarly exchange, creative practice, and public service.

____________________

College of Education: As a public college of education, we strive to transform inequitable systems of education to create just, sustainable and culturally-thriving democracies by engaging in dynamic, collaborative partnerships, practices and research.

____________________

Evans School of Public Policy and Governance:

• We are committed to improving the quality of public and nonprofit service.
• We educate leaders to meet societal challenges with compassion, vision, analytic rigor, and practicality.
• We advance scholarship and ideas that strengthen public policy and management.
• We are dedicated to serving local, national, and global communities and promoting thoughtful, civil, public deliberation.
• We value integrity, respect, diversity, collaboration, and excellence in our own institution, in our graduates, and in the community.

____________________

School of Nursing: Our mission is to advance nursing science and practice through generating knowledge and preparing future leaders to address health. Our vision is to pioneer improvements in health and health care through innovative nursing science, education and practice.

____________________

School of Public Health: The UW School of Public Health is dedicated to:

• education to prepare outstanding, innovative, and diverse public health leaders and scientists;
• research to advance public health science and policies; and
• service to promote the health and well-being of communities locally, nationally, and globally.

____________________

School of Social Work:

As members of the University of Washington School of Social Work, we commit ourselves to promoting social and economic justice for poor and oppressed populations and enhancing the quality of life for all. We strive to maximize human welfare through:

• Education of effective social work leaders, practitioners and educators who will challenge injustice and promote a more humane society, and whose actions will be guided by vision, compassion, knowledge and disciplined discovery, and deep respect for cultural diversity and human strengths.
• Research that engenders understanding of complex social problems, illuminates human capacities for problem-solving, and promotes effective and timely social intervention.
• Public service that enhances the health, well-being, and empowerment of disadvantaged communities and populations at local, national, and international levels.

We embrace our position of leadership in the field of social work and join in partnership with others in society committed to solving human problems in the twenty-first century.

____________________

Undergraduate Academic Affairs: Undergraduate Academic Affairs is a catalyst and advocate for excellence and innovation in undergraduate education. We lead programs and services for all students to succeed academically, learn from their challenges, and explore who they are, who they will become, and how they will contribute to their communities and the world. Our work ensures that undergraduate education is strengthened by the UW’s distinctiveness as a major public research university.

____________________

University Advancement: We serve to advance the mission and highest ideals of the University of Washington by fostering public understanding and pride; serving and engaging alumni and friends; and developing and enhancing life-long philanthropic relationships.

____________________

UW Bothell: UW Bothell holds the student-faculty relationship to be paramount. We provide access to excellence in higher education through innovative and creative curricula, interdisciplinary teaching and research, and a dynamic community of multicultural learning.

• Serve college-age and established adult students, as well as the community at large, by providing access to a premier institution of higher education.
• Emphasize and develop critical thinking, writing, and information literacy, in order to graduate students with life-long learning skills.
• Actively recruit and support outstanding faculty scholars with a passion for communication.
• Build an inclusive and supportive community of learning and incorporate multicultural content and diverse perspectives on ethnic and racial groups, gender, sexual orientation, social class, and special needs.
• Encourage and support collaborative, interdisciplinary, and cross-program initiatives.
• Provide quality curricula by making use of the best of educational technology in support of teaching and learning.
• Attract and support an internationally diverse student body and a nationally recognized faculty and staff.
• Create and support excellence in student services, academic services such as library, writing center, computing services, and physical facilities.
• Foster productive relationships with the employment community and promote a strong public service commitment.

The University of Washington Bothell is committed to achieving this mission and promotes the on-going review of our outcomes, organizational structures, and processes that support this mission and these goals.

____________________

UW Tacoma: As an urban-serving university, we:

• Expand access to higher education in an environment where every student has the opportunity to succeed
• Foster scholarship, research and creativity to address the challenging problems of our time and place
• Partner and collaborate for common good
• Catalyze the economic and social vitality of the region