Office of the Vice-Chancellor

Mission Statement

The mission of Murdoch University is:

To extend knowledge, stimulate learning, and promote understanding, for the benefit of the community.

In carrying out this mission Murdoch University aspires to be a world class university which is distinguished for:

Excellence in teaching and research

Research will be conducted to the highest international standards and will address contemporary problems and issues of significance to the community.

Teaching and learning will be informed by research, and by an understanding of how students learn. There will be a diversity of delivery modes to cater for the varied needs and circumstances of the student population.

Accessibility

The University will be a welcoming environment for high quality students from all sectors of society.

Sense of community

There will be a sense of community in which individuals value fairness, integrity, tolerance, respect, and feel that they have an obligation to others as well as to themselves.

Interdisciplinarity

Studies will be sufficiently interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary to ensure that graduates can place their major field of knowledge into a broad context.

International outlook

An international outlook will be promoted, and an international reputation will be strengthened by student and staff exchanges, co-operative research links, strategic alliances and a global perspective in teaching and research.

The University will be a stimulating and exciting place in which to work and study, and will be valued as a good corporate citizen within the community.

Vision

This Vision of the University will be achieved through objectives in the following areas:

Teaching

produce graduates who are noted for their academic qualities and employment-related skills

offer high quality academic programmes that present a contemporary and coherent knowledge base in a range of disciplines and that enable students to develop their intellectual skills

maintain an appropriate discipline mix within which each programme achieves an economic level of sustainable student demand and/or comparative advantage

require all staff to practice high standards of teaching and reward those who excel in this area of their responsibilities

Research

maintain a vibrant research culture across a range of disciplines, with some areas of leadership, by recruiting research-active staff and by supporting and rewarding the highest achievers

increase Murdoch's share of external funding for research, allocate University research funds to areas of research strength on the basis of research performance, and maintain a limited number of University Research Centres of national and international quality

foster links with industry, commerce and other universities by establishing strategic research links in mutually important areas and developing close associations with research funding agencies at state, national and international levels

attract and provide high quality research training and supervision for talented postgraduate research students across a range of disciplines

Accessibility

enhance the access, facilities and support available to high quality students where there are barriers to achieving their full potential;

establish targets and implement strategies to redress the under-representation of women and Aboriginal people in all levels of the University's staffing profile;

Interdisciplinarity

ensure that undergraduate degree structures are sufficiently interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary to enable graduates to place their major field of knowledge into a broader social and intellectual context, avoiding narrow specialisation;

provide incentives for staff from different disciplines to work together in teaching and research

International Outlook

expand and diversify the international student programme, including the fee-paying, exchange and study abroad components

include international content and examples in relevant course units

Management

maintain high standards in staff selection, probation and promotion

provide staff with appropriate training, timely and honest feedback on their performance, and reward those who achieve at the highest levels broaden the University's resource base

manage human, financial, and physical resources efficiently and effectively to meet the University's objectives

target services to the high priority needs of customers

University Standing

determine what students and employers need from University education and offer it, in order to maximise the University's competitive advantage promote the reputation of the University in the wider community