Marywood’s Mission Statement and Core Values recently got a facelift.
Dr. Ellen Boylan, director of institutional research, said that there has been no drastic changes, only minor editing. “The mission and core values were revised over a year and the important part about this whole process was to engage the whole campus community.”
Boylan explained that such changes occur every 10 years because when the university is due for accreditation, the Board of Trustees looks over the mission and core values to make sure that the wording and emphasis still relate to students today.
Very few students were even aware a change had occurred. Those who were aware seemed not to know how much or how little the mission and core values had changed. However, many students remembered filling out a survey about what they would like to see changed in the mission and values an entire year before.
Nicholas Pesarcik, senior financial planning/management major, said that adjusting the mission statement and core values helps to make the message current and relevant to today’s student population.
“The new mission and core values provide an updated set of guidelines for Marywood to plan for the future. New components such as sustainability, global citizenship, and graduate education, among others, create a framework for Marywood to move forward as an institution,” he said.
Although the Marywood website did not explain why the mission and core values have been changed, they have updated the wording on the President’s page.
While the phraseology has changed, the premise of the mission and values will remain the same, according to Boylan. Key words such as: Catholic Identity, Respect, Empowerment, Service, and Excellence still remain cornerstones in the core values. The mission statement still communicates the idea of academic excellence and personal empowerment.
“We need every once and a while to look inside ourselves and examine what we are doing and make sure we are keeping faith with our promise to the students and the community that we touch,” Boylan said.
To compare the former mission statement and core values to the new one, visit www.thewoodword.org.
Mission Statement
Marywood University, sponsored by the Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, roots itself in the Catholic intellectuOur undergraduate and gradu- ate programs promote academic excellence, advance innova- tive scholarship, and foster leadership in service to others. Within a welcoming and supportive community, Marywood
challenges individuals of all backgrounds to achieve their full potential and make choices based on spiritual and ethi- cal values. Marywood University prepares students to seek sustainable solutions for the common good and educates global citizens to live responsibly in an interdependent world.
Core Values
In support of the mission, the Marywood University community actively espouses five core values:
Catholic Identity
The pursuit of truth, goodness, beauty, justice, and the common good within the context of the Catholic faith tradition and in dia- logue and service with persons of diverse faiths and worldviews.
Respect
Honoring the uniqueness and dignity of each human person; demonstrating ethical and just interactions; and caring for the earth and all creation through a commitment to sustainability.
Empowerment
Access to education that enables all to achieve their full po- tential to live as conscientious citizens in a pluralistic society.
Service
A commitment to promoting social responsibility which fos- ters community engagement to meet real needs.
Excellence
Manifesting Marywood University’s pursuit of the highest lev- el of achievement in support of “Sanctitas, Scientia, Sanitas.”