Identity and Mission, Vision and Values
to Begin the Third Millennium

As the national university of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, The Catholic University of America enjoys a unique and privileged place among American Catholic institutions of higher learning. That privilege derives from its historical origins as well as the role envisioned for it from the beginning. Established by the nation's bishops and approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1887, The Catholic University of America was thought to be the only Catholic institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research, in the model of the great German universities of the nineteenth century, that American Catholics would be able to maintain. Although other Catholic institutions were established before and after its foundation, The Catholic University of America became the principal channel through which the modern university movement entered the Catholic community in the United States.

Today, at the dawn of the third millennium, The Catholic University of America continues to fulfill its unique founding mission but on a larger and more comprehensive scale than its founders ever imagined. The world, including the academic world, is very different now. And, yet, The Catholic University of America still endeavors "to assure in an institutional manner a Christian presence in the university world confronting the great problems of society and culture" so that in and through its community of scholars "the convergence of faith and reason may be seen more clearly." The Catholic University of America, indeed, shares this responsibility with its Catholic sister institutions but maintains its uniqueness among them. Committed primarily to excellence in research to support graduate and undergraduate education, The Catholic University of America is called to be an intellectual community of the highest order, where the relation between revealed truth and human truth can be examined in depth and with authority, in light of the American experience, convinced that faith is consistent with reason and that theology and other religious studies themselves profit from the broader context of purposeful critical inquiry, experimentation and reflection.

As a university, The Catholic University of America is essentially a free and autonomous community of research, teaching, learning and service to the Church, the nation and the world. As a Catholic university, The Catholic University of America welcomes all people but has unique responsibilities to advance Christian thought within the Catholic community in particular and to explore the ways in which the Catholic community in particular can enter into fruitful dialogue with people of every culture. As a Catholic university in the United States, The Catholic University of America maintains a commitment to accepted standards and procedures commonly held and applied by other American institutions of higher learning so that it may be easily identified not only as "authentically Catholic" but also "distinctively American." As The Catholic University of America, this unique community of research, teaching, learning and service aims at achieving and maintaining in higher education a leading place among Catholic and other privately endowed, research-oriented institutions of comparable size, mission and tradition.

The Catholic University of America is an academic community.

It is of critical importance for the institution to recognize that it has a life of its own that will continue beyond the life span of the individuals who constitute it at any particular time. Such recognition creates a long-term view that will facilitate objective, essential strategic planning and institutional advancement. It enables the institution to "make history" rather than merely having a history and to chart a course that is forward thinking, future oriented and worthy of support. At the same time and equally important for the institution is the recognition of the past successes and failures that have brought the institution to the present moment's successes are rallying points for the institution that foster a spirit of confidence among its various constituencies, identifying the relevance and efficacy of the institutions mission throughout its history. Failures on the other hand -whether real or perceived - indicate what an institution was unable to accomplish through its mission for reasons that are often the subject of debate or disagreement among its various constituencies. Failures, however, are not the result of the mission itself. An effective mission flows from a clear institutional identity. Failures - whether real or perceived - are the result of the institution's inability to understand and articulate its identity and mission in a way that translates them into positive and purposeful activities, a clear vision with values that inspire its various constituencies to work together for the good of the institution and the publics it serves. That effort creates community. To be successful, that effort requires community. It is unrealistic and, perhaps, counter-productive to expect that any community, especially an academic community, is characterized by total unanimity among its members. Differences of opinion, of themselves, need not be destructive or divisive of community but can create the energy that moves the community forward. For this to happen, it is both realistic and essential that an academic community be committed to the common good as it effects the particular community as well as the larger society of which it is a part and seeks to influence by its activities. Here is where an emphasis upon institutional identity and institutional mission can serve the positive interests of the academic community and the purpose for which it exists.

An academic community, without diminishing the unique talents and different perspectives of the individuals who constitute it, must develop a common or institutional way of thinking that identifies the particular community, that supports its particular mission and that promotes the common good precisely through the unique talents and different perspectives of its members contributing to a unity of purpose. This experience, created and embraced by the academic community, will reflect a set of core values, faithful to the community's history and traditions while serving as the vision of and foundation for the community's future. The Catholic University of America is a community of research. The conduct of scholarly research by faculty, the training of doctoral students in research methodologies, and the advancement of knowledge by both faculty and students are the hallmarks of university status. Faithful to the intentions of its founders, The Catholic University of America has always embraced scholarship and scientific research of the highest quality as the primary intellectual activities of the university community and its mission.

The first Rector, Bishop John Joseph Keane, argued for the establishment of such an institution so that the Catholic Church in America might "exercise a dominant influence in the world's future" which influence, he believed, "must rest upon intellectual superiority." Without a doubt, The Catholic University of America has remained the most comprehensive resource available for research in matters relating to the Catholic Church in the United States. As such, the university community takes great pride in the uniqueness of both the content of and its approach to scholarly research activities.

In our time, Pope John Paul II has referred to a Catholic university as "a place of research, where scholars scrutinize reality with the methods proper to each academic discipline, and so contribute to the treasury of human knowledge." He recognized "the academic freedom of scholars in each discipline in accordance with its own principles and proper methods" and noted that such freedom exists "within the confines of the truth and the common good," characteristics that are viewed by the university community as opportunities for liberation rather than limitation. The Pope cautioned, however, that the "explosion of knowledge in recent decades, together with the rigid compartmentalization of knowledge within individual academic disciplines" require that research within a Catholic university "work toward a higher synthesis of knowledge" which will "promote dialogue between faith and reason" in the search for truth. In such endeavors, he explained, research in a Catholic university must always be conducted "with a concern for the ethical and moral implications both of its methods and of its discoveries." Herein, The Catholic University of America gives unique witness to the universality of Catholic interests not only in the areas of theology, canon law and philosophy, disciplines in which the university community is already distinguished, but also in the other research interests and activities that support its identity as a university.

For The Catholic University of America, research has truly become "an expression of faith in the possibility of progress" and "a form of optimism about the human condition" integral to its life as a community and fundamental to its mission to contribute not only to the advancement of knowledge but also to the progress of peoples and "the authentic good of society."

The Catholic University of America is a community of teaching.

With its strong research-orientation, the university community has established a secure foundation for excellence in teaching. The training of future scholars and leaders, especially through graduate programs, has always been a primary focus of the university community from the beginning. In fact, to a large extent, the identification of the university as a graduate research institution has been a major source of more recent attraction to the university's steadily growing undergraduate population. For them, exposure to a first-rate, scholarly community in a classroom setting has been one of the most compelling dimensions of their university experience.

In addition to coursework, university-sponsored opportunities for direct student contact with the most notable practitioners of the various disciplinary fields and professions "as teachers" through special lectures and readily available internships support the university community's teaching mission. The institution's location in Washington, D.C., is, indeed, a distinct advantage that makes our nation's capital itself a unique classroom, inviting broader participation in the university as a teaching community. Similarly, the university's relationship to and position within the Church community constitutes a decidedly unique context for teaching.

An emphasis upon interdisciplinary and service-oriented education, the development and use of advanced educational technologies, collaboration with other agencies and regional academic institutions and the use of their resources as well as the incorporation of a global perspective in instruction at home and, where possible, by exposure to other cultural settings contribute greatly to a unique educational experience, second to none.

The university, precisely as a community of teaching, invites the participation of all its members in the holistic education of students. The educational process is uniquely enhanced when appropriate behaviors and attitudes of authentic compassion, mutual respect and generous service are modeled within the university community, producing among the students "a coherent world vision," integrating both "faith and life," "professional competence and Christian wisdom."

The Catholic University of America is a community of learning. The administration, faculty, staff and students at The Catholic University of America constitute one community of life-long learning that not only enlightens the mind but also enriches and nourishes the soul. The mission of The Catholic University of America is to foster a thirst for knowledge and learning among the students entrusted to the community's care through research and teaching. The fulfillment of this responsibility and the attitudes that accompany it, primarily but not exclusively by faculty members within the university community, fosters the development of a community of learning. The various academic and professional curricula available to students on the graduate and undergraduate levels clearly provide a unity of purpose for both faculty and students that supports the experience of a community of learning.

Intellectual development is enhanced and strengthened by other non-academic but no less educational programs sponsored by the university community, particularly in the areas of student life and campus ministry. Here the students learn to translate learning and the values embraced by the university community into effective and fulfilling ways of living. Administration, faculty and staff work together as members of a community through their commitment to the learning process throughout the campus. In many ways, an emphasis on educating the whole person becomes the trademark of The Catholic University of America experience and a measure of the fulfillment of its educational mission.

In addition to the contributions made by the university community to our traditional and non-traditional student populations, programs of continuing education, opportunities for professional development, exposure to music, the fine and performing arts, all of the highest caliber, are available to other members of the university community, within the institution's means and according to its established procedures. Here the university community gives witness to the enduring nature of learning and its value for all who seek to participate in its life-long realization, regardless of their status or responsibilities within the community. Through its efforts to extend these same learning opportunities to citizens of the neighboring communities here or through distance-learning, The Catholic University of America makes its presence felt as a community of learning throughout our nation's capital and beyond.

The Catholic University of America is a community of service. Through teaching and research, the university community makes "an indispensable contribution to the Church" and to society at large. These services are an integral part of the community's mission as The Catholic University of America is called upon "to become an ever more effective instrument of cultural progress for individuals as well as for society." The evaluation of predominant values and norms in modern society, the analysis of complex social issues, the promotion of the Church teaching on social justice all "contribute concretely to the progress of the society within which it works"on a global, national and local scale.

The university community also strives to promote and foster among all its members a personal commitment to service, a sense of authentic compassion and appropriate concern for others that motivates the community of research, teaching and learning to become a community of action on behalf of our neighbors. These neighbors are the elderly, the homeless, the illiterate, the needy, the victims of injustice who are served through local volunteer programs sponsored by campus ministry or through the outreach of the faculty and students of the Schools of Law, of Social Service, of Nursing, or of other academic units which have embraced a service-learning component. These neighbors are also countless numbers of women and men who are served daily by the alumnae and alumni who have graduated yet remain part of the university community, extending its mission and values to every part of the nation and the world. If it is true that "charity begins at home," then the university community, the neighbors closest to us, must experience the generosity of the commitment to serve throughout the campus, in our offices, through the attitudes and values, understanding and compassion manifested within the university community "as a natural expression of the Catholic identity of the university." That service is also significantly demonstrated, at times, by the university community's challenge to its own members to live inaccordance with Gospel values and truths "which do not please public opinion but which are necessary to safeguard the authentic good of human society." If the object of our research, teaching and learning is the search for truth, then the university community cannot "run from the truth" when it discovers it simply because some of its members "are afraid of its demands." In these ways the university community reveals itself to be a community of service, appropriate to its identity and purpose and an effective sign of the integration of faith, learning and life that is the heart of The Catholic University of Americas mission.

Finally, as a community of research, teaching, learning and service, The Catholic University of America acknowledges the existence of specific core values: central beliefs that characterize the university community in all of its activities. The ways in which the university community uniquely embodies these core values become trademarks of The Catholic University of America experience and an enduring part of the life of each and all of its members.

FAITH is the foundation upon which the Church established The Catholic University of America and its mission. This core value continues to influence the university community by providing a spiritual motivation for its research, teaching, learning and service.

SCHOLARSHIP of the highest quality is required to achieve a place of distinction within the academic world. The Catholic University of America community gives pride of place to this core value through its research, teaching and learning in service of truth for the good of the community and of human society.

EXCELLENCE in research, teaching, learning and service motivates The Catholic University of America community to be an intellectual center of the highest order, truly distinguished by this core value.

INTEGRITY, defined as intellectual honesty and personal moral accountability, is the core value that characterizes both the mission of The Catholic University of America and the life of the university community itself.

RESPECT for all people is essential if the university community is to survive and flourish. The Catholic University of America embraces this core value as fundamental to its research, teaching, learning and service activities.

FREEDOM in the search for truth is the core value that relates most clearly to the research, teaching, learning and service engaged by The Catholic University of America community. Here the only constraint upon truth is truth itself.

RESPONSIBILITY for the unique character, purpose and mission of The Catholic University of America is the core value embraced by all the members of university community in their efforts to participate fully in university life.

CONFIDENCE in The Catholic University of America's identity and mission, vision and values inspires The Catholic University of America to remain faithful to its founding spirit and rich traditions. As a core value, confidence enables the university community to achieve and maintain in higher education a leading place among its academic peers.

It is, therefore, this vision demonstrated in these values that The Catholic University of America community embraces as it enters the third millennium and a new chapter in its history begins to unfold.

The Very Reverend David M. O'Connell, C.M.

President

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