The University reaffirms its historic mission to provide the highest quality education for its undergraduate students. The faculty are responsible for helping students to learn to reason critically and independently, gain knowledge of the diverse culture and environment in which they live, and develop into well-informed citizens and leaders. To accomplish these goals, the University provides a learning setting enriched by undergraduate student research, experiential learning, and study-abroad programs. The University places high priority on the education of qualified Delaware residents, and provides opportunity for a diverse group of citizens to participate in postsecondary education. Since the University is located in a small state with a small population, providing programs of quality and diversity requires a community of student-scholars that reaches beyond the boundaries of the state, and that reflects the nation's racial and cultural diversity.

The University of Delaware also aspires to excellence in graduate education, the heart of which is scholarship and research. The creation, application, and communication of knowledge is a primary goal of the institution and of every faculty member, providing the substance for creative, informed teaching. Research is typically based on cooperation between faculty and students, whereby faculty mentors teach students to conduct independent research and to master problem-solving techniques. Through involvement of undergraduates in faculty research, the University creates a special bond between its undergraduate and graduate programs.

The University is also committed to providing service to society, especially in Delaware and the neighboring region. Public service is a responsibility of every academic unit. In addition, each faculty member is responsible for service to the University Community and to his or her profession. The University emphasizes practical research, provides extension services, and works to solve problems confronting the community.

The University of Delaware is an intellectual and cultural center for its community and for the citizens of Delaware and the surrounding region, providing lectures, exhibits, performances, and athletic events and facilities. Central to the scholarly and intellectual life of the campus is the University Library, a resource for both the University and the state.

Excellence requires selectivity and focus. Institutional vitality depends upon maintaining and building from existing strengths, and judging new proposals according to the University's resource base and mission. Priority is given to programs that meet the needs of society, in particular those of the state and surrounding community, or that build on the University's particular strengths and demonstrated excellence. In the development of graduate and research programs, we will continue to reflect our state's and our region's globally oriented economic base, its internationally recognized cultural institutions, and its particular geographical, social, and ecological environment."