Fort Valley State University - Mission Statement
I. CONTEXTUAL PREFACE (HISTORICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES)The Fort Valley State University is a public, senior, 1890 land-grant institution serving Georgia and the nation. Founded in 1895 as an institution to serve primarily the educational needs of black students, The University provides instruction, research, and public and extension services, consistent with its land--grant and public functions, for all segments of the population to achieve their personal, educational, and professional goals. Following the liberal arts and the land-grant traditions, The University provides diversified and challenging programs to meet educational needs resulting from societal changes. The Fort Valley State University provides a learning and living environment that enables its graduates and all who come under its influence to become innovative and critical thinkers, problem-solvers, and responsible citizens.
As an 1890 land-grant institution, The Fort Valley State University is unique among the senior universities of the University System; however, it shares with the other senior universities the following core characteristics:
- commitment to excellence and responsiveness within a scope of influence defined by the needs of an area of the state, and by particularly outstanding programs or distinctive characteristics that have a magnet effect throughout the region or state;
- a commitment to a teaching/learning environment, both inside and outside the classroom, that sustains instructional excellence, serves a diverse and college-prepared student body, promotes high levels of student achievement, offers academic assistance, and provides developmental studies programs for a limited student cohort;
- a high quality general education program supporting a variety of disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and professional academic programming at the baccalaureate level, with selected master's and educational specialty degrees, and selected associate degree programs based on area need/or inter-institutional collaborations;
- a commitment to public service, continuing education, technical assistance, and economic development activities that address the needs, improve the quality of life, and raise the educational level within the university's scope of influence;
- a commitment to scholarly and creative work to enhance instructional effectiveness and to encourage faculty scholarly pursuits, and a commitment to applied research in selected areas of institutional strength and area need.
While The Fort Valley State University shares some of the characteristics with the other senior universities, it is a historically black university with a rich teacher education heritage and the only senior university with a state-wide land-grant research and public service mission. Thus, The Fort Valley State University is further committed to:
- the enhancement of opportunities for the intellectual, personal and professional development of the underserved segment of the population in the state and a limited cohort in the nation;
- high quality, innovative and technologically advanced programs in teacher education;
- a broad based curriculum to specialize in excellent programs in the arts and sciences and technology, and a broad general background of education in the liberal arts tradition;
- an international program designed to disseminate new knowledge and technology for improving the quality of life throughout the world;
- full development of all components of the land-grant function to include a basic and applied research program, a comprehensive public service and technical assistance program, and a full range of degree programs in the food and agricultural sciences, the mechanical arts and related areas;
- a general education program supporting a variety of disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and professional academic programming at the baccalaureate, and post-baccalaureate levels.
The campus life of The Fort Valley State University is characterized by:
- a supportive campus climate, necessary services, and leadership and development opportunities, all to educate the whole person and meet the needs of students, faculty, and staff;
- cultural, ethnic, racial, and gender diversity in the faculty, staff and student body, supported by practices and programs that embody the ideals of an open, democratic, and global society;
- technology to advance educational purposes, including instructional technology, student support services, and distance education;
- collaborative relationships with other System institutions, State agencies, local schools and technical institutes, and business and industry, sharing physical, human, information, and other resources to expand and enhance programs and services available to the citizens of Georgia.