Mission, Vision, and Values

Mission Statement

Founded upon the values of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and rooted in the Catholic tradition, Notre Dame de Namur University serves its students and the community by providing excellent professional and liberal arts programs in which community engagement and the values of social justice and global peace are integral to the learning experience.  NDNU is a diverse and inclusive learning community that challenges each member to consciously apply values and ethics in his or her personal, professional, and public life.

 

Vision Statement

Notre Dame de Namur University will be recognized in the San Francisco Bay Area as a leader in integrating community engagement into high quality academic programs.  NDNU’s programs will be widely known for their innovative synthesis of liberal arts learning, professionally-oriented learning, and core values.


Core Values

Notre Dame de Namur University was founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and the values espoused by the Sisters continue to inspire the University.  The Core Values expressed here are closely linked to the Hallmarks of a Notre Dame de Namur Learning Community developed by the Sisters in collaboration with NDNU and other SND learning communities.  These values should be considered in the context of the Hallmarks.

The Core Values in listed in alphabetical order.  There is no ranking implied.  Commitments following each value elaborate rather than define the values.

Community

  • A commitment to build a diverse, collaborative, open, and student-centered community that holds itself and its members accountable to learn, serve, work, and grow together in partnership.
  • A commitment to share the responsibility of governance and to create transparency and accountability in our decision-making.

Diversity

  • A commitment to celebrate, embrace, value, and learn from the voices, perspectives, and experiences of all our community members.
  • A commitment to ensure that the University offers its students, faculty, and staff of diverse backgrounds opportunities that are accessible and fair to all constituents.
  • A commitment to seek and respect diverse points of view in the academic arena.

Excellence

  • A commitment to excellence in every academic and professional pursuit.

Integrity

  • A commitment to honor the sacredness and dignity of each person and the development of the whole person through our collaborative practices.
  • A commitment to match our actions and our words.

Justice

  • A commitment to enhance the application of ethics, justice, and peace at the personal, community, and global levels.

Learning

  • A commitment to innovative learning of what is necessary for life, both as a directed process and as a lifelong practice.
  • A commitment to the search for truth, knowledge, and meaning.

Service

  • A commitment to community-based learning and other forms of service.