At Suffolk University we are driven by the power of education, inclusion, and engagement to change lives and positively impact communities. Committed to excellence, we provide students with experiential and transformational learning opportunities that begin in the center of Boston, reach across the globe, and lead to extraordinary outcomes for our graduates.

I am excited to share with you our new mission statement, adopted by the Board of Trustees at its meeting last Friday, February 8. The words in bold are changes that were made in response to input from you, members of the Suffolk community. From your responses to the mission survey we sent out early in the fall semester, to your participation in town hall meetings and coffees, to your suggestions submitted by email, to the comments you made to me in our elevators and hallways, you have been critical to the crafting of this statement. Thank you for your engagement in this process.

Yes, this is our new mission statement, but as you know, our mission is not new. This statement very much reflects the core commitment to transforming students’ lives through education that has been a defining aspect of Suffolk University since our founding by Gleason Archer in his Roxbury apartment all those decades ago. This is who we are and what we do, and I am energized by being a part of it. I know you are too.

Of course, we have much work to do. As we continue to develop the next University strategic plan, we will be guided by this mission, by the changing landscape in which higher education exists, and the changing world our graduates face. We must continue to work to stay true to this mission while also innovating, growing, and focusing, in all the ways necessary to ensure our long-term success. We will do that work because our important mission requires that we succeed. Future generations of students and our alumni are counting on us. So as we chart our course for the future, let me again thank you for your engagement in the process.

marisasig

Marisa J. Kelly
President