Vision

To lead the region in graduate education.

Mission Statement

The Graduate School centrally supports the University’s graduate programs and policies while promoting the research and scholarly activities of our graduate, post-masters, and doctoral students and graduate faculty.  

The Graduate School focuses on the following strategic areas to fulfill our mission:

  • leadership in graduate education strategies, standards, curriculum and best practices;
  • governance to ensure integrity, fairness, and base-level standards of consistency in the management of graduate students, policies, and programs;
  • efficient administrative services that facilitate the graduate student experience and program success in the recruitment, admission, retention, and graduation of an academically strong and diverse graduate student body;
  • award graduate assistantship positions to offices across campus that further the university mission as well as recognize, recruit and retain a diverse group of outstanding graduate student scholars;
  • enhance the intellectual life of the University by enabling graduate and doctoral students to undertake scholarly study and advance research;
  • partner with graduate faculty, program coordinators, department heads, and college deans to best serve our graduate students and programs.
  • intentional inclusion of our online graduate students in graduate activities, organizations, research opportunities.

Strategic Priorities

  • Raise the visibility of the graduate school and serve as a conduit for the professional development of students at every stage of their career.
  • Ensure transformative educational opportunities through student-centric discipline-focused programs that drive innovation and encourage intellectual curiosity, creative thinking, and social responsibility.
  • Champion our students to be active, thoughtful participants in their communities.
  • Garner resources for graduate faculty to pioneer new fields of study.
  • Embody respect for and commitment to the ideals of a pluralistic, inclusive, open and democratic society.

The vision and mission the Graduate School is founded on the principle that our students are our greatest asset.