Who Would Notice if Your University’s Mission Disappeared?

A recent review of university mission statements from across the globe revealed remarkable alignment around three themes that transcend geography, sector, and tradition. Whether public or private, secular or faith-based, universities consistently express their identity and purpose through a shared commitment to:

• Educating students and preparing them for meaningful work
• Advancing knowledge through research 

• Contributing to the well-being of society and the world

   

If there is such shared clarity on the role and responsibilities of universities, why do we see so many persistent challenges in higher education? Why aren’t the aspirations in these mission statements fully realized in practice?

The truth is, universities are delivering extraordinary value, often in ways that don’t make headlines. As the University Design Institute engages with universities around the world, we meet leaders, faculty, and staff who care deeply about their students and their communities. They change lives every day, sometimes with resources so scarce it would seem impossible to keep going. We see faculty designing courses that open doors for first-generation learners. We see administrators building support systems for students who are struggling to stay in school. We see researchers pushing forward despite outdated labs and limited funding, because they believe the world needs their ideas.

And yet, those with the vision and drive to do even more often run headlong into systemic barriers — policies, funding structures, and entrenched norms that make bold transformation difficult at the level of a single institution. 

• Structural stagnation and legacy models: Universities are being asked to solve problems they weren’t built for. Reform is often constrained by governance complexity, regulatory frameworks, or union contracts, making it difficult to pivot or innovate, even when the mission demands it.
• Misalignment between mission and incentives: While mission statements highlight societal good, internal systems often reward publication over impact, disciplinary prestige over interdisciplinarity, and inputs (e.g., enrollment, funding) over outcomes (e.g., community change, employability).
• Access, equity, and student success challenges: While education for all might be the mission, inclusion, affordability, and belonging often lag. Cost barriers, underprepared students, digital divides, and systemic inequality mean many universities fail to deliver on access and success, especially for marginalized communities.
• Leadership turnover: Transformation takes time, but leadership changes too fast, either because of built-in short tenures or turnover because of the challenges and complexity of these jobs. Short tenures make it hard to implement bold reforms aligned with the mission. Strategic plans often shift with new administrations, causing loss of momentum and inconsistency in vision execution.
• Struggle between global and local impact: Many universities aspire to become global brands, but struggle to address the needs of their local communities, which may face urgent issues such as youth unemployment, food insecurity, or poor infrastructure. The desire to be globally competitive can divert attention and resources away from local engagement.
• Cultural resistance to change: Deep academic traditions can foster skepticism of management-led change, especially if faculty feel excluded from the design of reforms. Mission-aligned transformation needs shared ownership, but that takes deliberate, inclusive design.

These challenges are real, but so is the courage, creativity, and care we witness in universities across the world. So, what can be done? 

Let’s start with a simple question: in your university, who actually knows the mission statement? Who would notice if it quietly disappeared one day?

The answer for many institutions is… not many. Which tells us something important. The solution isn’t that every university needs to rewrite its mission statement or make cosmetic improvements to the language. The real work is looking deeply at what the mission should be, and making sure it actually matters.

A University's mission is an expression of intention and a living ethos. It is a clear signal of why the university exists, who it serves, and the difference it aims to make in the world. At its core, a mission should guide decisions, inspire action, and shape the way faculty, staff, and students engage with the communities around them. At its best, a mission shapes decisions, inspires faculty and staff, and sparks change far beyond campus walls. At its worst, it becomes background noise, memorized for ceremonies or reports, disconnected from the daily work of teaching, researching, and serving. 

Understanding what a mission truly is (and making it matter) is the first step toward the deeper question: how can universities turn aspiration into action, ensuring their purpose is felt, recognized, and perhaps most importantly, lived?

While systemic barriers to change in higher education are real and persistent, universities are far from powerless. In this pivotal moment for humanity, universities must step forward as indispensable problem solvers and trusted partners to governments, industry, and civil society to shape a better future. Across our work with institutions around the world, we’ve seen that there is much they can do, starting from within, to bring their missions to life.

Here’s what we’ve learned.

• Make the mission matter. Universities need modernized missions,  rooted in place, signaling an awareness of and desire to address the most pressing challenges facing the local and regional communities. It should reflect a genuine commitment to the needs of the community that the university can serve. The words should energize and inspire, pointing toward an aspirational future that feels urgent and shared.
• Leaders must be relentless champions. Not just repeating the mission, but living it every day. That includes investing in and supporting leaders who will advance the mission, creating incentives that encourage the right behaviors, and shaping structures and cultures that bring the mission to life.
• Design with recipients in mind. Talk to students, parents, employers, and other community stakeholders. Understand their needs and frustrations. Build systems, structures, and processes that are truly mission-aligned, and remove those that get in the way.
• Co-design with those closest to the work. Faculty, staff, and students often see challenges clearly and have ideas for real solutions. Involving them deeply and inviting external partners to engage where appropriate ensures that the best ideas surface and the resulting change leads to tangible and meaningful impact. It also ensures that those who participate learn and practice the habits and tools needed for ongoing mission-critical work. 
• Forge unexpected partnerships. Some of the most powerful collaborations come from unusual, even unlikely, partners. Seek out individuals and organizations who share your mission and can help make it real in ways you can’t achieve alone. They can create the right kind of pressure for change and contribute ideas and resources to realize it. 

If a mission statement is just words on a wall, it will be forgotten. Which is why every leader, faculty member, staff member and student must ask: How are we living our mission today? Are our decisions, structures, and actions aligned with the purpose we claim? 

Because when the mission becomes a living commitment — shared, championed, and acted upon — it can transform not just an institution, but the lives of the people it serves and communities it touches.