Research, scholarship and debate are important objectives. They serve the learning process through mutual discovery and the expansion and application of knowledge in new ways. Undergraduates are able to explore a broad range of subjects and to focus their education in a range of classical, contemporary and professional disciplines. Graduate students are able to explore a focused range of subjects in traditional, interdisciplinary and professional disciplines. Diversity of ideas is nurtured and valued.
Academic freedom is viewed as integral to the free flow of ideas.
The University's role as a link between the state and the rest of the global community is emphasized. Service functions are extensions of the learning-community concept. Service enhances the learning experience of students and the intellectual growth of faculty. It also expands the University community, sharing our intellectual resources with others and inviting them to join us in the learning experience. The University is responsive to the changing composition of its community.