Learning is preeminent at California State University, Fullerton. We aspire to combine the best qualities of teaching and research universities where actively engaged students, faculty, and staff work in close collaboration to expand knowledge.

Our affordable undergraduate and graduate programs provide students the best of current practice, theory, and research and integrate professional studies with preparations in the arts and sciences. Through experiences in and out of the classroom, students develop the habit of intellectual inquiry, prepare for challenging professions, strengthen relationships to their communities and contribute productively to society.

We are a comprehensive, regional university with a global outlook, located in Orange County, a technologically rich and culturally vibrant area of metropolitan Los Angeles. Our expertise and diversity serve as a distinctive resource and catalyst for partnerships with public and private organizations. We strive to be a center of activity essential to the intellectual, cultural, and economic development of our region.

Goals and Strategies

I. To ensure the preeminence of learning, we will

A. establish an environment where learning and the creation of knowledge are central to everything we do.

B. integrate teaching, scholarly and creative activities, and the exchange of ideas.

C. assess student learning collegially and continually use the evidence to improve programs.

D. affirm the university’s commitment to freedom of thought, inquiry, and speech.

E. recruit and retain a highly-qualified and diverse staff and faculty.

F. develop and maintain attractive, accessible, and functional facilities that support learning.

G. integrate advances in information technologies into learning environments.

H. Develop a strong library which provides rapid access to global information and serves as a nexus for learning.

II. To provide high quality programs that meet the evolving needs of our students, community, and region, we will

A. support undergraduate and graduate programs in professional and preprofessional studies and in the arts and sciences.

B. integrate knowledge with the development of values, professional ethics, and the teamwork, leadership, and citizenship skills necessary for students to make meaningful contributions to society.

C. develop a coherent and integrated general education program.

D. provide experiences in and out of the classroom that attend to issues of culture, ethnicity, and gender and promote a global perspective.

E. offer continuing education programs that provide retaining and meet professional certification and other community needs.

F. capitalize on the uniqueness of our region, with its economic and cultural strengths, its rich ethnic diversity, and its proximity to Latin America and the Pacific Rim.

G. provide opportunities to learn from external communities through internships, cooperative education, and other field activities.

H. provide opportunities for students to participate in a competitive intercollegiate athletics program.

I. provide opportunities for recreation and enhanced physical well-being

III. To enhance scholarly and creative activity, we will

A. support faculty research and grant activity that leads to the generation, integration and dissemination of knowledge.

B. encourage departments to reconsider the nature and kinds of scholarship within the discipline and to create a culture conducive to scholarly and creative activity.

C. encourage departments to implement a plan and personnel document supportive of scholarly and creative activities consistent with collegial governance and the University’s mission and goals.

D. cultivate student and staff involvement in faculty scholarly and creative activity

E. provide students, faculty, and staff access to an training in the use of advanced technologies supportive of research, scholarly, and creative activity.

IV. To make collaboration integral to our activities, we will

A. create opportunities in and out of the classroom for collaborative activities for students, faculty, and staff.

B. leverage our membership within the largest university system in the United States to advance the University’s mission.

C. encourage, recognize, and reward interdisciplinary and crossunit collaboration.

D. promote collaborative and innovative exchanges with other educational institutions at all levels to maximize the efficient use of resources and enhance opportunities for all learners.

V. To create an environment where all students have the opportunity to succeed, we will

A. develop an innovative outreach and simplified admissions system that enhances recruitment of qualified students.

B. ensure that students of varying age, ethnicity, culture, academic experience, and economic circumstances are well served.

C. facilitate a timely graduation through class availability and effective retention, advisement, career counseling, and mentoring.

D. provide an affordable education without sacrificing quality.

E. provide an efficient and effective financial aid system.

F. maximize extramural funding and on-campus employment to defray students’ educational costs.

G. provide an accessible, attractive and safe environment, and a welcoming campus climate.

VI. To expand connections and partnerships with our region, we will

A. develop mutually beneficial working partnerships with public and private sectors within our region.

B. serve as a regional center for intellectual, cultural, athletic and life-long learning activities.

C. develop community-centered programs and activities, consistent with our mission and goals, that serve the needs of our external communities.

D. involve alumni as valued participants in the on-going life of the university.

VII. To strengthen institutional effectiveness, collegial governance and our sense of community, we will

A. assess university activities and programs to ensure that they fulfill our mission and to identify areas of needed improvement, change, or elimination.

B. create simplified and responsive decision-making structures that reduce fragmentation and increase efficiency.

C. strengthen shared collegial governance in order to build community and acknowledge our collective responsibility to achieve the University’s goals.

D. provide a good work environment with effective development and training programs that assist employees in meeting their job requirements and in preparing for advancement.

E. ensure our reward systems are compatible with our mission and goals by reviewing the multiple roles of faculty and staff through the various stages of their careers.

F. integrate advances in information and communication technologies into work environments.

G. enhance a sense of community to ensure that faculty, students, and staff have as a common purpose the achievement of the overall goals of the University.

*The goals and strategies are not in any priority order. The Roman numerals and letters have been added as reference points.