 | | Preamble to the University Planning Document, Release 2.0
We believe that LSU can best accomplish its mission by providing the people of Louisiana with access to academic excellence. As Louisiana's flagship research institution, Louisiana State University and A&M College must be a leader in the intellectual, cultural, social, and economic advancement of the state. LSU must attract the brightest students from Louisiana and around the nation in order to develop talented, productive, responsible citizens. LSU must be a source of new knowledge, innovation, and cutting-edge technologies.
With appropriate support, LSU will continue to rise among the leading public research universities in the nation; LSU will model the highest aspirations of higher education as a learner centered, faculty and staff supportive, research intensive, diverse university, with a commitment to public service; and LSU will be a leader of education in Louisiana, with special emphasis on partnerships aimed at the improvement of K-12 education.
We affirm that:
- LSU is a distinctive institution with special opportunities: we must make the most of these attributes--for example, the unique culture and history of our state, our strategic relation to the Caribbean and to Central and South America, and our resource-rich wetlands and coasts.
- LSU is a public institution: we must provide access to
excellence and we must be accountable, always showing that LSU has used its resources wisely and efficiently.
- LSU is committed in practice and by policy to equal rights for all, to providing a learning environment and a workplace free of intolerance, discrimination, and any form of harassment or violence, whether by virtue of religion, race, national origin, gender, or any other of the attributes that create the rich diversity of our LSU community.
- Planning and assessment are continuous and essential processes: we must know where we are heading and how to gauge our progress.
- Shared governance is a fundamental principle: we must work as a team, with full respect for dialogue and due process.
The University is not the momentary mix of its students, faculty, and staff, nor is it a particular place. Rather, it is a complex, fluid network of changing relations that extend far beyond our immediate community and the borders of our campus. To stay abreast of a rapidly changing world, LSU must be flexible, bold, and imaginative. At the same time, it is essential for the economic and social well-being of Louisiana that LSU hold steadfastly to a vision: to be a leading research university, challenging undergraduate and graduate students to achieve the highest levels of intellectual and personal development. | | |
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