Mission Statement Discernment Timeline

This document provides a short timeline of the steps involved in revisiting and updating the current USF mission statement.

October, 2020. Mission Statement Committee formed. Members include Chris Brooks, Evelyn Rodriguez and Monica Doblado, working with Erin Brigham.

Our initial task is to discern places where our current mission statement is in need of modifying or updating, and to develop and practice the process of collective discernment. This will be done through a series of reflection sessions led by Mission Council members along with their respective units, divisions or affinity groups.

October 28, 2020. Erin leads the Mission Council in a collective discernment process to identify aspects of the mission in need of revision or updating, as well as components that are missing. Mission Council members also get a chance to experience this process first-hand.

November/December 2020. Mission Council members each meet with USF community members from their division, unit or affinity group in small groups to conduct collective discernment processes, record observations and themes, and report those back to the Mission Statement Committee. Our goal is for each Mission Council member to conduct at least one discernment.

November/December 2020. The Committee meets with the leaders of the Strategic Planning Committee to align efforts and understand how both groups can coordinate their efforts.

January 2021. Based on these processes, the Committee prepares one or more draft mission statements.

February 2021. The Committee presents draft statements to Cabinet and engages them in the same collective discernment process.

February-May 2021. The committee, supported by the Mission Council, holds a series of collective discernment processes with stakeholders from across the university, using the affinity groups and organizations identified through the Campus Climate Survey to ensure that all members of the USF community are represented.

June 2021. Based on this feedback, the committee prepares a final version of the revised mission statement. This is vetted by the Mission Council, and then presented to the Board of Trustees for approval.

September 2021. New Mission Statement officially approved by the Board of Trustees.