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Battle of the Missions

Kristine Radtke
Department of Counseling and Higher Education, Northern Illinois University
HESA 500: Foundations of Higher Education
Dr. Katy Jaekel
October 16, 2020
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Battle of the Missions

Introduction

Mission statements play a vital role in the founding purpose of a university. They are

created to voice the purpose of the institution and can be different lengths, from very short to

numerous paragraphs, depending on the purpose of the institution (Education, 2014). Along with

different mission statements, there are different Carnegie classifications for each university.

Some classifications for universities are high research, public versus private, size, enrollment

profile, undergraduate instructional program, and graduate instructional program these are just

some of the types of classification for an institution. Michigan State University (MSU) is a

public, 4-year Doctoral University, with very high research activity classification (Carnegie,

2017). Whereas Coastal Carolina University (CCU) is also a public, 4-year college, but a

master’s college & university with larger programs classification. Both universities are public 4-

year schools but with many other different Carnegie classifications. Do universities with

different Carnegie classifications have the same or similar types of mission statements?

Michigan State University

Michigan State University is a high research Carnegie classification; therefore, its

mission statement talks about how that plays a role in their values and mission. MSU believes

that conducting research is one of the most prestigious things to do (Michigan State University,

2008). A research-intensive university is a school that researches at a higher quality. MSU is

“one of the top 100 research universities in the world, (Michigan State University, para 1)” this is

an honor to obtain. The reason MSU does so much research is that it wants to make a positive
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difference in the world by using research to answer questions and find solutions to expand

people’s understanding.

Another key role of MSU is that they are a land-grant university and was funded by the

state of Michigan. A land-grant college began with the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges act. This act

is important to all higher education because it provided education for the people, provided jobs at

the colleges, and enroll millions of students that depend on federal aid to attend (Loss, p.3).

Without land-grant universities, some students would not be able to attend colleges and there

would not be as many jobs in higher education.

Students that go to and graduate from MSU are students that believe in their mission

statement to be ready to address society’s needs changing, to be able to research to help make the

future a better place. MSU believes in making lives better in their community and around the

world. To them, the best way to do this is to be learning new things, be innovative, and engaged.

This is just one belief a university can have. Other beliefs can make schools have different

mission statements. How different do you think they can be?

Coastal Carolina University

Coastal Carolina University is not a research-intensive university but follows a teacher-

scholar model (Coastal Carolina University, 2015). They still support faculty research, but the

primary emphasis is on high-quality teaching engage learning. CCU focuses on mentoring

programs, internships, and creative opportunities by using contemporary technologies, supports,

and innovative course delivery and offerings. CCU believes in furthering students’ developments

but not by researching instead of using innovative education techniques. They believe in faculty

and staff working together to become better for the community.

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Unlike MSU, CCU was a Junior College, to begin with, and became a university in

1960 (Coastal Carolina University, 2014). The CCU moved to the current location in 1962 and

was able to build with land donations and fundraising drives. CCU worked their way to

becoming a four-year university. It wasn’t until the 1970’s that they reached the status of a four-

year university because they did not have the state funding them like MSU. They gradually had

to add more years to the program as the funding came available through donations and

fundraising.

Graduates and current students of CCU believe that they will be well prepared for what

they choose to do after undergraduate studies like graduate programs or jobs in their chosen

fields. They believe in having integrity and accountability. A teacher-scholar model prepares

students to always continue to learn and improve as they go through life.

Conclusion

Even though the mission statements and Carnegie classifications are different for both

schools talked about there is value in each school. When a student is looking for a school to

attend or a person is looking for a university to work for they should look at the mission

statements and see if the beliefs of the school line up with their own beliefs. In the examples,

talked about here a person that believes research is the way to improve oneself or the future

would be better attending MSU than CCU. However, a person that is looking to always look to

the future with technology and willing to continue to learn and grow would be better at a

university like CCU. Mission statements are to give the school a voice and let prospective

students or employees see how the school will prepare them for their future endeavors.
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References

Education, L. (2014, December 17). Learning Goals in Mission Statements: Implications for
Educational Leadership. Retrieved October 14, 2020, from
https://www.aacu.org/publications-research/periodicals/learning-goals-mission-statements-
implications-educational

Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. (2017). Indiana University.

Retrieved October 14, 2020, from
https://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/view_institution.php?unit_id=218724

Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. (2017). Indiana University.

Retrieved October 14, 2020, from
https://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/view_institution.php?unit_id=171100

Coastal Carolina University. (2015, February 5). Coastal Carolina University Mission. Retrieved
October 13, 2020, from https://www.coastal.edu/aboutccu/mission/

Coastal Carolina University. (2014). History & Traditions. Retrieved October 15, 2020, from
https://www.coastal.edu/aboutccu/historytraditions

Loss, C. P. (July 16, 2012). Why the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act Still Matters. The
Chronicle of Higher Education

Michigan State University. (2008, April 18). MSU Mission Statement. Retrieved October 15,
2020, from https://trustees.msu.edu/about/mission.html
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Appendix A

MSU Mission Statement

Michigan State University, a member of the Association of American Universities and one of the
top 100 research universities in the world, was founded in 1855. We are an inclusive, academic
community known for our traditionally strong academic disciplines and professional programs,
and our liberal arts foundation. Our cross- and interdisciplinary enterprises connect the sciences,
humanities, and professions in practical, sustainable, and innovative ways to address society’s
rapidly changing needs.
As a public, research-intensive, land-grant university funded in part by the state of Michigan, our
mission is to advance knowledge and transform lives by:
 providing outstanding undergraduate, graduate, and professional education to promising,
qualified students in order to prepare them to contribute fully to society as globally
engaged citizen leaders
 conducting research of the highest caliber that seeks to answer questions and create
solutions in order to expand human understanding and make a positive difference, both
locally and globally
 advancing outreach, engagement, and economic development activities that are
innovative, research-driven, and lead to a better quality of life for individuals and
communities, at home and around the world
The MSU Mission Statement was approved by the Board of Trustees on April 18, 2008.
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Appendix B

Coastal Carolina University Mission

Coastal Carolina University is a public comprehensive liberal arts institution that seeks to
develop students who are both knowledgeable in their chosen fields and prepared to be
productive, responsible, healthy citizens with a global perspective. To deliver on this
commitment, Coastal Carolina recruits highly qualified and motivated students, faculty, and staff
from the region, state, nation, and world to create a diverse and dynamic student-centered
learning environment.
Because Coastal Carolina embraces the teacher-scholar model, it places primary emphasis on
high quality teaching and engaged learning, and it supports faculty research, creative activities,
and expert collaboration in the community, state, nation and world. This focus enables faculty
and staff to mentor students in collaborative research, creative opportunities, and internships. To
nurture this active learning community, Coastal Carolina maintains a broad range of
contemporary technologies, programming, support services, and innovative course offerings and
delivery methods. The result is alumni who are well prepared for professional careers or graduate
programs in their chosen fields and who continue to be connected to Coastal Carolina.
Inspired by its founding in 1954 to serve the educational needs of the region, Coastal Carolina
has a tradition of a strong liberal arts core. As such, Coastal Carolina commits its resources to
building undergraduate and graduate degree programs of national and/or regional significance in
the arts and sciences, business, humanities, education, and health and human services. Coastal
Carolina fully embraces its leadership role as a regional center of economic and intellectual
resources, lifelong learning, cultural and recreational opportunities, and athletic programs.
As Coastal Carolina executes this mission, it recognizes its responsibility to be a role model to
the community and to the professions by assuring fair and honest treatment of people with whom
it interacts and sustainable stewardship of resources entrusted to it, adopting the highest
standards of integrity and accountability, and in committing itself to excellence through
continuous assessment and improvement.

Update adopted by the Coastal Carolina University Board of Trustees on July 19, 2014.
Update approved by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education on February 5, 2015.