1

Running Head: THE REALIZATION THAT MISSION STATEMENTS ARE JUST MASKS

The Realization That Mission Statements are Just Masks for Colleges to Hide Behind

Hans Varga

Northern Illinois University

 2
Running Head: THE REALIZATION THAT MISSION STATEMENTS ARE JUST MASKS

Introduction

After attending a catholic high school, and having theology pounded into my head, the

idea of going to a catholic college was, to put it frankly appalling. But nevertheless, my parents

still made me tour Marquette University, just to make sure I had “examined” all my options. I

personally think they just wanted to ensure that I would still go to church on Sundays. Of course,

I despised the school, mainly just because I had an idea in my head that going to a Jesuit College

would drain me of my sanity. On that same trip however, we also visited the University of

Wisconsin Milwaukee, and the difference between the schools was startling in my mind. At the

time, it amazed me how two schools within 10 miles of one another could be so radically

different. Now, after taking a closer look at the mission statements, it isn’t that difficult to see

why the schools are run, and feel, so radically different. What I didn’t know is that at the core,

both institutions crave the same thing. By the end of this paper, you will see that it does not

matter who claims an institution, Catholics, the Government, they all want the same thing,

money, and a way to avoid taking any blame for failure.

Analysis of Marquette’s Mission

Marquette University decided to confront the fact that they are a religious university head

on. In the first section of the mission statement Marquette makes it very clear who is the priority

in the administration’s mind, “Marquette University is a Catholic, Jesuit university dedicated to

serving God by serving our students and contributing to the advancement of knowledge.”

(Marquette, 2019). The fact that God is mentioned before students shows that although

Marquette may care about imparting knowledge to students, one of their main concern is the

dissemination of the catholic faith to the student. This can be seen by the fact that their
 3
Running Head: THE REALIZATION THAT MISSION STATEMENTS ARE JUST MASKS

curriculum requires theology courses for graduation. Marquette also highlights that the

excellence of the students will come from a mixture of effort and the acceptance of good

Christian beliefs. The mission statement expresses how the students will experience “the

fostering of personal and professional excellence” (Marquette, 2019) but students will achieve

this through the pursuit of a greater glory of God. The mission statement ends by saying that

although they put an emphasis on God, they also want to ensure that their work betters’

humanity. But the unique thing is that the way the last line of Marquette’s mission is worded, it

seems to be saying that humanity would benefit from the Catholic values that they will instill in

those that attend Marquette. So, what exactly is Marquette trying to say with their missions’

statement? Marquette words their mission statement to show that they will focus on creating a

wholistic FAITH DRIVEN student who will change the world using the knowledge and truth

they discover at Marquette. But if a student does not become successful or “FAITH DRIVEN”,

then how can Marquette be to blame for the student’s failure? With a few simple phrases

Marquette creates an escape from any responsibility regarding student failure.

Analysis of Milwaukee’s Mission

Less than 10 miles separate Marquette from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, but

that doesn’t mean that the two schools are similar, in fact UWM is radically different. Instead of

creating a concise and clear paragraph, they used one very vague mission sentence. Followed by

what Milwaukee needs to do to achieve said vague sentence. In this specific case, a series of nine

bullet points. I found it extremely interesting in fact, that Milwaukee’s mission statement is a

sales pitch. I would expect “provide a wide array of degree programs, a balanced program of

applied and basic research, and a faculty who are active in public service” (UW Milwaukee,

2019) to be read to me at a five-year plan committee meeting. There is no mention of students,

 4
Running Head: THE REALIZATION THAT MISSION STATEMENTS ARE JUST MASKS

no mention of student development, no sense of humanity. It is just a stating of facts, this is what

we must do to succeed. That statement could be plugged into any government research group,

and it would fit. An example, NASA! If John F. Kennedy stood on a podium and was inspiring

America to reach for the moon, again, he would use that sentence to get funding for NASA. This

idea of needing to show the public what is happening in these organizations, causes Milwaukee

to completely forget about the students, and focus more on showing the parents what the

University will do with the students. How the money the students will give them will be used.

This “transparency” with the public creates a divide between students needs, and University

resources. This mission statement is a way for administrators to excuse themselves from failing a

student, because how can they be to blame? They are required to use resources in the way they

pitched to the public.

Comparing and Contrasting

Neither of the school’s mission statement seems to promise a bright future for students.

That comes from today’s society, and the pressure that universities feel to bring in students and

crank out diplomas. Students in both missions, aren’t the priority, money is. Before you start to

say, how is Marquette trying to grab for money, they just are representing the religion of the

university. Think about it for a moment. Marquette relies heavily on contributions from Catholic

Dioceses, Catholic Charities, and Catholic Donors. So, their mission statement aims to satisfy

their main money providers, Catholics. That is why Religion is so important in their mission

statement. Yes, students take a follow up role, and are mentioned frequently, but Marquette isn’t

aiming to please students with their mission statement, most students most likely don’t even look

at it, it is the people who are supporting the university. This is very similar to how Milwaukee

looks at their mission statement as well, as a get out of jail free card if you will.
 5
Running Head: THE REALIZATION THAT MISSION STATEMENTS ARE JUST MASKS

Milwaukee took their mission statement and created a way to explain themselves to the

public. It is a clear and distinct path that they plan to follow to ensure that their school is one of

the best. It isn’t so much a statement of how they plan to aid students but is more of a fundraising

pitch to potential investors. It is how they prove the tax payers, and the students, that they are

doing all they can, with the money that they have. What is different between Milwaukee and

Marquette is the fact that Marquette mentions the students directly, and states that they want to

work with them. Milwaukee takes and says that they want to “develop and maintain high quality

undergraduate, graduate and continuing education programs appropriate to a major urban

doctoral university” (UW Milwaukee, 2019) They are in essence saying that they want to use

students to make them great, not educate, not give them a chance to lead, but to use students to

get good repute. There is no humanity in what Milwaukee placed in their mission statement just

goals for themselves.

Conclusion

It is a sad sign when non-profit universities are so focused on building their reputation

that their mission statements don’t mention the students until the last few bullet points. I started

this project thinking that I would be able to identify the difference between private and public

institutions easily, but once I examined and critiqued the statements, I found that Marquette’s

statement was more humane, and more focused on their students. That was surprising

considering that a public institution lives off its students, and I expected Milwaukee to reflect

that in consideration to its own students. No matter which statement you look at however, it is a

cover, to protect the institutions, and ensure that the people who allow the institutions to flourish.

Both institutions really are searching for the same thing, money, and a feeling of protection from

any failures that their students may face.

 6
Running Head: THE REALIZATION THAT MISSION STATEMENTS ARE JUST MASKS

References
UWM's Vision, Values, and Mission Statements: UW-Milwaukee. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14,
2019, from https://uwm.edu/mission/.
Our Mission. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2019, from
https://www.marquette.edu/about/mission.php.
 7
Running Head: THE REALIZATION THAT MISSION STATEMENTS ARE JUST MASKS

Appendix
UWM Select Mission Statement
To fulfill its mission as a major urban doctoral university and to meet the diverse needs of
Wisconsin’s largest metropolitan area, the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee must provide a
wide array of degree programs, a balanced program of applied and basic research, and a faculty
who are active in public service. Fulfilling this mission requires the pursuit of these mutually
reinforcing academic goals:
To develop and maintain high quality undergraduate, graduate and continuing education
programs appropriate to a major urban doctoral university.
To engage in a sustained research effort which will enhance and fulfill the University’s role as a
doctoral institution of academic and professional excellence.
To continue development of a balanced array of high quality doctoral programs in basic
disciplines and professional areas.
To attract highly qualified students who demonstrate the potential for intellectual development,
innovation, and leadership for their communities.
To further academic and professional opportunities at all levels for women, minority, part-time,
and financially or educationally disadvantaged students.
To establish and maintain productive relationships with appropriate public and private
organizations at the local, regional, state, national, and international levels.
To promote public service and research efforts directed toward meeting the social, economic and
cultural needs of the state of Wisconsin and its metropolitan areas.
To encourage others from institutions in the University of Wisconsin System and from other
educational institutions and agencies to seek benefit from the University’s research and
educational resources such as libraries, special collections, archives, museums, research
facilities, and academic programs.
To provide educational leadership in meeting future social, cultural, and technological
challenges.
 8
Running Head: THE REALIZATION THAT MISSION STATEMENTS ARE JUST MASKS

Appendix Continued

Marquette University is a Catholic, Jesuit university dedicated to serving God by serving our

students and contributing to the advancement of knowledge. Our mission, therefore, is the search

for truth, the discovery and sharing of knowledge, the fostering of personal and professional

excellence, the promotion of a life of faith, and the development of leadership expressed in

service to others. All this we pursue for the greater glory of God and the common benefit of the

human community.