Goals, Mission Statements, Etc.

Every couple of years we at my school update and rename our "Student Learner Outcomes" (I think that's the current term).  We also have things like a mission statement, maybe a vision statement, and lord knows what else.  I don't often read them and certainly don't use them as any sort of guide for what or how I teach.

Came across this today and thought it made sense:

I have spent the last 20 years when teaching org theory saying that if you can't specify your org's actual goal in 25 words or less, using no more than 2 sentences and a single comma, then you don't really know what your goal is.

I also point out that if you cannot measure whatever constitutes progress towards that known goal then the goal itself is probably worthless.

Finally, I used to ask my students to write down, using my rules, what the actual goal of the university they were attending was. I had to quit that because it was making both them and I too depressed.

That comment comes from an article called What Are Schools For.

Just for smiles and giggles, here are the mission statements from our 3 primary service academies.

West Point:
The mission of the United States Military Academy is “to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army.”

Naval Academy:
"To develop Midshipmen morally, mentally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor and loyalty in order to graduate leaders who are dedicated to a career of naval service and have potential for future development in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government."

Air Force Academy:
We educate, train, and inspire men and women to become officers of character motivated to lead the United States Air Force in service to our nation.

I like the brevity and clarity of USAFA's mission statement.