The core purpose of a research university is the creation, preservation and dissemination of knowledge.
Supported by government funding and private philanthropy, research universities in the United States have produced transformational breakthroughs in every domain, generating extraordinary benefits to society. The tremendous success of this distinctively American system of research, education and innovation has garnered respect and admiration across the world.
The most important condition for the enduring success of the American research university is the pursuit of truth solely through the use of reason, argument and evidence rooted in a culture of free inquiry and rigorous debate.1
If it is to pursue the truth wherever it lies, a research university cannot have a political ideology or pursue a particular vision of social change. It contributes to the betterment of society not by pursuing an ideological agenda but through the research and innovation of its faculty and students, by producing educated and knowledgeable leaders, and by serving as a model for civil discourse grounded in critical reasoning.
Our institutions are committed to taking collective and individual action to ensure that this core purpose continues to govern our endeavors in the twenty-first century. We are guided by three key principles:
We are committed to excellence in all aspects of our work, free of political criteria. That includes admissions and support of student success, faculty and staff hiring and promotion, the allocation of resources and the recognition of members of our community.
- STARS College Network: WashU is a founding member of the initiative supporting students from rural and small-town communities in higher education.
- WashU Pledge: Provides a free undergraduate education to admitted students from Missouri and Southern Illinois who are Pell-grant eligible or from families with annual incomes of $75,000 or less.
- WashU Rural Scholars Academy: This program for high school sophomores from rural areas across the country introduces them to WashU and prepares them for the kinds of academic and professional development opportunities available in an urban center.
- Make Way: This initiative “makes way” for top applicants by aiming to increase financial resources for promising students at every income level and to create a “best-in-class” experience.
- Gateway to Success: WashU’s historic $1 billion investment in a need-blind undergraduate admissions policy.
- Opportunity Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt’s need-based financial aid program ensuring affordability through grants, not loans, allowing 4/5 American families send a student to Vanderbilt for free.
- STARS College Network : A collaborative initiative supporting students from rural and small-town communities in higher education.
- Discovery Vanderbilt: A research investment program expanding innovation and discovery across disciplines.
- Destination Vanderbilt: A faculty recruitment initiative aimed at bringing top scholars to Vanderbilt.
- Vanderbilt Posse Scholarship Program: A leadership scholarship program for diverse, high-achieving students.
- Quantum Potential: How Vanderbilt’s greatest minds tackle humanity’s greatest challenges.
Academic freedom and free expression
We foster an environment of unfettered inquiry and discovery where our faculty and students are free to pursue their academic interests.2
We actively encourage opposing views across a broad spectrum of the human experience, including political, economic, social, religious and other aspects, and provide ample opportunities for open debate and dissent without censorship or retribution.
We live by an ethos of civility and respect for the perspectives of others, guided by policies that support dialogue — and enable research and education — free from disruption.
We are committed to institutional neutrality whereby the institution and its leaders, including those in charge of academic units like schools, departments and research centers, do not take positions on political and social matters not directly connected to the core function of the university. At WashU, students and employees are encouraged to express themselves freely as individuals, but they do not speak or act on behalf of the university.3
- Dialogue Across Difference: Offering courses, programs, and workshops to prepare WashU students for our multicultural society.
- Freedom of Expression at WashU
- Frick Initiative: Provides grants to encourage an understanding of, and commitment to, civil discourse, free and open markets, free speech, and personal responsibility.
- Dialogue Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt’s initiative to advance and more deeply imbed the university’s long-held values of free expression, civil discourse and institutional neutrality across campus and beyond.
- Shared Governance: Vanderbilt’s commitment to collaborative decision-making among faculty, staff, and administration at Vanderbilt.
- Read Chancellor Diermeier’s thought leadership on institutional neutrality
Growth and development
We seek to assemble a broad range of perspectives, backgrounds, and expertise of students, faculty, and staff on our campuses as a core driver of excellence in everything we do.
We are committed to minimizing financial and other barriers that impede students’ access to our institutions or that hinder their academic success, pursuit of excellence, and personal growth.
We are committed to a vibrant campus community where all members can grow in their academic and professional pursuits.
We strive to prepare our students for purposeful and engaged lives and meaningful careers.
- Bauer Leaders Academy: Provides a four-year leadership development program for WashU undergraduates, including distinctive coursework, and direct coaching.
- Taylor Family Center for Student Success: Creates an infrastructure where first-generation or limited-income students can thrive.
- WashU Center for Career Engagement: An integrated hub providing career coaching, planning and assessment.
- Dare to Grow: Vanderbilt’s growth initiatives expand on its success to drive greater impact.
- Career Advancement and Engagement: Vanderbilt’s hub for career development, connecting students with resources, mentorship, and professional opportunities.
- Immersion Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt’s dynamic program for undergraduate students that merges academic excellence with real-world experiences, providing a platform to dive deeply into a field of interest and make a tangible impact.
By focusing on our core purpose and these key principles, our institutions will be positioned to continue providing our students with a transformational education, conducting pathbreaking research, and driving the field-defining agendas for international scientific learning and research. This is the time to clearly affirm who we are and to live by our purpose and principles in everything we do.
These principles were approved by the Washington University in St. Louis Board of Trustees on December 6, 2024. The Vanderbilt University Board of Trust adopted a similar set of principles on December 5, 2024. Differences between the two are minor and primarily concern references to specific policies at the respective institutions.
- WashU Mission and Vision Statement ↩︎
- Academic Freedom, Responsibility and Tenure policy, approved by the WashU Faculty Senate and WashU Board of Trustees on October 3, 1975 ↩︎
- Protocol for Positions on Issues of Public Policy, adopted August 15, 2019; Guidance on Political, Campaign and Lobbying Activity, Section IV-B ↩︎