An empty notepad and pens

The Mission Statement Process

How the new mission statement of the University of Jena came to be.
An empty notepad and pens
Graphic: janjf93/Pixabay

The Friedrich Schiller University Jena has achieved great success in research and teaching in recent years. All members of our academic community have contributed to this positive trend and together we will continue to make the University of Jena thrive. However, it is also time to pause for a moment and reflect what values guide our actions and whether we will still identify with them in the future.

The Executive Board of the University of Jena has, thus, initiated a process to develop a mission statement. Generally, universities use mission statements to briefly and succinctly describe their self-image, their tasks, and the core values guiding their actions. A mission statement shapes the strategic goals and measures of a university. It should be specific, up-to-date, and of lasting value.

A thirteen-member Senate task force developed a draft that was presented to the university public in November 2020 as part of the mission statement dialogue. The Senate of the Friedrich Schiller University adopted the mission statement on 16 February 2021. On this page you will find a retrospective of the mission statement process.

A look back

On 2 June 2020, as a first step towards developing a mission statement, our Senate established a task force [PDF, 84 KB]External link consisting of 13 people from all levels of our university to draft a mission statement. They presented the draft on 16 November 2020 at the mission statement dialogue and discussed it with the university community. All employees and students of our university were invited to give feedback and contribute their ideas on the core institutional values that are intended to direct our growth for the years to come. The University Council also discussed the draft before the paper was presented to the Senate of the Friedrich Schiller University for a first reading in December 2020. On 16 February 2021, the University of Jena's mission statement was adopted by the Senate.

Picture: Hatice EROL/Pixabay
The draft mission statement will be presented in an online event.
The Mission Statement Dialogue
The draft mission statement was presented on 16 November. Here you will find the text and the recording of the livestream.

Starting point

The work on the mission statement did start from scratch. The university’s constitution (Grundordnung [PDF, 445 KB] DEExternal link) and the appointment procedure regulations (BerufungsordnungExternal link) of the University of Jena as well as the Thuringian Higher Education Act (Thüringer HochschulgesetzExternal link) were important starting points for the development of our mission statement. Additionally, strategic texts DE de (German only) on research and teaching were already available. The mission statement is an important component in outlining the strategy of the University of Jena for the next years and in strengthening the profile of our university both internally and externally.

Workflow

How the mission statement of the University of Jena is to be developed.
How the mission statement of the University of Jena is to be developed.
Picture: Liana Franke

Timeline 2020/2021

Chronological sequence of the mission statement process
Chronological sequence of the mission statement process
Picture: Liana Franke