Xavier University Mission Statement Painting

During the summer of 2013, alumna and professional artist Holly Schapker '92 painted the Statement in Justice Hall adjacent to the Center for Mission and Identity. The first sentence stands alone on the wall left of the Center entrance. The "X" in "Xavier" includes graphics from the Xavier family crest. A butterfly, a symbol for Christianity, hovers at the end of the sentence. The subsequent four sentences are on the right wall. The "O" in "Our [mission]" is highlighted with an Acanthus leaf, a symbol of the Heartland-Delta consortium of Jesuit universities. The leaf, with many irregular sides, shapes and directions retains a central vein that nourishes its growth. Thus "while the universities are each unique, at their core they are centered on, and grow from, the Jesuit vision of education that is more than 450 years old." Significant words in the phrase are enlarged for impact, such as "educate", "learning opportunities", "open and free inquiry," and "common good." A decorative flowering tree, used artistically by the early Jesuits, was painted above the Center door.

 

The current Mission Statement of the University was approved by the Board of Trustees in September 2012. A special task force, charged by the President, engaged the campus community over the course of a year in developing a renewed Statement; the previous Statement had been written two decades earlier and was eight paragraphs in length. The current Statement reads.

 

"Our mission is to educate each student intellectually, morally, and spiritually. We create learning opportunities through rigorous academic and professional programs integrated with co-curricular engagement. In an inclusive environment of open and free inquiry, we prepare students for a world that is increasingly diverse, complex and interdependent. Driven by our commitment to educating the whole person, promoting the common good, and serving others, the Xavier community challenges and supports all our members as we cultivate lives of reflection, compassion and informed action."

Quick Facts

Artist: Holly Schapker '92

Completed: August 1, 2013

Location: North entrance of Justice Hall

Additional Notes:

• More on the Mission Statement
• The Task Force members were:
  Dr. Cynthia Geer, Childhood Educ. and Literacy
  Mr. David Johnson, Faith and Justice
  Ms. Deborah Kostoff, Biology
  Ms. Lea Minniti, International Student Services
  Dr. Debra Mooney, Mission and Identity
  Dr. Daniel Otero, Mathematics; Co-Chair
  Dr. Timothy Quinn, Philosophy
  Dr. Sandy Richtermeyer, Accountancy, Co-Chair
  Mr. Doug Ruschman, University Communication
  Dr. Karl Stukenberg, Psychology
• Holly Schapker's collection "ADSUM: Contemporary Paintings on Ignatian Spirituality" is on display in the Center for Mission and Identity, see the  mission Identity Center for mission website