Mission Statement Analysis

A mission statement determines an institution’s direction. When looking at different

institutions’ mission statement, they ranged from multiple sentences to merely one. Regardless of

how long or short the mission statement is, they show similarities and differences that define that

institution. More specifically, looking at Wisconsin’s flagship state school and a local technical

college’s mission statement are vastly different in length, word choice, and detail, but similar in

expectation for a student’s outcome. Alike, both Blackhawk Technical College (Blackhawk

Tech) and The University of Wisconsin – Madison (Madison) have the expectation for a better

future once a student graduates. Additionally, both institutions make it a point to mention help,

the future, and the environment, but deliver those words in different ways – wholly changing the

meaning of their mission.

Blackhawk Tech and Madison believe its institution provide a service to the community.

Seemingly, when reading the mission statement, community is defined differently by these

institutions. Blackhawk Tech, categorized as an Associate's College (Blackhawk Technical

College, 2014), aims its mission toward the development of the student for improvement in the

student's life. Straightforward, Blackhawk Tech targets its mission to the community it surrounds

as if that community is enrolling. It expects the non-traditional student - one who needs help,

guidance, and flexibility. They use the word ‘support’ when talking about its environment to

ensure the importance of being there for the individual.

Opposite of Blackhawk Tech, Madison, categorized as a Doctoral University (University

of Wisconsin-Madison, 2014), seems to aim its mission toward the development of the student to

improve their life in order to improve another's life. In its one sentence mission statement,

Blackhawk Tech states they, “...help you build your future…”(Mission & Vision, 2018), while
Madison, in its multi-sentence mission, “...helps students to develop an understanding and

appreciation for the complex cultural and physical worlds…” (Mission Statement, 2018). As the

flagship state institution, Madison has deemed itself responsible to produce graduates that are

contributing members of society. Since it was awarded a Morrill Land Grant, Madison has been

a “... model system for providing educated, responsible experts to fill the state’s civil service in a

range of fields…” (Thelin, 138). Modeling the institution after many of the Colonial Ivy

Leagues, Madison, has become the state example of what an institution of higher education

should represent. Its two sentence mission can be summarized as an institution that is attributing

to both faculty, staff, and students who can take their learned knowledge, wisdom, and values to

“improve the quality of life for all” (Mission Statement, 2018). As vaguely as the word ‘all’

reads in Madison’s mission statement, both mission statements are loaded with question about its

true goal.

The language used in both mission statements is an attempt to gain audience and

attendance with two different student types. Blackhawk Tech is targeting the non-academic

aiming for a “practical career.” This is demonstrated in its mission's simple language, one

sentence structure, and the amount of effort it puts into the individual student's support. Madison

is attempting to attract an elite student of the state. Only after a Madison education could the

graduate be fully capable and acceptable to lead society on the right path. This is proven in

Madison's choice to pinpoint a shared educational experience with faculty, staff, and student,

along with mentioning words like, “preserve”, and “transmit” (Mission Statement, 2018).

Based on these mission statements, it is clear that similarly both institutions want student

success to be their outcome. Interestingly enough, it would seem that Blackhawk Technical

College has become the answer to higher education for the common student while The
University of Wisconsin - Madison has become the elite institution of the state despite being the

flagship, in-state, grant-funded university. Furthermore, because many flagship campuses, like

Madison, have modeled themselves after Ivy Leagues, the mission statement suggest graduates

who become society leaders and the elite of the state. With the word choice of both mission

statements, Blackhawk Tech can be viewed as a truly accessible state institution while Madison

is Wisconsin's Ivy League.

 References

Mission. (n.d.) University of Wisconsin Madison. Retrieved October 13, 2018, from

https://www.wisc.edu/about/mission/

Mission & Vision. (n.d.) Blackhawk Technical College. Retrieved October 13, 2018, from

https://blackhawk.edu/About/Governance/Mission-Vision

Thelin, J.R. (2004). A History of American Higher Education. John Hopkins University Press.