Vision for the 21st Century: A Plan for Excellence

In 1993, a vision of what California State University, Fresno should be like in the 21st century was published in the "Plan for the '90s" with the endorsement of both the Academic Senate and the President of the University. Now, as we near the end of the '90s, we envision an even more exciting future for California State University, Fresno.

The region we serve is one of the great agricultural centers of the world, but our urban core is rapidly becoming one of California's major metropolitan areas with all the challenges and opportunities such growth entails. The San Francisco Bay metropolitan area is served by a number of universities as is southern California. The San Joaquin Valley, however, by its very geography tends to isolate our population from these other areas, with the result that we have both the opportunity and the responsibility to meet a broad spectrum of educational and cultural needs.

It is our university's vision to be known as a premier regional interactive university, recognized for quality teaching, for preparation of a diverse student population (undergraduate and graduate), for superior scholarship, and as the intellectual and cultural leader of the San Joaquin Valley.

We envision a campus that is deeply involved with its community, at the forefront of the discovery, generation, accumulation and dissemination of knowledge.

We envision that our university in the 21st century will:

• Provide our region with an educational and cultural center in which demonstrated excellence is the pervading theme - in classroom and laboratory, on playing fields, and in services to students and community.

• Be recognized as a place where faculty, staff, administration, and student opportunities for creativity and intellectual growth are equal to the very best our state system provides.

• Be known for the successes of its students as productive citizens whose active participation in their education has enabled them to reach their potential, capitalizing on their diverse backgrounds, talents, and interests.

• Be known for access to, and the richness of, the educational, social, and cultural experiences it offers the region it serves.

• Be deeply involved with its community in partnerships for the mutual benefit of all parties.

• Take its place as a model society which demands of all its participants honesty, integrity, and civilized discourse and behavior.

• Be recognized as a leader in creating educational partnerships and collaborative relationships.

• Be a center for applied research and services for all aspects of life in the San Joaquin Valley.

• Be a model learning institution with a working environment in which the quality of life, mutual support, and teamwork on campus are rich and memorable experiences for all participants.

• Be committed to continual planning, evaluating, and implementing new strategies as problems, opportunities, technologies, and conditions change, and to ensuring that the highest levels of resources, support, and technology are available to all members of our university community.

• Be recognized nationally among the top ten percent of comparable state universities