Identifying & Enacting Your Missions

NEW PROFESSIONALS’ TRAINING INSTITUTE 2014

Jen Gonzales, Ryerson University

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the session, participants will be able to

understand the mission of their

department/institution

construct a personal mission statement which

uncovers/highlights core values and important

goals.

identify how department/institutional missions align

with their personal and professional goals

Institutional Missions

… the mission serves as a standard… student affairs

professionals, faculty and students use the mission as

a yardstick against which to measure the

appropriateness of their programs, curriculum and out

of class experiences.

“clear, coherent and often distinctive and make what

goes on there understandable, definable and

educationally purposeful.

(1991 Kuh, Schuh and Whi, “Involving Colleges”)

Espoused vs Enacted

Each institution has two mission statements:

1. Espoused – this is typically what an

institution writes about itself; and

2. Enacted – this is what the institution

actually does and who it serves –(Purpose/Objectives)

For your work, the enacted mission may be of

greater value, as it guides the daily actions

of those in regular contact with students

Missions of PSIs in Ontario

Discuss your institutional mission statements in your

group with a focus on the following:

Similarities

Differences

Strengths – distinctive?

Weaknesses

Truth?

Present back to the group!

How does your department enact your

mission?

SWOT ANALYSIS

Strength – internal

Weakness - internal

Opportunities - external

Threats - external

How does your department enact

your mission?

What are the values of the department?

What are the goals of the department?

What are the actions that come out of those goals?

What else can you do to enact your mission?

• Ensure you understand your institutional mission

• Maintain a focus on how your actions enable student learning under your mission

• Look first to your espoused mission, but truly to your enacted mission… this is arguably more important (but check with your supervisor)

• Look for opportunities to make your mission a ‘living’ one

Personal Missions

Who you are in your personal life is who you are

professionally.

Values

What do you value?

Do you prize your values?

Did you choose your own values? How?

Do you enact your values consistently?

Reflection

Step 1: Performance

I am at my best when…..

I am at my worst when….

Step 2: Passion

What do I really love to do at work:

What do I really love to do in my personal life:

Step 3: Talents

My natural talents and gifts/strengths are:

Step 4: Imagination

If I had unlimited time and resources, and knew I

could not fail, what would I choose to do?

Step 5: Vision

Imagine your life as an epic journey with you as

the hero/heroine of the story. What do you

imagine your journey to be about?

Step 6: Character

Imagine your 80th birthday. Who will be there with

you?

What tribute statement would you like them to

make about you?

Step 7: Contribution

What do I consider to be my most important future

contribution to the most important people in my life?

Step 8: Conscience

Are there things I feel I really should do or change,

even thought I may have dismissed such thoughts

many times? What are they?

Step 9: Influence

Imagine you could invite to dinner three people who

have influenced you the most—past or present.

Write their names in the boxes below. Then record

the one quality or attribute you admire most in

these people.

Step 10: Balance

State of fulfillment and renewal in each of the four

dimensions:

Physical

Spiritual

Mental

social/emotional

Balance cont’d

What are the single most important things you can

do in each of these areas that will have the

greatest positive impact on your life and help you

achieve a sense of balance?

Fill in Blanks

Begin to write your mission statement