Mission and Values

Our mission

Aurora University is an inclusive community dedicated to the transformative power of learning. As a teaching-centered institution, we encourage undergraduate and graduate students to discover what it takes to build meaningful and examined lives. Our singular goal is to empower our students to achieve lasting personal and professional success.

Core values

Integrity: Aurora University adheres to the highest standards of integrity in every aspect of institutional practice and operation. Through this proven dedication to honesty, fairness, and ethical conduct, we lead by example and inspire our students to do the same.

Citizenship: Aurora University exercises the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in an inclusive educational community, founded upon the principles of mutual respect and open discourse. We live within our means and manage our resources wisely and responsibly, while sustaining an environment that fosters teamwork and promotes services to others. We serve the needs of the Fox River Valley, McHenry County (Illinois), Walworth County (Wisconsin), and online learners by offering myriad educational and cultural opportunities to our students and the community-at-large.

Continuous Learning: Aurora University works and lives as a nonprofit organization dedicated to continuous learning. We help students achieve their full potential.

Excellence: Aurora University pursues excellence by embracing quality as a way of community life.

Vision statement

Aurora University will be known and experienced as an exemplary institution of higher learning. We will draw upon the values of integrity, citizenship, continuous learning, and excellence to provide our students with life-changing educational experiences. As an inclusive and vibrant community, inspired by the traditions of the past, we will create a promising future for our university and our students.

Toward fulfillment of this vision, we will engage gifted faculty, staff, and trustees in the work of the university and will recruit and graduate talented and dedicated students. Together, we will strengthen our educational programs and will improve the learning, living, and working environments on our campuses. We will serve the needs of our students through strategic partnerships and will enhance the well-being of the communities around us. We will manage our resources effectively and will deepen the financial foundation upon which our aspirations rest.

Through these initiatives, we will invest in our university and will endow a new generation of Aurora University graduates with the knowledge, skills, and values to transform themselves and their world.

On Diversity and Free Expression

Aurora University embraces principles of free expression and civil discourse, which are central to our ability to fulfill our transformative mission. We affirm that our campus community has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to hold opinions without interference, to engage in civil discourse and respectful disagreement, and to seek, receive, and impart diverse ideas in Aurora University venues. As educators, we prize our long and rich heritage of welcoming all learners and supporting their aspirations to achieve lasting personal and professional success. In pursuit of this purpose, we pledge our best efforts to celebrate diversity, advocate for equity, and practice inclusivity. For more information, read our full Statement on Free Expression and Civil Discourse and Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.