Mission Statement
The mission of Wilfrid Laurier University is the pursuit of learning through scholarly research,
teaching, study, and artistic activity, all within a spirit of free inquiry.

    To this end, the University holds that the discovery and dissemination of
knowledge, research and teaching, are essential and synergistic activities in an environment
which values creative discourse. In consequence, faculty members are expected to make
continuing contributions to their fields, to be effective teachers, and to provide
professionally-related service to the University, their profession, and the community, and the
University is committed to support faculty members to succeed in their scholarly and teaching
activities and development. The University also contributes to the stimulation and dissemination
of scholarship by supporting research centres and the Wilfrid Laurier University Press.

    The University offers undergraduate programs and selected graduate
programs through the Faculties of Arts and Science, Business and Economics, Music, Social
Work and Graduate Studies. It offers selected courses and programs to part-time students, both
on campus and at a distance. The University encourages innovation in both the content and
delivery of academic programs, and provides academically-related work experience for students
in a variety of disciplines. It maintains the vitality of its curriculum through periodic program
review and through the addition of new programs at both graduate and undergraduate levels. In
addition to offering programs of its own, the federated Waterloo Lutheran Seminary participates
in joint programs and cross-teaching with the University.

    Selecting students with strong academic records, primarily from Ontario but
also from across Canada and abroad, the University endeavours to provide them with a
challenging educational experience and stimulating campus environment conducive to the growth
of the whole person. Its undergraduate curriculum exposes students to a variety of disciplines
and is intended to foster open and inquiring minds, awareness of Canadian society in a global
context, and the knowledge, values and skills necessary for graduates to be effective, flexible
and ethical contributors to society. Graduate programs are offered in areas where the University
can make a valuable contribution to higher education in Canada. To facilitate student
achievement and satisfaction, the University provides essential student services and
extracurricular cultural, social and recreational programs and facilities. The University expects
students to assume responsibility for the progress of their own learning and to profit from
extracurricular opportunities to broaden their horizons and understanding.

    Located on a compact campus which contributes to a strong sense of
community among students, faculty and staff, the University strives to provide an environment
which values individuals in their own right, prizes diversity in human experience and expression,
provides for equal opportunity and equitable treatment, and fosters human rights and dignity.
Aware that its principal resource is the people who comprise it on a continuing basis, the
University endeavours to promote the personal and professional growth and satisfaction of its
employees. To ensure its long-range viability, the University operates in the context of
comprehensive strategic planning and within the constraints of the resources available to it while
making every effort to increase these resources.

     Conscious of its responsibilities to society, the University organizes
activities which serve an education purpose for the wider public, invites members of the
community to attend cultural events and public lectures, and, to the extent feasible, makes its
facilities available to community users. It co-operates with other educational institutions,
government agencies, business, labour, professional associations, community groups, and others.
It also encourages student and faculty exchanges and other forms of academic linkage with
universities in Canada and abroad.