Mission and Vision

University Mission

The institution established in the Upper Peninsula known as the Michigan College of Mining and Technology, referred to in the constitution of 1963 as the Michigan College of Science and Technology, is continued after January 1, 1964, under the name of Michigan Technological University, and shall be maintained for the purpose and under the regulations contained in this act. The institution shall provide the inhabitants of this state with the means of acquiring a thorough knowledge of the mineral industry in its various phases, and of the application of science to industry, as exemplified by the various engineering courses offered at technological institutions, and shall seek to promote the welfare of the industries of the state, insofar as the funds provided shall permit and the Board of Control shall deem advisable. (From the Constitution of the State of Michigan, 1964)

Michigan Technological University will benefit the State of Michigan and society as a whole through a balance of quality education, theoretical and applied research, and public service. The University will continue to build upon its unique tradition of education in engineering, science, and related disciplines, and to provide the state and its industries with highly qualified graduates. In addition, the University will strive to promote diversity, creativity, leadership, and teamwork, and to educate all of its students to meet the changing needs of a global, technological, diverse, and environmentally sensitive society. The University will seek to enrich and benefit society through its research activities and will assist the community, the state, and the nation in economic and cultural development. (Statement of Interpretation, by the University Direction and Planning Committee, 1991)

University Vision

MTU will be a nationally and internationally recognized leader in meeting challenges of the future through excellence in undergraduate and graduate education and research in sciences and engineering. At the undergraduate level, we will have comprehensive, diverse, and relevant curricula that educate technically competent, intellectually vital graduates who are creative, effective leaders and communicators who are aware of the changing social, economic, and cultural values of the world. At the graduate level and in research, we will focus especially on growth in interdisciplinary approaches in areas of established strength and future need. Consistent with the increasing complexity of science and technology, we will substantially increase the proportion of graduate students. At each educational level and within each segment of the University community, we will increase the proportion of individuals from underrepresented racial and gender groups.

Michigan Tech meets Criterion One: We have clear and publicly stated purposes consistent with our mission and appropriate to an institution of higher education. Michigan Tech’s purposes, clearly articulated in its vision statement (above) and its strategic goals (discussed below), are consistent with its mission as a technological university that serves the welfare of the State and its industries. The legislated mission, or its 1991 interpretation by the University Direction and Planning Committee, as well as the vision statement and the expectations of President Tompkins, are published in the 1997–99 Undergraduate Catalog [1.3A], widely distributed on campus in the annually updated strategic planning document, 1998 and Beyond [2.1D2], and available on the University Web Page. The strategic goals are also published in 1998 and Beyond.

The mission was first articulated in 1885 in Public Act 70 of the Michigan State Legislature, and restated in the 1964 State of Michigan Constitution. In brief, it charges the University to provide a means for Michigan residents to acquire a thorough knowledge of the mineral industry and the application of science to industry, and to promote the welfare of Michigan industries. With the decline in the mineral industry and the explosive growth of knowledge in science and technology, we now interpret this mission to mean that the University will benefit the State and society through a balance of education, research, and public service in engineering, science, and related disciplines. By reflecting the growing diversity of our society and the global reach of industry and its impact on the environment, we also interpret our mission as promoting those qualities and activities which enrich and develop society and industry—diversity, creativity, leadership, teamwork, and environmental awareness.

Consistent with this mission, our vision is to be a leader in undergraduate and graduate education and research in science and engineering. We envision three ways to accomplish this. First, in undergraduate education, we will offer curricula to educate technically competent leaders and communicators who are aware of changing values. Second, because the increasing complexity of science and technology demands depth and breadth in education, we will expand the role of graduate education at MTU; we will emphasize interdisciplinary approaches appropriate to our strengths and attentive to societal needs. Third, we will promote diversity at home by diversifying the campus community. All three means to accomplishing our vision echo themes in our mission.

The emphasis on science and engineering in the mission and vision explain the predominance of programs in the College of Engineering, the emphasis on science in the College of Sciences and Arts, and the decision to develop Schools of Technology and Forestry (rather than Schools of Education and Law). Our mission to apply science to industry is also reflected in the applied orientation of many curricula in these colleges and schools, and in the programs of the School of Business and Economics. Please see the Undergraduate and Graduate School Catalogs and Appendix 6 for additional information on programs in the colleges and schools.

Michigan Tech’s vision is the product of a history of planning initiatives that involve multiple campus constituencies:

• the Long Range Planning (Committee C) Report (1978) [2.1A];
• the 2005 Long Range Plan (1984) [2.1B];
• the University Direction and Planning Committee Report (1991) [2.1C];
• the President Tompkins’ Vision Statement and Expectations (1991, revised 1993) [2.1D2]; and
• 1998 and Beyond, hereafter referred to as the "Strategic Plan" (1995) [2.1D2].

To assure a common and widespread understanding of stated University purposes at all levels of the institution, colleges, schools, and departments have all developed missions consistent with the University mission and vision. The Strategic Planning Process and the Self-Study Process facilitated the task of mission development at the unit level (see Appendix 6 for College and School missions and visions, and departmental self-studies [2.6], for the specific unit missions and visions).

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