The University Mission Statement and Charisms
The Mission Statement of Franciscan University (Summary)
The purpose of Franciscan University is to further the higher education of men and women through programs of liberal, professional, and pre-professional studies leading to the conferral of the baccalaureate and master degrees in the arts and sciences.
It is the further purpose of the University, publicly identified as a Catholic and a Franciscan institution, to promote the moral, spiritual, and religious values of its students. The University is guided by the example and teaching of St. Francis of Assisi. To accomplish this mission, the University embraces the following general policies:
Intellectual and Faith Community: The specific vocation of a student is intellectual development.
Evangelization: Through academic and co-curricular programs, the University promotes the ongoing and deepening of life in the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Church.
Dynamic Orthodoxy: The University has embraced this concept as a policy standard for its life, thereby striving to promote and maintain a balanced commitment to truth and life in its faith community.
Christian Maturity: The University recognizes that its ultimate purpose is to graduate men and women who are able to take a mature, responsible approach to life.
Good Stewardship: The University recognizes that its greatest resources are its people and pledges to treat each person with dignity and respect.
These five general policies are the basis for many specific policies, including:
Academic: The University is a teaching institution, which values research primarily for advancing the scholarship of the faculty. The University requires some specific courses and some balanced selection of courses to promote liberal arts education and the importance of theological studies and basic philosophy. The University also promotes responsible academic freedom which includes observance of the 1940 AAUP statement.
Student Life: The University desires all its programs to be guided by the law of love. Specifically, the University welcomes entertainment and recreational activities that build up the lives of those involved; promotes participation in physical health programs and athletic activities; promotes personal and spiritual development, particularly through faith households; provides, within its means, counseling and other support services as appropriate; supports Christian morality and respect for life; embraces a Catholic worldview; encourages service off campus to the poor as an essential part of a student’s educational experience.
Finally, the University commits itself to this mission believing that it is promoting a normal, mature, Franciscan, Catholic, Christian way of life for its students. It believes that its norms for both academic and co-curricular development are rooted in long and proven tradition and are as relevant today as they were in times past. The University commits itself to ongoing prayer empowered by the Holy Spirit, so that it may be humble before the face of God and receptive to those graces and blessings it needs to serve this mission.
The full text of Franciscan University's Mission Statement is available on the FUS Website.
The Charisms of Franciscan University
These charisms serve as expectation, guide, and measure for all members of the Franciscan University family. As a community of learners forming a culture of inquiry, these charisms assist us as we reflect upon the vital questions that guide our actions, thoughts, and words.
ONGOING CONVERSION - Daily we seek to grow closer to Jesus, asking Him to transform our hearts, our minds, and our wills, so we can love Him more deeply and image Him more perfectly
UPHOLDING THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON - We see every man, woman, and child—born and unborn—as the living image of God and strive to honor Our Father in heaven by honoring one another.
FAMILY - We are most perfectly ourselves when we live for others, giving ourselves to one another in love, just as Christ gives Himself to us.
DYNAMIC ORTHODOXY - We strive to live in perfect fidelity to the truth proclaimed in Scripture and Tradition, making known the love of Christ and His Church.
EVANGELIZATION - We proclaim the Gospel with our words and we witness to the Gospel through our actions, so that all might know and love Christ Jesus.
HOSPITALITY - We welcome Christ by opening our hearts, homes, and lives to the friend, the stranger, the lonely, the lost, the poor, and the confused.
JOY - We delight in God’s goodness and the goodness of His creation, anticipating His loving providence in all situations.