We transform lives.
The University of Missouri–St. Louis will be a beacon of hope, a force for good, and a leader in the pursuit of excellence in education, impactful research and community service. We boldly assert that education is for everyone who is willing and able to seek it out. We honor the duties inherent in our land-grant beginnings by positioning ourselves as partners in the search for knowledge, progress and positive change for ourselves, our communities, our world.
Integrity: Our foundation
At UMSL, integrity is everything. We strive to establish it at every moment through service, goodwill, transparency and accountability. We make this commitment because we understand that integrity is the basis of the trust we seek – from within our UMSL family and the larger community. We believe that to be truly deserving of this trust is more than a pursuit. It is the very heart of our mission, and the foundation that makes the rest of our values and goals a possibility.
Inclusion: Our guiding principle
We believe celebrating and appreciating diversity is not enough. We strive to create a truly inclusive community, one where equity is reality. We recognize individual attributes and respect individual differences while firmly asserting that we are better together.
Innovation: Our driving force for transformation
We know innovation is about far more than coming up with new ideas, and that at the heart of every great innovator lies the desire to see a problem solved or a person helped. We believe we are all innovators, driving change for the purpose of the greater good.
Access: Our challenge and our promise
Our classrooms, our campus, our research, our creativity, our service to the community – all of it – is for everyone. Access is something we constantly seek to better understand and to improve. We believe that a learning environment free from barriers for any one person makes that environment better for all people. We recognize that our commitment to access demands continual change. We embrace it. Always.
Success: Our greatest commitment
The expectation of success, for each and every one of our students, is something we believe in at every moment, without exception. It is the reason we’re all here. We are committed to meeting our students wherever they are, to inspiring and empowering them to meet their goals, break through their barriers, and define and achieve what success means for them.
Engagement: Our consistent, steadfast action
We believe it is our duty and responsibility to reach out with open minds, invite others into conversation, and create solutions. We use our energy, wisdom and resources to forge partnerships – across campus and within the community – that are built in the spirit of collaboration. We have much to share and much to learn, and we understand that the two go hand in hand.
We pursue each of these values with the knowledge that there is no perfect end point, no top of the mountain. We climb anyway. Because it’s the right thing to do. Because we’re all in this together. Because we are UMSL.
