Mission Examen Self Study

As part of the Examen process Seattle University has undertaken for the 2016-2017 academic year, Mission Examen Committee completed a Self Study with input from more than 400 members of the campus community. The study surfaced a number of strengths and challenges in how the university is living out its Jesuit Catholic educational mission:

MISSION STRENGTHS

• Pervasive recognition and embrace of the university’s mission.
  
  
• Integration of aspects of the Catholic, Jesuit character throughout the academic, cocurricular, and operational dimensions of the university.
  
  
• A high level of service, social justice and global awareness among faculty, staff and students.
  
  
• Collaboration among Jesuits and lay faculty and staff in providing programs to enhance awareness of and commitment to the university’s Catholic, Jesuit identity.
  
  
• The university’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and institutional integrity.

MISSION CHALLENGES 

• Maintaining the university’s commitment to the Catholic, Jesuit character of the university during the next twenty-five years and beyond.
  
  
• Increased intentionality in mission-focused hiring, promotion and development for faculty and staff, and clear communication of our Jesuit Catholic mission.
  
  
• Polarization between the administration and some elements of the university community calls for increased efforts to build procedures of mutual listening, respect, and openness as we face together a challenging future in higher education. 

• In this era of social change, the university must continue to build its capacity to engage with students, faculty and staff on timely issues of transparency and effectiveness.
  
  
• A recurring challenge heard in the input sessions of fall 2016 is the strain put on university life, student access and program support by limited financial resources.

Visit Examen for the full text of the Self Study and other materials on the process.