The University will provide a distinctive, student-centered undergraduate learning experience which will be highly competitive as the result of its intellectual coherence, rigour and engagement of students with faculty in the process of inquiry and discovery. The University will provide access to its education programmes to students from a diversity of backgrounds on the basis of merits.Undergraduate students will have the opportunity to participate in a learning environment characterized by interactions with academic staff who place a high value on teaching. Creating such a distinctive learning environment will also require a thorough examination of the content of our undergraduate curriculum and the quality of our pedagogy in the context of the new demands which will be placed upon our students when they leave our campus.

The University will further advance its national and international reputation as a major public university, a university which competes successfully for the most qualified faculty and students, as well as external research support. The University must continue to invest strategically in the programs of research, scholarship and creative expression which are at the heart of our academic enterprise. Quality research, both within and across disciplinary boundaries, informs the undergraduate experience, defines the learning environment for our graduate and professional students, advances the disciplines, and enables the University to be responsive to societal needs. In order to continue to advance the quality of its programmes of research and scholarship, the University must focus its allocation of resources on distinctive research programmes of current and emerging strength. Academic staff/researchers must be supported in their attempts to secure external support for their research and graduate students. The University will also enhance its position as a provider of graduate research training, building on its broad research strengths.

While remaining committed to its role as a research university, the University must enhance its position as a provider of professional development activities and its support to a broad range of lifelong learning opportunities. The University must make the strategic investments necessary to assure that all of the graduate and professional programmes it offers are academically distinguished and are attractive to a diverse pool of the most qualified applicants, regionally, nationally and internationally. Accomplished teacher-scholars must be present in sufficient numbers to assure a learning experience which will position our students for distinguished and productive professional careers. Academic programmes, both within and across disciplines, must be distinctive as well as consistently ranked among the best in the nation when compared to peer institutions.

The University need to develop global perspectives and connections by expanding student and staff experiences abroad, educational partnerships, and other international linkages. The University will enhance its position as a university with good international reputation and strive to be in the world ranking, stressing the benefits this brings both to the whole University community and to the nation.

The University will continue to serve the community by contributing to cultural and community life, by promoting and contributing to intellectual discourse, and by making the output from its research and scholarship available for benefit of the community. The University will distinguish itself as an institution that cooperates with public and private organizations through study, consultation, advice, and involvement in selected issues, such as educational practice, leadership, and environmental policy. The University will create mechanisms to support internal flexibility and collaboration in mobilizing its capabilities to address key societal issues and problems. Community service at the local, national and internaitonal levels is an integral part of research, teaching and learning. The University is committed to attending to community through research and service, to preparing students for the global community, and to fostering student formation in a community of diversity.

The University will continually strive to be a well managed and governed institution, making efficient and effective use of its funding to meet the needs and expectations of students, staff and other stakeholders. The University will also enhance its risk management framework towards effective management of potential opportunities and adverse effects leading to positive benefits for achieving its objectives. Risk management should be embedded in the operation of the University and be part of its culture.