½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï was founded in 1881 by Booker T. Washington as the ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï Normal School. The school’s name transitioned to ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï Institute, attaining University status and becoming ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï in 1985. ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï is an independent, state-related institution – one of two designated land-grant universities in Alabama – and a recognized Historically Black College and University (HBCU).
½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï Normal, Institute, and now University has a proud legacy of innovation and accomplishments through its 140-year history. ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï University is ranked number three in U.S. News World Report’s 2022 annual rankings of the Best HBCUs in the country. The spirit, heritage, and connection to “Mother ½ñÈճԹϔ is vividly and passionately communicated by alumni, faculty, staff, and students; and the community, the Board of Trustees, school administration, and faculty and staff are proud of the school’s high academic standards, STEM programs, research programs, and Veterinary school.
A shift in higher education is anticipated to occur over the coming years, and the changes impacting all higher education institutions will also impact ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï. HBCUs in general are facing growing competition in the recruitment of high-achieving students, and the daunting challenges associated with recruiting, retaining, and preparing students for leadership roles should be appropriately addressed. Furthermore, academic learning has increasingly shifted to online platforms, which has been particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, expanding access for all students; therefore, offering enhanced, highly efficient technology will be critically important for all higher education institutions. ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï has delayed upgrading its infrastructure technology to enable enriched classroom instruction and state-of-the-art research laboratories. Upgrading and enhancing infrastructure to increase student engagement and retain ½ñÈճԹϒs world-class faculty and staff has been identified as a priority in this five-year strategic plan.
At the beginning of the strategic planning process, the Board of Trustees reviewed the current ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï mission and vision statements. ½ñÈճԹϒs mission and vision are the foundation from which the institutional effectiveness framework is established. All planning units align their planning unit goals with those of the mission of the University. The mission and vision statements provide the foundation for the development of strategic priorities to move the organization forward, and the Board decided both the mission and vision needed to be revised. The revised statements are:
Mission: ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï advances knowledge, leadership and service through teaching, research, and outreach programs. Uniquely positioned as a historically black, private, state-related, land-grant University, ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï faculty, staff and students transfer knowledge and transform our communities, state, nation, and world.
Vision: ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï is a pre-eminent educational and research institution that develops innovative and transformative leaders who solve the world’s most complex problems.
