NOVA’s Mission Statement Thought Exchange Available Until Oct. 17

As we prepare for our next strategic planning process, we need to make sure we have agreement on our North Star, our mission statement and values.

At convocation this year, I challenged those gathered at the Schlesinger Center to say our mission statement and values. No one could. For reference, this is our mission statement: With commitment to the principles of access, opportunity, student success and excellence, the mission of Northern Virginia Community College is to deliver world-class, in-person and online postsecondary teaching, learning and workforce development to ensure our region and the Commonwealth of Virginia have an educated population and a globally competitive workforce.

Now, this doesn’t mean that we don’t have a shared mission or shared values: it does mean that we don’t have a mission statement and values that engage or inspire us.

If I were to ask all NOVA faculty and staff to identify the most important work we do, I’d likely get answers that aligned around two or three common activities—and I’d likely get them in language that spoke to the inspiration that each of us brings to and finds in our work.

So, that’s what I’m doing over the next two weeks–asking you.

First up is NOVA’s mission statement: I’m asking you to tell your colleagues what you see as the most important work that NOVA does to serve and advance our students and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Share your thoughts.

Then, I’m asking you to go a step further, and read through the thoughts of your colleagues on the same topic. Agree? Disagree? Did their thoughts make you think differently about what our North Star should be?

Let me know.

Click here for the link to the Mission Statement ThoughtExchange. It will close on Monday, October 17 at 5 p.m.

Then, on October 25, if warranted by your input, I’ll provide a draft revision of our current mission statement and look for further feedback.

Thank you, in advance, for participating and sharing your thoughts. Next week, I’ll repeat the same process with NOVA’s current values.

Reprinted from the President’s Tuesday Topic from Oct. 11, 2022