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Mission & Core Work

The Division of Student Life mission communicates our collective purpose and direction. Along with our core work, core values, and strategic priorities, it clarifies what guides our decisions, how we show up for students, and where we focus our efforts to build a supportive, vibrant campus community.

Student Life Mission

Student Life facilitates transformational student experiences by advancing student learning and development, fostering well-being, and cultivating an inclusive and equitable campus community.

Core Work

Our core work describes the work of the Division of Student Life that guides our internal and external partnerships. It is supported by our investment in our staff and in a strong foundational infrastructure.

  • Community Building: We design and foster inclusive environments and physical spaces that value each person and create a sense of belonging and connection.
  • Health and Well-Being Care and Education: We provide care for students’ physical and mental health, promote personal and community well-being, and ensure that students have access to resources that meet their essential needs.
  • Leadership Education and Self-Discovery: We create opportunities for students to examine their values and passions, leverage their strengths, and build their confidence and skills to make positive contributions.
  • Social Justice Education and Intercultural Development: We facilitate deeper awareness of individual and collective identity that prepares students to thrive in a global context.
  • Student Intervention, Support, and Advocacy: We work with students to navigate and address complex problems and to build agency to advocate for their own needs.
Three people crouch on a sidewalk drawing colorful shapes with sidewalk chalk in bright daylight.

Core Values

Our values are the deeply ingrained principles that describe us at our very best. We strive to have them guide our actions at every level of the organization and our relationships with students, colleagues, and partners. Student Life staff have identified examples of staff behaviors that support these core values throughout the division.

  • Adaptability

    We both anticipate and are responsive to the needs of our students and the campus community through solutions-oriented approaches.

  • Compassion

    We care for others through our words and actions and interact with compassion and empathy.

  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    We strive to make our campus a place where differences are celebrated, patterns of inequity are disrupted, multiple perspectives are heard, and every individual feels a sense of belonging and connection.

  • Learning and Innovation

    We are committed to the learning and development of everyone in our community. We invest in improvements and innovations that advance our work.

  • Partnership

    We have our greatest impact when we do things together and are accountable to each other. We are a team and value relationships and connections with our colleagues and partners.

  • Stewardship and Accountability

    We serve as responsible stewards of our resources, act within ethical and restorative frameworks, and value environmental sustainability in meeting the needs of our multiple constituencies.

Strategic Priorities 2023-2026

  • Establish Student Life as a leader in Sustainability Programming and Operations.
  • Address Health and Well-being with a focus on Policies, Systems, and Structures.
  • Develop a Strategic, Sustainable Student Life Financial Model.
  • Develop and Implement a Division-Wide Branding, Marketing, and Communication Strategy.
  • Enhance Staff Recruitment and Retention efforts.