Mission and Strategic Plan
The Strategic Plan is a living document that guides the School’s work, helps us set our priorities and holds us accountable for accomplishing our goals.
Mission, Vision and Values
Our Mission
We serve students, the state of Missouri, and society at large by providing a world-class education to future leaders in journalism and strategic communication.
We elevate the standards and ideals of these fields by our exemplary teaching, research and innovation.
We strengthen democracy and the common good by informing and empowering Missourians and people around the globe through our professional news outlets and agencies, anchored in the highest ideals of truth, integrity, and public service.
Our Vision
We will shape the next generations of our professions with the Missouri Method and world-class research, scholarship and innovation to prepare journalists and strategic communication professionals for exemplary leadership and public service.
Our Values
We, the students, staff, faculty and alumni of the Missouri School of Journalism, in the spirit of diversity and inclusion, will uphold the values of the University of Missouri:
Discovery | Excellence | Respect | Responsibility
We also pledge to live by the following journalistic and strategic communication values, to reflect them in our institutional policies and practices, and to model them as we work collaboratively to inform and engage local and global communities:
Accountability | Courage | Public Service | Truth
J-School strategic plan 2022 – 2027
Adopted May 13, 2022
The Missouri Compacts for Achieving Excellence are five unifying principles that inform and guide the universities and their strategic plans. These principles – limited in number and broad in aim – will act as beacons to guide the J-School’s decisions and guideposts for how the School invests time, talent and financial resources over the next five years.
STUDENT SUCCESS
We are dedicated to student success at MU and beyond, including targeted recruitment; diverse and high-quality academic experiences; student thriving; high retention and graduation rates; and career success.
Our Desired Outcomes: Where do we want to be in five years?
- High retention and graduation rates
- Higher enrollment, with a higher percentage of under-represented students
- Strong career outcomes
- Improvement in faculty teaching competencies
Our Strategies: How will we get there?
- Continue to evaluate and improve our world-class curriculum and embody the Missouri Method through an integrated approach of teaching, experiential learning and flexible learning paths
- Reinvigorate strategic recruitment with a focus on the value of a J-School education
- Remove barriers to degree completion and increase student thriving, engagement and success
- Encourage and support faculty who are committed to excellent teaching as a critical component of student success
RESEARCH AND CREATIVE WORKS
We inspire curiosity in our students, faculty and staff, support their contributions to scholarship and encourage the pursuit of creative and innovative projects that improve knowledge and practice of journalism and strategic communication.
Our Desired Outcomes: Where do we want to be in five years?
- Recognized for intellectual merit and contributions of scholarship and innovative projects
- A land-grant institution on the leading edge of creating knowledge and solutions for public benefit
Our Strategies: How will we get there?
- Improve the visibility and transfer of J-School scholarly and creative contributions
- Develop a culture, framework and resources to encourage, support and reward faculty research and creativity
ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH
We aspire to improve lives, communities, economies and our professions through discovery and the translation of research into technologies, information, programs and services that contribute to the public good.
Our Desired Outcomes: Where do we want to be in five years?
- A worldwide network of alumni and industry partners working collaboratively with the J-School to advance our strategic priorities
- A valued partner for translating research and teaching activities into ideas that benefit local, state and global audiences
- A go-to resource for media and professional organizations seeking subject-matter expertise and a journalistic or strategic communications perspective
Our Strategies: How will we get there?
- Create authentic, mutually beneficial engagement with our alumni and industry partners to advance our respective goals
- Leverage research strengths and partnerships to translate our research and teaching activities to citizens of Missouri and beyond
- Increase the visibility of the J-School overall – and individual contributions and impact stories – to engage external audiences
- Establish systems to track engagement and outreach
DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION
We view diversity, equity and inclusion as catalysts for institutional and educational excellence, and we will invite and integrate diversity into all aspects of our enterprise.
Our Desired Outcomes: Where do we want to be in five years?
- A place with challenging courses and learning opportunities accessible to students from diverse backgrounds to prepare them for global citizenship and work
- A diverse faculty with multicultural competencies that serves as a magnet for diverse students and staff
- A climate that is supportive and respectful, values differing perspectives and experiences and expects continuous learning in DEI competencies
- An organization that is looked to as a model of best practices for applying DEI in newsrooms and board room
Our Strategies: How will we get there?
- Create welcoming classroom and professional space experiences with multiple methods of accountability for diversity outcomes
- Recruit, retain and promote faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds, life histories and abilities
- Ensure increased access and success of undergraduate, graduate and professional students from diverse backgrounds, life histories and abilities
- Cultivate a supportive and respectful climate and a culture of personal accountability for continuous improvement in DEI competencies
PLANNING, OPERATIONS AND STEWARDSHIP
We value the investments that taxpayers, students, donors and industry make in us, and we commit to being transparent and accountable stewards of our financial resources, talent and time.
Our Desired Outcomes: Where do we want to be in five years?
- Standardized planning, implementation and evaluation processes, including measures of accountability visible to stakeholders
- Organizational structure, processes and practices optimized to efficiently and collaboratively fund and achieve our desired outcomes
Our Strategies: How will we get there?
- Optimize organizational structure and talent management practices with strategic priorities
- Ensure that vision and strategy drive budgeting, fundraising and efficiency initiatives
MU’s Strategic Plan
The University of Missouri’s strategic plan, updated September 2018, embodies MU’s commitment to it’s students, faculty, staff, alumni and the larger community. In this commitment is MU’s recognition that while we are the University of Missouri, we are really the University for Missouri.