Truman State University’s Vision:
Living Our Mission, Adapting to Change
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“The sympathetic ‘ability to imagine…the predicament of another person, along with the ability to think for oneself’ are the ‘skills that are needed to keep democracies alive.'”—Martha Nussbaum, 2010
“The only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty is to educate and inform the whole mass of people.”—Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1787
VISION: Educating Students for the Benefit of All
Truman will demonstrate its public liberal arts and sciences mission by developing educated citizens needed to protect our democracy and offer creative solutions to local, state, national and global problems. It will do so through transformative experiences that foster critical thought, daring imagination and empathetic understanding of human experiences at home and around the world. Truman graduates will be citizen-leaders committed to service; globally competitive; able to thrive in the complexities of an advanced, technical and multicultural world; and inspired to live healthy and meaningful lives.
Truman will act to preserve our democracy by educating “the whole mass of people” by:
- Ensuring access to an increasingly diverse student population while maintaining its commitment to academic excellence through recruitment and mentorship of students capable of succeeding in an academically challenging environment; and
- Expanding its reach to students who aspire to complete a Truman education, yet arrive through non-traditional paths.
Strategies for Achieving the Vision
“Truman will demonstrate its public liberal arts and sciences mission by developing educated citizens needed to protect our democracy and offer creative solutions to state, national and global problems” by:
- Offering a liberal arts and sciences education that liberates minds, protects political freedom and strengthens our democracy;
- Demonstrating students’ practical reasoning through improved critical thinking and problem solving; and
- More intentionally integrating the residential experience into our students’ intellectual and social development because the development of educated, engaged citizens is best done in community.
“It will do so through transformative experiences that foster critical thought, daring imagination and empathetic understanding of human experiences at home and around the world” by:
- Awarding credit for intentionally designed, supervised and evaluated service and experiences that provide clear preparation for life after graduation; and
- Promoting greater collaboration among all internal and external University stakeholders.
“Truman graduates will be citizen-leaders committed to service; globally competitive; able to thrive in the complexities of an advanced, technical and multicultural world; and inspired to live healthy and meaningful lives” by:
- Increasing service learning and co-curricular opportunities focused on solving problems;
- Demonstrating excellence in the discipline;
- Creating more global learning experiences; and
- Promoting physical and emotional wellness.
“Ensuring access to an increasingly diverse student population while maintaining its commitment to academic excellence through recruitment and mentorship of students capable of succeeding in an academically challenging environment” by:
- Creating intentional pathways for degree completion such as a three-year baccalaureate degree or a two-year baccalaureate degree for transfer students holding an associate of arts degree;
- Creating a streamlined degree completion program for qualified former undergraduate students who stopped short of earning their diploma; and
- Creating clearer pathways for all transfer students.
“Expanding its reach to students who aspire to complete a Truman education, yet arrive through non-traditional paths” by:
- Strategically adopting technology to improve student learning and expand Truman’s reach.
Truman renews its commitment to assessment to demonstrate effectiveness, support continuous improvement, and encourage innovation and adaptation.