Mission Statement
Heritage in Perspective
Villanova University is a Catholic Augustinian community of higher education, committed to excellence and distinction in the discovery, dissemination and application of knowledge. Inspired by the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, the University is grounded in the wisdom of the Catholic intellectual tradition and advances a deeper understanding of the relationship between faith and reason. Villanova emphasizes and celebrates the liberal arts and sciences as foundational to all academic programs. The University community welcomes and respects members of all faiths who seek to nurture a concern for the common good and who share an enthusiasm for the challenge of responsible and productive citizenship in order to build a just and peaceful world.
Enduring Commitments:
In pursuit of this mission, we commit ourselves to academic excellence, to our values and traditions, and to our students, alumni and the global community.
To foster academic excellence, we:
- Create a diverse community of scholars, united and dedicated to the highest academic standards;
- Emphasize the liberal arts and sciences as our foundation and foster in our students active engagement, critical thinking, life-long learning and moral reflection;
- Concern ourselves with developing and nurturing the whole person, allowing students, faculty and staff to grow intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, culturally, socially and physically in an environment that supports individual differences and insists that mutual love and respect should animate every aspect of university life;
- Encourage interdisciplinary research, teaching and scholarship;
- Affirm the intrinsic good of learning, contemplation and the search for truth in undergraduate and graduate education;
- Support a curriculum that encourages both a global perspective and an informed respect for the differences among peoples and cultures.
To honor our values and tradition, we:
- Believe that the dialogue between faith and reason drives the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom, and fosters St. Augustine’s vision of learning as a community ethos governed by love;
- Seek to understand, enrich and teach the Catholic intellectual tradition through our curricula, scholarship and activities in ways that engage diverse religious, intellectual and cultural traditions in a vigorous and respectful pursuit of truth and wisdom in every area of humanity;
- Provide opportunities for students, faculty and staff to seek guidance from Catholic intellectual and moral traditions, while always welcoming people from all faiths, cultures and traditions to contribute their gifts and talents to our mission;
- Respect and encourage the freedom proposed by St Augustine, which makes civil discussion and inquiry possible and productive;
- Look to the Order of St. Augustine to preserve our Augustinian character, by showing appropriate preference to Augustinians in faculty and staff appointments, and by welcoming their presence and influence in our university community.
To serve our students, alumni and global community, we:
- Encourage students, faculty and staff to engage in service experiences and research, both locally and globally, so they learn from others, provide public service to the community and help create a more sustainable world;
- Commit to the common good, and apply the knowledge and skills of our students and faculty to better the human condition;
- Encourage our students and faculty to pursue virtue by integrating love and knowledge, and by committing themselves to research and education for justice, with a special concern for the poor and compassion for the suffering;
- Respect a worldview that recognizes that all creation is sacred and that fosters responsible stewardship of the environment;
- Include our alumni as an integral part of the Villanova community;
- Value highly our relationship with neighboring communities.
Statement of Community Ideals at Villanova University
Villanova University is a welcoming community, where in the spirit of Augustine, each member greets guests warmly and acknowledges each other as colleagues engaged in mutual service to our students and their families. Respect for all is powerfully affirmed.
Villanova University is an educationally purposeful community which acknowledges that learning should be a primary goal of every activity, each interaction.
Villanova University believes that each member of our community both teaches and learns from every other. It is in this unifying context that Villanovans must approach each other. Teaching and learning in this Catholic-Christian environment are paramount.
Villanova University is a selfless community, a place where individuals acknowledge and accept their responsibility to sacrifice self interest for the common good, and where the universal values of integrity, compassion, and humility guide decision making at every level of the institution.
Villanova University is a just community, a place where the sacredness of each person is honored, where favoritism, bigotry, and discrimination are categorically rejected.
Villanova University is a caring community, a place where the well-being of each member is sensitively supported, where service to others is strongly encouraged.
Villanova University is a celebrative community, which affirms the Catholic, Augustinian charisma and our collegiate tradition.
Adapted from Campus Life: In Search of Community, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Steering Committee for Villanova Quality Improvement.