Updated mission statements published

RWU has updated its general mission statement and the supplementary mission statement "Good Teaching and Learning" and has now published them in various formats.

Updating the mission statements was the first step in the university-wide development process that began in December 2021. Numerous faculty, staff and students revised the mission statements in collaboration with the rectorate in a multi-stage process. The result is a set of ambitious and compact mission statements that define RWU's tasks, values and goals and address all university members.

The mission statements provide orientation

"Our mission statements show the outside world what we stand for as RWU. Above all, however, they are intended to have an impact within the university by guiding our day-to-day actions," says RWU Rector Professor Dr. Thomas Spägele. "What is important to us in teaching? What kind of learning and working environment do we want to create with and for our students and staff? How do we want to interact with each other? What image of the future are we striving for? We have laid all of this down in the mission statements," Spägele said.

Implementation is what counts

Henning Rudewig, RWU's chancellor, explains that it is important to keep addressing the guiding principles so that they are actually put into practice. "We will therefore integrate the mission statements into our processes and derive concrete measures." Professor Dr. Sebastian Mauser, Vice Rector for Studies, Teaching and Quality Management, adds, "We will use the mission statement Good Teaching and Learning as a touchstone in the further development of study programs, for example. How practice-oriented is the content, and where can we make improvements? Do we teach students not only technical skills, but also personal and social skills? The mission statement makes it clear what we want to pay attention to."

In addition to incorporating the mission statement into everyday university life, working on the individual topics is crucial, Rudewig said. Important steps have already been taken with the further development of the study program portfolio, the new service agreement on mobile working, the professionalization of quality management and the sustainability initiative, he said.

A joint project

"Updating the mission statements was a joint project, and the implementation of the derived measures will also only succeed together," emphasizes Rector Spägele. "I would like to thank all students, faculty and staff who have contributed, and I look forward to seeing us join forces and work just as hard to implement them."

The mission statements are available now in a variety of formats: In addition to the mission statement brochure and the university mission statement as a wall installation in the foyer of the main building, there are themed posters in RWU buildings and both mission statements in German and English on the website:

https://www.rwu.de/hochschule/ueber-uns/leitbild-der-hochschule

https://www.rwu.de/hochschule/ueber-uns/leitbild-gutes-lehren-und-lernen