Mission and Values

Mission

At Aurora University, our singular goal is to empower students to achieve lasting personal and professional success. We do this by being 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 purposeful lives.

Vision

Aurora University aspires to be a leading Midwest university recognized for its access to an affordable and adaptive high-quality education that is student-centered, teaching-focused, and committed to excellence. Our collaborative learning environment will empower lifelong learners to elevate their lives and those of others, foster critical thinking, and prepare learners to be catalysts for societal advancement. Aurora University will continue its tradition of integrating the liberal arts with STEM and professional credentials. We will maintain our growth and financial strength by ongoing development of a hybrid campus, that responsibly embraces emerging technology and the AI era, meeting the needs of modern learners and future employers. Recognizing the essential role of faculty and staff in fulfilling our mission, Aurora University will seek to be an employer of choice. Together we will redefine the landscape of higher education and make a lasting impact on our society.

Values

We are committed to student success through collaboration, working across departments and eliminating silos to help students realize their personal and professional aspirations.

We commit ourselves to continuous learning by adapting and growing along with our students. We are dedicated to helping students achieve their full potential through lifelong support that provides opportunities to learn and grow.

We define inclusivity broadly so that all members of our community are welcome and authentically belong, and we actively work to foster understanding and appreciation of diversity as an institutional strength.

We adhere 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.

We are committed to shaping the future with our students and our community through innovation that sparks creative solutions to encourage continuous improvement, adaptation, and evolution in a rapidly changing 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.