This blog post was written by NCTE member Angela Woodard Walker, EdD.
Growing up, my wise, widowed mother used to say, “If it had been a snake, it would’ve bitten you.” She uttered the idiomatic expression to my younger brother and me when we had overlooked something conspicuous.
In July 2023, I realized I had been inadvertently overlooking something. It was staring me right in the face all along. And I still missed it.
This is how it all went down almost one year ago. I gladly accepted the inaugural invitation to co-host The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi’s (PKP) national two-day virtual 2023 Student Vice President Leadership Summit. I co-hosted with PKP’s graduate student representative, who also sat on its national board of directors. I had a blast engaging and entertaining the 56 undergraduate and graduate student leaders who represented over 40 higher education institutions from around the nation and the territory of Puerto Rico. I was interacting with the alert virtual audience and ad-libbing between the dynamic professional development sessions when a revelatory moment revealed what had been hiding from me in plain sight. What did I see?
I was staring at the word “mission” on the shared Zoom screen. The word’s individual letters leaped off my computer screen: m-i-s-s-i-o-n. Then, it hit me.
The first four letters of the word “mission” spell the word “miss.” So what? That enlightening moment further underscored the importance of fulfilling an organization’s mission. In other words, don’t “miss” the mission. An organization’s unique mission encapsulates and drives its existence and purpose. Here are five practical ways to help ensure the mission isn’t missed.
- Know it. It behooves us to know our organization’s mission by heart rather than having to Google our institution’s “About Us” page. (Ouch! I’ve had to do this before.) We should know our organization’s mission like we know our first and last names.
- Connect with the mission. Deeply reflect on why the organization’s mission resonates with you. Ask yourself, “Why am I at this organization?” Working in the academy is heart work. It’s also hard work. Setting our faces like a flint on the mission can help us continue moving forward when inevitable challenges attempt to divert our attention and deplete our energy.
- Keep the mission before your eyes, at your fingertips, on your lips, and in your ears. Prominently display the mission statement on your desk, a wall in your office, your computer’s screensaver, and institutional forms and documents (e.g., syllabi, meeting agendas, etc.). Recite the mission aloud, and incorporate it into conversations, lectures, presentations, and speeches sometimes to remind yourself why the organization exists. This intentional practice will also reinforce your vital role in fulfilling the organization’s mission. For example, I firmly believe that the faculty are the heartbeat of academic institutions. Deliberate discussions about how the institution’s mission supports teaching, research, and service (and vice versa) will reiterate the mission and the essentiality of academicians.
- Review accreditors’ stance on the importance of the mission. As a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) peer evaluator and committee chair, I am keenly aware that everything an institution does should point to the institution’s mission. All human, fiscal, and physical resources should support the mission. SACSCOC’s Standard 2.1 (Institutional mission), for instance, is a core requirement that requires the institution to have a “clearly defined, comprehensive, and published mission specific to the institution and appropriate for higher education. The mission addresses teaching and learning and, where applicable, research and public service.” In addition, SACSCOC’s Standard 4.2 (a) (Mission review) indicates the governing board must regularly review the institution’s mission. Prioritize what’s important to accreditors.
- Make mission-minded decisions. Consult with the mission before making decisions. The organization’s mission should frame all decisions, especially impactful, long-lasting decisions. Does the program, partnership, or collaboration align with the institution’s mission? If so, is it a priority right now? Stakeholders must continually ask and honestly answer these questions.
Hitting the mission’s bullseye can assist organizations with maximizing their effectiveness, capacity, and impact. Our submission should be to the mission, so we don’t miss the mission.
Dr. Angela Woodard Walker is an award-winning presenter, author, and proven higher education professional. Currently, she is the dean of the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts and assistant professor of English at Talladega College, Alabama’s first private historically Black liberal arts college. Her students directly benefit from the several teaching certificates and the Association of Colleges and University Educators’ Effective Teaching Practices certification she has earned. She was a 2023 UNCF Teaching + Learning Center Faculty Fellow (Cohort 2) and frequently presents at state and national events such as the 2024 National Higher Education Teaching Conference. She can be reached via email or on LinkedIn.
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