Vision

The University of Central Arkansas aspires to be a premier learner-focused public comprehensive university, a nationally recognized leader for its continuous record of excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, scholarly and creative endeavors, and engagement with local, national, and global communities.

Mission and Core Values

The University of Central Arkansas, a leader in 21st-century higher education, is committed to excellence through the delivery of outstanding undergraduate and graduate education that remains current and responsive to the diverse needs of those it serves. The university’s faculty and staff promote the intellectual, professional, social, and personal development of its students through innovations in learning, scholarship, and creative endeavors. Students, faculty, and staff partner to create strong engagement with the local, national, and global communities. The University of Central Arkansas dedicates itself to academic vitality, integrity, and diversity.

In carrying out this mission, the university is guided by the following core values:

Intellectual Excellence

We believe in lifelong intellectual development of students, faculty, and staff. We are committed to the free pursuit of knowledge and continuous growth in learning and teaching.

Educated Citizens: We believe in student success and in preparing students to engage complex issues and express informed opinion through critical thinking, writing, and speech. Given our institution’s historical roots in teacher education, this foundation inspires all of our colleges to work together to ensure our faculty and students promote instructional excellence and lifelong learning.

Scholarship: We believe that students and faculty should engage in professional development and scholarly endeavors that promote the creation and application of knowledge in all disciplines.

Cultural Competence: We believe that students should experience cultural activities as they grow in their appreciation for the diversity of ideas and peoples, both inside and outside the classroom.

Learning Environment: We believe that an outstanding physical infrastructure, along with a culture of excellence in all of our endeavors, provides an environment in which our students and faculty can thrive personally and intellectually. We further believe in providing state-of-the-art learning spaces.

Community

We value and respect as our greatest asset the people who make up our community—students, faculty, and staff—as well as the people connected to us through ties to our local community and region, the state of Arkansas, our nation, and the world. That is, we believe people are the focus of our institution.

Collegiality: We believe in processes of shared decision making based on productive synergistic interactions among our students, faculty, and staff, and disciplines in the pursuit of institutional goals.

Partnerships: We are dedicated to promoting outreach activities, community education, and partnerships with surrounding entities. We believe in collaborating with the citizens of our region, the state, the nation, and the world as well as those organizations and constituents with whom we work.

Safe and Healthy Environment: We promote a safe, healthy, and sustainable environment where our community members can flourish personally and socially as whole beings with obligations to improve their environment.

Service: We believe in sharing our academic and cultural resources and expertise with the public, educational institutions, businesses, cultural centers, and public and non-profit agencies, when appropriate. We work to enable students to integrate into the larger world to promote a commitment to public service through experiential education. Faculty and staff serve our state and local constituents by sharing their energy, talents, and experience.

Diversity

We are dedicated to attracting and supporting a diverse student, faculty and staff population and enhanced multicultural learning opportunities. We value the opportunity to work, learn, and develop in a community that embraces the diversity of individuals and ideas, including race, ethnicity, religion, spiritual beliefs, national origin, age, gender, marital status, socioeconomic background, sexual orientation, physical ability, political affiliation, and intellectual perspective.

Recruitment and Retention: We actively pursue and seek to retain a diverse student body, faculty, and staff.

Support: We maintain the highest academic quality and ensure that our programs remain innovative and responsive to the ever-changing and diverse needs of those we serve.

Knowledge: We seek to enhance interaction and understanding among diverse groups and cultivate enriched learning opportunities in a global community.

Integrity

We are committed to ethical and responsible behavior in our own actions and to developing the same commitment in our students, thus fostering individuals who will have the skills, knowledge, and ability to engage positively with a diverse and changing world. Our commitment extends to all levels of our campus to foster a climate of ethical conduct, respect, responsibility, and trust.

Ethics: We believe in acting with honesty, courage, and trustworthiness.

Respect: We support a community and climate of respect and thoughtfulness among students, faculty, staff, and the people of our community, state, nation, and the world.

Responsibility: We commit to being responsible and accountable in our operations at all levels of the institution, including continuous assessment of our academic programs and transparency in our fiscal and operational proceedings.

Trust: We value and continually seek to earn the public’s trust in all of our actions and words.