The University of California, Irvine will further strengthen its research and educational programs, extend its influence, and continue to raise its visibility and reputation as one of the best comprehensive research universities in the country by 2015. Its mission will be the discovery and dissemination of knowledge through research, teaching and creative expression in acclaimed academic programs in letters, arts, sciences, engineering and the health sciences, and in highly regarded professional schools of medicine, management and law. It will set standards and influence policy in the sciences and arts at the local, state, national and international levels through basic and applied research. Research will be funded by government and private organizations at a level comparable to the top research universities in the country, and discoveries at UCI will yield scientific and cultural impacts that help shape the future of society. UCI will produce highly educated graduates dedicated to lifelong learning whose knowledge and talents contribute to the economic and cultural vitality of the region, state and nation, and to the global community of the 21st century. The university will participate fully in that community, as well as that of the state and region surrounding the campus; it also will share its discoveries and innovations generously and remain open to the contributions and advice of the public that helps support its activities. Cultivation of the public role of UCI as a scientific, scholarly and cultural center of the region will be among its top priorities, and its contributions in that role will be widely recognized for their value and influence.

The number and quality of UCI’s undergraduates, graduate students and graduate professional students will reflect those of the strongest public research universities. Total enrollment for the campus will be large enough to accommodate the broad range of its academic vision and to meet the historic educational and social obligations of the University of California. The faculty, staff and students of the university will represent the wide diversity of our state to take advantage of the rich intellectual and cultural resources of California’s multicultural heritage.

UCI will be the best choice among comprehensive universities for the best graduates of California’s high schools, with admission profiles and student diversity at the highest levels of the University of California. UCI will provide its undergraduates with a rich intellectual, social and cultural experience that will positively shape their lives and the lives of those around them. Active research experiences will be available to each undergraduate, and students will have outstanding residential experiences characterized by a wide range of academic and cocurricular programs. UCI’s graduates will leave the university with both the knowledge and the desire to be responsible citizens of a democratic society and diverse world.

UCI will attract the best graduate students in the U.S. and the world through programs that offer the opportunity to conduct cutting-edge research under the direction of renowned faculty. The university will provide students with state-of-the-art facilities, equipment and access to material and resources necessary for their work, and it will present opportunities for extensive interdisciplinary research outside their own departments. For those students who live and study on campus, housing and work spaces will create a quality of life unequaled even at other top-ranked universities.

Professional education at the graduate level in medicine, business, law and the health sciences will be offered in schools that are recognized amongst the strongest in California. The programs will be highly interdisciplinary with intensive interaction with other academic units on campus. UCI also will offer additional distinguished graduate professional education through some academic units, including programs in engineering, the arts and public policy. These professional programs will recruit the most able students in the country, and their education will combine both theory and practice to produce graduates who are truly reflective practitioners with a high degree of competence and integrity. They will quickly emerge as leaders and make significant professional and intellectual contributions to their fields.

The research and teaching that constitute these educational programs will be conducted by a faculty of the highest quality, who come to UCI and spend their careers here because of the widespread recognition of the outstanding scholarly, scientific and creative accomplishments of the campus. They will be attracted to the campus by its intellectually exciting and challenging environment, the best facilities and institutional support, and attractive living conditions. UCI will foster an environment for research and artistic activity that facilitates the discovery and dissemination of knowledge in many forms to all levels of society. The accomplishments of our faculty will be evident in a constantly growing base of research funding, national and international awards, membership in the most important scientific, scholarly and artistic organizations, and frequent academic citations to their research and performance. Upon retirement, emeriti/ae faculty will continue their close association with the university and will remain an integral part of the intellectual and pedagogical life of the campus.

Staff who support research and teaching will see UCI as the most desirable employer in the region, with competitive compensation and benefits, a supportive working environment, and ample opportunities for professional development. UCI’s libraries, physical plant, technological infrastructure, student-life organizations and administrative services will all be dedicated to the goals of the university and deployed in a coordinated and efficient fashion which both recognizes and honors the contributions of everyone and every organizational unit. The administrative and organizational culture of the campus will foster a dedication to excellence through openness, flexibility, involvement, adaptability to change and a deep commitment to diversity.

University of California, Irvine • Irvine, CA 92697
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Last Updated: January 22, 2007