Running Header: UW-Madison and Howard University Mission Statements

UW-Madison and Howard University: A Tale of Two Mission Statements

Northern Illinois University

Trevor Hanson

Introduction
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What are the similarities and differences between two well respected and prolific schools,

one a public, Predominately White Institution (PWI) and the other a private, Historically Black

College and University (HBCU)? Both universities were established in the mid-1800s, 1848 and

1867, respectfully. The University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) is a public research

university in Madison, Wisconsin and is the flagship university for the University of Wisconsin

System. Howard University is a private, federally chartered university in Washington D.C. In

many ways the universities are very different (public or private, location, population served,

etc.), however there are many similarities as well (historical significance, both have programs

ranked in the top five nationally according to News Week (2019), long list of notable alumni). In

this paper, I will take a closer look at each of these institutions’ mission statements, examine

what makes them similar, different, as well as some implications of these missions.

University of Wisconsin-Madison

UW-Madison’s mission statement was revised and adopted by the UW System Board of

Regents on June 10, 1988. Their mission state is longer than most, coming in at 417 words, over

three times the size of Howard University’s (120). In the mission statement, UW-Madison starts

by giving some of the school’s early history and founding, including stating that they received

Wisconsin’s land grant in 1962. In the statement, the university puts equal attention on faculty

and staff as it does on students saying,

The primary purpose of the University of Wisconsin–Madison is to provide a learning

environment in which faculty, staff and students can discover, examine critically,

preserve and transmit the knowledge, wisdom and values that will help ensure the

survival of this and future generations and improve the quality of life for all (UW-

Madison, 2019).
UW-Madison and Howard University Mission Statements 3

By grouping faculty, staff, and students the university is expressing that they are a place that

cares for all members of its community. Later, the mission statement states, “It also seeks to

attract and serve students from diverse social, economic and ethnic backgrounds and to be

sensitive and responsive to those groups which have been underserved by higher education”

(UW-Madison, 2019). The statement ends with eight ways the university will obtain their

objective to better serve underserved and diverse groups.

Howard University

Howard University’s mission statement did not include the date in which it was

published. The statement starts by identifying Howard as a “culturally diverse, comprehensive,

research intensive and historically Black private university Howard 2019” (cite). Adding in this

phrase gives some context to what Howard really is. Within the first sentence, Howard puts

significance on their Black students by saying that giving them educational opportunities is an

emphasis to the university. Next, they express their commitment to their staff and desire to have

students be the focus of teaching. Lastly, Howard shows their interest in both national and

international affairs and communities.

Similarities of Institutions

There are a few similarities between the mission statements of UW-Madison and Howard

University. First, both mission statements express how much both universities recognize the

importance of having good, quality faculty and staff member if high standards for students are

desired. This is important because universities are not just for students and rules, campus

climates, and cultures also effect staff and faculty. Both universities included statements on their

desire to have their students contribute positively to problems that the world is facing today and
UW-Madison and Howard University Mission Statements 4

in the future. Including “global issue” statements shows that both universities want to be known

not just locally or nationally, but also internationally. Lastly, both universities put an emphasis

on the research that is conducted at their institution. Research has become a large part of the

competition between universities, and not just faculty research but also student research. A lot of

money and attention can come from research, UW-Madison and Howard University has

recognized that and have put that front and center in their mission statements.

Differences of Institutions

Though there are some similarities in the statements, the differences seem to be even

more glaring. The most recognizable difference is size, with UW-Madison’s being much larger.

However, regardless of size, Howard University’s mission statement seems to be written in a

way that is not as easily understood as UW-Madison’s. Howard University’s use of words like

cadre and length of sentences with multiple commas can be perceived as pretentious, though this

higher-class feeling might have been desired. Another large difference, which led to the size

difference, is UW-Madison inclusion of their eight “musts” regarding diverse and

underrepresented students. One may question why Howard did not include something similar,

however the better questions may be why did UW-Madison feel that they needed to include this

in their mission? UW-Madison is following a trend of many PWIs including a declaration to

diversity in their mission statements, while schools like Howard simply have been doing these

things since their founding. These mission statements are rather different, but both serve as

effective ways to share the things that the university wants to accomplish.

Though UW-Madison’s mission statement states the desire to attract diversity, it can be

deemed that they are failing in this endeavor. According to Data USA, from 2012 to 2016 the

enrollment percentages by race and ethnicity remained almost unchanged with roughly 70% of
UW-Madison and Howard University Mission Statements 5

the student body being White (Data USA, n.d.). The next largest population is “non-resident

aliens” at 13%. These numbers are staggering for a university putting so much emphasis on

diversity. UW-Madison also mentioned in their mission that they are a land-grant institution.

According to Christopher P. Loss in their article, Why the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act Still

Matters, “Shady land deals made the future of some colleges less secure than it ought to have

been, but by the dawn of the 20th century every state was home to at least one "cow college,"…

(2012) Many see these “shady” deals as the systematic taking of land from Native Americans.

UW-Madison, like most land-grant universities, boasts about their beginnings, even though those

beginnings were a dark time for many. Howard University’s founding was made with much

fewer scandals. According to Thielen (2011), “Protestant groups such as the American

Missionary Association, associated with the founding of liberal arts colleges in the West, also

displayed great commitment to the education of African Americans. The AMA was central to the

founding of Hampton Institute, Fisk University, Howard University…” (page number). Also

notable for Howard University, over 150,000 freed slaves have been educated by the university.

Can we take this a step further? These are very powerful—help the reader understand by

unpacking in a sentence or two.

Conclusion

UW-Madison and Howard University are two excellent, well-respected universities with

rich histories. Both universities clearly put a lot of time, energy, and thought into their mission

statements. The statements have a few similarities, like commitment to faculty and focus on

global footprint, however there are also differences, like length and how they each expressed

their emphasis on diversity. A mission statement is a crucial part of a university’s portrayal of

what they represent. Thousands or prospective students, staff, and faculty members read a
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university’s mission statement each year. UW-Madison and Howard University took different

approaches in style and linguistic approach but both have good quality mission statements.

References

The Best Colleges in America, Ranked. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2019, from

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges.
UW-Madison and Howard University Mission Statements 7

Howard University Mission Statement. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2019, from

https://www2.howard.edu/about/mission

Loss, Christopher P. (2019). Why the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act Still Matters

Thelin, John R. (2011). A History of American Higher Education, 102.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Mission Statement. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2019, from

https://datausa.io/profile/university/university-of-wisconsin-madison.

The University of Wisconsin–Madison is the original University of Wisconsin, created at the same time Wisconsin
achieved statehood in 1848. It received Wisconsin’s land grant and became the state’s land-grant university after
Congress adopted the Morrill Act in 1862. It continues to be Wisconsin’s comprehensive teaching and research
university with a statewide, national and international mission, offering programs at the undergraduate, graduate and
professional levels in a wide range of fields, while engaging in extensive scholarly research, continuing adult
education and public service.

The primary purpose of the University of Wisconsin–Madison is to provide a learning environment in which faculty,
staff and students can discover, examine critically, preserve and transmit the knowledge, wisdom and values that
UW-Madison and Howard University Mission Statements 8

will help ensure the survival of this and future generations and improve the quality of life for all. The university
seeks to help students to develop an understanding and appreciation for the complex cultural and physical worlds in
which they live and to realize their highest potential of intellectual, physical and human development.

It also seeks to attract and serve students from diverse social, economic and ethnic backgrounds and to be sensitive
and responsive to those groups which have been underserved by higher education. To fulfill its mission, the
university must:

1. Offer broad and balanced academic programs that are mutually reinforcing and
emphasize high quality and creative instruction at the undergraduate, graduate,
professional and postgraduate levels.
2. Generate new knowledge through a broad array of scholarly, research and creative
endeavors, which provide a foundation for dealing with the immediate and long-range
needs of society.
3. Achieve leadership in each discipline, strengthen interdisciplinary studies, and pioneer
new fields of learning.
4. Serve society through coordinated statewide outreach programs that meet continuing
educational needs in accordance with the university’s designated land-grant status.
5. Participate extensively in statewide, national and international programs and encourage
others in the University of Wisconsin System, at other educational institutions and in
state, national and international organizations to seek benefit from the university’s unique
educational resources, such as faculty and staff expertise, libraries, archives, museums
and research facilities.
6. Strengthen cultural understanding through opportunities to study languages, cultures, the
arts and the implications of social, political, economic and technological change and
through encouragement of study, research and service off campus and abroad.
7. Maintain a level of excellence and standards in all programs that will give them
statewide, national and international significance.
8. Embody, through its policies and programs, respect for, and commitment to, the ideals of
a pluralistic, multiracial, open and democratic society.

Revised statement, adopted June 10, 1988, UW System Board of Regents

(UW-Madison, 2019)

Mission

Howard University, a culturally diverse, comprehensive,

research intensive and historically Black private university,
provides an educational experience of exceptional quality at
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the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels to

students of high academic standing and potential, with
particular emphasis upon educational opportunities for Black
students. Moreover, the University is dedicated to attracting
and sustaining a cadre of faculty who are, through their
teaching, research and service, committed to the development
of distinguished, historically aware, and compassionate
graduates and to the discovery of solutions to human
problems in the United States and throughout the world. With
an abiding interest in both domestic and international affairs,
the University is committed to continuing to produce leaders
for America and the global community.
(Howard University, 2019)

 Engage in professional praxis that promotes inclusion, equity and social justice.