Vision, Mission and Value Statement at North Central University (Case Study Sample)

Develop a personal credo that reflects on the importance of North Central University’s vision, mission and value statement in meeting both its present needs and future aspirations.
First Name, (Middle Name Initials), Last Name
North Central University
A vision statement is an expression of management’s plans for the future of an entity, business or otherwise (Ehmke, Dobbins, Gray, Boehlje and Miller, 2010). In others words, a vision statement provides direction and motivation to the people involved by presenting a future view of what an organization hopes to become, and the target it aims to reach (Concertaction Estrie, 2013). Originally, the vision statement was modeled as just a compelling description of the functions of an organization, borrowing largely from the strategic plans of the organization (McNamara, 2008). Today, the vision statement goes beyond a persuasive outfit to encompass the idealistic and realistic activities that an organization aspires to accomplish. An effective mission statement, on the other hand, identifies the essential elements of the current business (Ehmke et al. 2010). It describes the overall purpose of the organization (McNamara, 2008). According to Concertaction Estrie (2013), the mission statement is a short text that sets out the fundamental objectives and purpose of an organization, i.e. what is does and how it goes about it.
In light of the above, the central thesis of this paper is to reflect on the importance of the North Central University (NCU) vision, mission, and value statement, and how the students, faculty and staff at the institution should strive to meet the expectations of these statements. This paper will also take into consideration what action individuals at NCU should take to remain ethical in their unique roles. Borrowing from NCU’s vision, mission, and value statement, as possible aids to conduct, this paper will, as a summary, outline the effectiveness of a personal credo in a workplace setting. To accomplish this, this paper will take into consideration the importance of ethical behaviour and how one can implement it through a personal credo: borrowing from personal experience and the wisdom of the vision, mission, and value statements at NCU.
One of the most important elements of a successful journey is that it begins and ends with a good idea. This is true whether the journey involves the construction of a multi-million urban project, starting a small business, completing a course at the university, etc. Practically all endeavors begin and end with a good idea. In business, these ideas are captured in the vision and mission statements. These statements outline the underlying purpose for which the entity exists. They sum up fundamental ideas behind the conception and perpetuation (Ehmke et al. 2010). While there are many different approaches and styles for developing vision and mission, the concept is not new (Papulova, 2014). It can be traced as far back as ancient Greece where it was widely applied. It centered on Plato’s view which claims that “our thoughts are guided by our desire, mainly derived from our expectations”. Today, the development of vision and mission is part of strategic management process that builds on four basic elements: strategy formulation, environmental scanning, strategy implementation and evaluation and control (Papulova, 2014). The vision and mission provide long-term orientation and direction for the people involved.
At North Central University (NCU), the vision is “to be a global leader in providing unprecedented access to U.S regionally accredited higher education”. This statement, which is future oriented, is a description of what NCU hopes to accomplish in the future. At the same time, it details the reason for its existence. The mission of NCU is:
“To educate professionals throughout the world and provide an accessible opportunity to earn a U.S regionally accredited degree; to mentors students one-on-one with highly credentialised facilty via advanced delivery modalities; to commit to helping students achieve academically and become valuable contributors to their communities”.
The mission, in comparison to the vision, is more specific in that it establishes the guidelines of how the institution fulfills its vision. The mission statement also takes into consideration the target audience whom it wishes to address. In the case of NCU, the mission addresses various stakeholders, like staff, students, community and the academic fraternity. The mission of NCU is an important part of its strategic plans because it defines the space in which the strategy is created. Unlike the vision, which indicates the direction which the institution aims to go, the mission defines the space in within which it will operate (Papulova 2014 and Ehmke et al. 2010). Organizations, just like individuals, need a purpose, in the form of a mission, to shape their purpose and direction. NCU’s mission is not only a source of direction for its employees and students but a list of fundamental principles to operate by. More importantly, the mission provides a means through which the institution communicates its plans to the outside world.
The value statements at NCU hold all its members in the institution to the highest standards of professional and academic conduct and the rules and regulations of U.S higher education
Innovation: we envision new and innovative education delivery systems, and support proven concepts of teaching and learning. We encourage our community to seek solutions to educational challenges that will improve the quality of our programs.
Diversity: We value diversity of though and action as a strength that allows our community to transcend organizational and geographical boundaries. We expect member of our community to treat people with respect and dignity
Excellence: our community is committed to excellence in academics and service. We values leadership and strive for continuous improvement in everything we do. We define and measure outcomes and take action to ensure that our community’s passion for excellence is never compromised.
Accountability: We are deeply committed to holding each member of the university responsible too their scholarly and professional work. We expect financial responsibility in the actions of our students and university team.
While not all organizations have vision, mission and value statements, it does not imply that they are unclear of their goals. However, the advantages of the production of well written vision, mission and value statements far outweigh the traditional method of broad goals, mainly because an institution benefits from concise answers to many questions about its operations. In addition, most institutions comprise of more than one person. The vision and mission statements become a communication tool for the management team as well the other members. Research has proven that the production of such statement also improves the communication with other businesses. Moreover, the vision and mission statements provide direction and motivation in recognition of the gaps that exists between where an organization is now and where it wants to be in the future.
These statements provide a collective responsibility in carrying the dream of where the organization want to be. They not only capture the imagination of the organization but provide a focus for efforts. During the strategic planning process, NCU carefully considered the characteristics of the university that could help answer many questions required to develop a basis for leading the institution into the future. Consequently, its statements include the three most important elements: a core ideology, an envisioned future, and recognition of services to stakeholders (Ehmke et al. 2010). The statements or a ‘reason for being’ have clearly and concisely described what NCU will be like if it achieves its most important goals, as well as, recognized how the institution serves its stakeholders. The core ideology contains a statement about the institutions values describing what the students will be like it they achieve the most important goals. The final part of the vision statement recognizes how the courses offered serve the students, the administration and the community. The vision statement is timeless. It provides guidance in the decision making process in the future. It provides guidance when unanticipated problems and opportunities present themselves in the future (Papulova, 2014).
The development of a personal cre...