Mission and Vision

Mission Statement

The faculty, employees, and students of Virginia Tech seek to

• Develop and sustain an increasingly diverse and inclusive community of learners;
• Develop an appreciation for and understanding of the benefits of a multi-cultural perspective; and
• Establish a set of policies, programs, practices, and resources necessary to achieve excellence, equity, and effectiveness in the research, teaching and learning, and outreach activities of the university.

Vision Statement

Virginia Tech's motto Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) inspires every member of the university community to develop an appreciation of the values and obligations of productive citizenship and the responsibilities of leadership while promoting personal and intellectual growth. While the motto remains as relevant today as it has for decades, the context for the practice of this value through citizenship and leadership is dramatically changing as we enter the 21st century.

An evaluation of future trends clearly indicates that the environment in which we all live is becoming increasingly multicultural, multiethnic, and diverse. The globalization of U.S. industry and the changing demographics of the U.S. population both suggest that our future will differ greatly from our past. Instilling in our students an appreciation of the values and obligations of productive citizenship requires high-quality learning environments that reflect the multicultural, multiethnic, and diverse character of the United States of America in the 21st century. Virginians--indeed all humankind--benefit to the extent that our students appreciate and value the ideas, concerns, and contributions of all people regardless of personal characteristics. This will be one of the dimensions by which productive citizenship will be measured. To assume the responsibilities of leadership, one must be able to understand the concerns of a global workforce--one consisting of many different races and of even more cultures and religions, a workforce that must effectively include both men and women in productive activities and decision making.

To continue to embrace Ut Prosim fully as our inspiration, Virginia Tech must guide its future so that it will become a university that not only accommodates, but also embraces and reflects, the diversity of opinions, races, and cultures that will most certainly be our future. Our goal must be to assure that each student's potential to make positive contributions to our society is not constrained but enhanced by the rich mosaic of differences that makes us who we are as a people. The university community must embrace diversity in a manner that will cause Virginia Tech's students to embrace it as well, thus strengthening their academic and personal skills and competencies so they can serve effectively. This is Virginia Tech's vision for the future.

Contents | Welcome | Mission and Vision | Goals and Tasks | Climate and Status Data | VT Core Values | Print

Office of Multicultural Affairs - Virginia Tech 332 Burruss Hall, Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA 24061-0176

Telephone: 540-231-1820/TTY 540-231-9460 FAX: 540-231-1818 Email: multicultural@vt.edu Web: http://www.multicultural.vt.edu/