Mission and Goals
Mount Mercy University Mission and Goals
Mount Mercy is a Catholic University providing student-focused baccalaureate and graduate education in the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy.
As a Catholic university founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, Mount Mercy welcomes women and men of all beliefs to join our community in the pursuit of baccalaureate and graduate education and service to those in need.
Mount Mercy promotes reflective judgment, strategic communication, the common good and purposeful living through a core curriculum, liberal arts and professional majors and student development programs.
We strive for excellence in accomplishing our mission through our four interdependent goals:
Using reflective judgment
The abilities to think clearly and carefully, argue coherently and evaluate competing truth claims critically are fundamental to a college education. 1 Reflective judgment requires a knowledge of basic fact, examination and evaluation of assumptions, adequate justification for drawing a conclusion and understanding implications of drawing that conclusion. With these skills, individuals can solve problems creatively and integrate knowledge across disciplines.
Engaging in strategic communication
Strategic communication requires selecting from a range of options in order to accomplish a chosen goal in an ethical manner. 2 These options include construction and interpretation of messages in the written, oral and aesthetic forms using appropriate technology.
Serving the common good
The common good is at the heart of Catholic social teaching. Because persons are social by nature, every individual’s good relates necessarily to the common good, the sum of social conditions that allows all people to reach their human potential more fully. 3 It includes respect for and ethical interaction with every person and the natural environment and, in the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy, service for the well-being of all humanity and action in the cause of justice in the world.
Promoting purposeful living
A liberal education enables persons to achieve a greater degree of freedom upon which to act purposefully. Since development of purpose entails planning for life based on a set of priorities. 4 Mount Mercy University provides opportunities for spiritual growth, intellectual engagement, vocational clarity, social development, physical well-being, emotional maturity and responsible community leadership.
The Mount Mercy University Brand Promise
We are the regional Catholic, Mercy University that promises students of diverse backgrounds, ages and faiths a challenging, practical education that inspires them to discover knowledge, build community and lead courageous lives.
Approved by Board of Trustees October 29, 2005
Amended by Board of Trustees April 28, 2007
Amended by Board of Trustees August 17, 2010
1 P. M. King. and K. S. Kitchener, Developing Reflective Judgment: Understanding and Promoting Intellectual Growth and Critical Thinking in Adolescents and Adults (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1994).
2 S. Morreale, R. Rubin and E. Jones, “Speaking and Listening Competencies for College Students”; available from National Communication Association website, http://www.natcom.org/Instruction/assessment/CollegeComp/college_competencies.htm; Internet; accessed 07 March 2005.
3 Catechism of the Catholic Church (Washington, D. C.: United States Catholic Conference, 2000), sections 1905-1912.
4 Arthur Chickering and Linda Reisser, Education and Identity (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1993), 50.
Vision Statement
Mount Mercy University will be a distinguished regional institution in the Catholic intellectual tradition and a national leader within Mercy higher education, recognized for its:
Academic Life where learning in the Mercy tradition is academically acclaimed and the university’s integrated approach to the liberal arts, professional preparation and service learning creates a community and culture of free inquiry, social responsibility and purposeful living.
Student Experiences which foster a vibrant university community where a diverse student population participates in campus activities, strong residential programs, international experiences, and personal and spiritual growth in an atmosphere promoting service to the common good.
Institutional Resources with robust finances, a campus environment, and human resources to accommodate growth in quality and quantity of undergraduate and graduate students and realize the full potential and reputation of a successful small to mid-size regional university.
Community Outreach where Mount Mercy is the educational partner of choice in relationship with the business community, other educational institutions, alumni, parents, area residents, civic organizations and other local and national organizations.
Approved by Board of Trustees April 28, 2007
Amended by Board of Trustees August 17, 2010
Statement of Values
As members of the Mount Mercy University community, grounded in the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy and our Catholic identity, we are committed to:
Lifelong learning and education of the whole person We believe that education is a lifelong experience where learning empowers the whole person, intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
Pursuit of truth and dignity We foster free inquiry in a compassionate culture where our dedication to faith, truth and mercy supports the dignity of each person within the human community.
Commitment to students We acknowledge and affirm that our students’ needs are central to decisions that affect community life.
Justice We advocate for equality by actively creating just and healthy relationships in our learning community and in our global society.
Gratitude We celebrate with humility all gifts and talents bestowed by God and faithfully share these blessings with the wider community.
Hospitality We accomplish our work in the spirit of Catherine McAuley’s graciousness and inclusion that welcomes all people and perspectives.
Service We instill a sense of responsibility and caring that calls us to serve the common good.
Approved by Board of Trustees April 28, 2007
Amended by Board of Trustees August 17, 2010