What we hope will emerge is a vision of Western a decade from now and a road map to guide us as we meet serious challenges along the way. Our reputation as a pre-eminent regional university has grown because of the quality of our academic programs and the campus experience offered to students. That experience continues to include a campus acclaimed for its beauty and opportunity to be in a residential setting, especially for first-year students. The essence of our mission is the development of students' analytical thinking, communication, technological and creative abilities focused around a liberal arts core. Graduates of undergraduate and graduate programs are fully prepared to contribute to an increasingly diverse and complex society.
Strong partnerships are an important aspect of the university's success.
These include a wide range of interdisciplinary programs between departments or colleges as well as partnerships between the university and the surrounding region, businesses, individuals and various elements of government. As Western continues to strengthen its undergraduate educational experience, the core value of the university has been, and must continue to be, strong student-faculty interaction. Personal attention to students, including undergraduate research opportunities, is a hallmark of a Western education. On Feb. 25, we looked at the effect our future efforts could have as we recognized the results of our past efforts. On that evening, we saluted 21 women and men who exemplify the achievements and accomplishments of our many talented graduates over the century.