03-04-94 Trustees Adopt Functional Mission Statement

OHIO STATE DEFINES ITS ROLE IN HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM

     COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University Board of Trustees
Friday (3/4) accepted a functional mission statement to define
the unique role of Ohio State as a leader among the state's
public colleges and universities.

     Last year, the Ohio Board of Regents requested functional
mission statements from all public colleges and universities.
The purpose of the statements is to provide a better
understanding of the roles the institutions play in higher
education in the state in order to link the colleges and
universities more effectively as a system.  That linkage was
one of the recommendations of the Managing for the Future Task
Force which the Regents appointed in 1991.  The goal is to
ensure that college and university missions are consistent
with the overall mission of Ohio's system of higher education.

     Ohio State's functional mission statement expands on the
general mission statement that trustees adopted in 1992.

     Ohio State serves as Ohio's premier institution of higher
education, said Richard Sisson, senior vice president for
academic affairs and provost.  As a land-grant university,
Ohio State provides teaching, research, and service to the
citizens of Ohio.

     Sisson noted that Ohio State produces skilled leaders for
the private and public sectors and helps define the state's
role in a rapidly changing global economy.

     In addition to educating the largest number of
undergraduates of any university in Ohio, Ohio State offers
one of the most comprehensive varieties of courses in the
country, allowing the university to meet the diverse learning
needs of the people in the state.

     "Research and cutting-edge instruction and training are
the central activities that distinguish Ohio State as the
state's comprehensive research university," Sisson said.  "The
capacity to serve is rooted in our capacity to discover and
transmit new and useful knowledge, and to educate both
innovators and practitioners."

     Ohio State serves all 88 counties and teaches students of
all ages and backgrounds.  Its constituents include business,
government agencies, corporations, and people in agriculture,
business, engineering, the health sciences, human services,
education, law, and the arts and sciences.

     Sisson also reviewed the challenges facing Ohio State.
They include the review of academic priorities within and
among departments, schools, and colleges; improving Ohio
State's record in federal funding; providing adequate
compensation for faculty and staff to make Ohio State
competitive; attracting better qualified students; and
continuing to improve diversity among faculty, staff and
students.

     "Ohio State will achieve preeminence because of two
primary assets it enjoys:  One is an outstanding faculty and
the other asset is the trust and good will of the people of
Ohio," Sisson said.  "We will work closely and
enthusiastically with the Board of Regents to ensure that the
people of Ohio continue to reap the maximum benefits from
their institutions of higher education."
                               
                              #
Contact:  Richard Sisson, (614) 292-5881.
Written by Tom Spring.


[Submitted by: REIDV  (reidv@ccgate.ucomm.ohio-state.edu)
               
Tue, 08 Mar 1994 14:00:07 -0500 (EST)]
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