A Sense of Mission — Adams Enters Second Decade as FDU President

 

A Decade of Distinction — FDU Magazine Summer/Fall 2009
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oon after arriving at the University, Adams began building the foundation for greater distinction. To plan his vision for the future, he looked to the past. He went from department to department learning about FDU’s programs, he visited with alumni to see how the campuses had changed, and then he studied all he could about FDU’s founder, Peter Sammartino.

“This institution is an incredible success story,” he explains, “and I wanted to know how we started and how we grew over the years. It was clear that the world was changing around us, but how could we respond to that world while staying true to the vision that created the institution?”

Adams says it was becoming apparent to him that the globalization process was accelerating and that students needed to understand the growing interconnections among countries. He says that fact, coupled with Peter Sammartino’s emphasis on global studies and the University’s traditions in this realm, made the selection of a new mission a natural choice.

“When we started to sort through themes, characteristics and talents,” he explains, “it became obvious that FDU had been built upon a global foundation. We were located at the gateway to the world in the New York metropolitan area, and we had international programs and partnerships. It was obvious that we already were influential in the field of global education.”


"Fairleigh Dickinson University is a center of academic excellence dedicated to the preparation of world citizens through global education. The University strives to provide students with the multidisciplinary, intercultural and ethical understandings necessary to participate, lead and prosper in the global marketplace of ideas, commerce and culture." Mission Statement, Approved by the Board of Trustees, April 12, 2000

By adopting a new mission, Adams explains, “we were following in our founder’s footsteps. What we set out to accomplish was not only the right thing for our students, but it was exactly the path that Peter Sammartino began to chart.” He adds that the mission merely sought to formalize the University’s commitment to global education and provide “a sense of direction for the many efforts already underway and those we hoped to inspire.”

President Michael Adams and his wife, Susan, during his inauguration in 2000

During his inauguration on September 27, 2000, when he first publicly unveiled the global mission, Adams said, “A global education is much more than having international campuses or exchange programs. It is an education that ensures that our students will be able to succeed in a world marked by interdependence, diversity and rapid change. A global education is one that provides knowledge and understanding of culture, language, geography and global perspectives. Most importantly, a global education is one that enables students to understand their roles in a global community and teaches them how their actions can affect citizens throughout the world.”

He later wrote, “A global education represents the true common ground between advocates of a liberal education and professional degree programs. If we want to ensure humanity’s prosperity and address the complex challenges of the 21st century, we must help students understand and be able to work with others from around the world. Also, if we want our students to be successful professionals in the global economy — to work for Microsoft or to create the next Microsoft — we’d better teach them about our world.”

Adams was pleased by the support for the mission and also understood those who called for greater clarity or definition. He says, though, that it was not his intent to define global education or to dictate how to fulfill the mission. “I believe it is the role of the president to put forth a vision, but all other actions and translations reside in the institution. As I’ve told my colleagues time and time again, ‘You are the solution. You are the ones who define this institution.’”

Adams says it is not uncommon to walk on other college campuses and see blank faces when you ask people to describe their school’s mission, but at FDU nearly everyone knows the mission. What’s more, he says, “I believe that most faculty and staff are committed strongly to the mission, think it is the right thing for our students and are playing significant roles to support it.”

Accompanying the adoption of the mission was the identification of specific strategic themes that would drive all major initiatives, actions and decisions. Foremost among these was to “increase the perceived value of a Fairleigh Dickinson undergraduate degree.”

To achieve this, Adams says, it was critically important to focus closely on freshman enrollment and program development. “We worked very hard to invest in particular programs that had significant growth potential and to improve the academic quality of our freshman class.”

With the mission and strategic themes in place, Adams says FDU could begin to take the next steps. “Writing a mission statement is easy. The challenge is to create a sense of mission across the institution.”

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On a Mission | Making the Mission Real | Making It Personal | Moving Globally

   

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Link to Article "A Sense of Mission" Link to Faculty Profile — Jason Scorza Link to Mission Milestones & Highlights — FDU-Vancouver Link to New and Enhanced Facilities Link to Athletics Accomplishments Link to A New Culture of Philanthropy Link to FDU Alumni Association Link to A Message from J. Michael Adams