It is the mission of The Graduate School to support, facilitate, and promote excellence in lifelong education through graduate programs of distinction, innovative outreach programs, and a diverse student body.
The Graduate School is committed to preparing students to be educated and enlightened citizens who will lead productive and meaningful lives. The mission addresses the first three defining characteristics of the university in that, as a unit, it will:
- strategically select innovative and new academic programs for development and implementation,
- serve primarily full-time students but will increase programs that fulfill non-degree and competency certification requirements as a complement to the traditional academic programs and bachelor's degrees, and
- offer graduate programs of distinction.
Further, the college holds an integral place in three of the six strategic initiatives:
- to offer a richer educational experience for our students by establishing a critical mass of underrepresented populations among the faculty, staff, and students,
- to attain base adequacy and diversify the university's revenue profile
- and establish six to eight graduate programs that are recognized as nationally prominent.