In 1998, the University completed its five-year strategic agenda under the title “Defining Our Future.” This documents express the following vision: Northern Kentucky University will become a preeminent, learner-centered, metropolitan university recognized for its contributions to the intellectual, social economic, cultural, and civic vitality of its region and that of the Commonwealth.”As we work to achieve our vision, we will be guided by a set of core values that inform our actions and bind us together as an academic community.

Learner-Centered
We are committed to placing the learner at the center of all that we do. We will serve the learner through our core mission to discover, interpret, apply, and transmit knowledge. As a university, we are a community of learners capable of adaptation and improvement based on new knowledge and insights.

Excellence
We are committed to the highest standards of excellence in everything that we do—as judged not only by ourselves but also by those we serve—and to a process of continuous quality improvement based on a culture of evidence.

Access with the Opportunity to Succeed
We are committed to lifelong public access to education and expert knowledge and to ensuring that learners enrolled in the University have the preparation required to succeed. We measure our success by the accomplishments, the commitments, and the satisfaction of our graduates.

Public Engagement
We are committed to treating the metropolitan region as an extension of our campus. We will build partnerships throughout the region that both server the learning needs of the public and enhance the learning opportunities available to our faculty, staff, and students.

Intellectual and Creative Freedom
We are committed to intellectual and creative freedom and to the open expression of ideas in a way that supports scholarship and the advanced learning process.

Multiculturalism
We are committed to advancing multicultural understanding within both the University and the community as an educational and civic priority.

Innovation and Creativity
We re committed to innovative approaches for achieving our vision and will create a campus
environment that encourages and rewards creativity and innovation.

Collegiality and Collaboration
We are committed to building a University community characterized by open communication and shared responsibility for decisions. We will build a culture of collegiality and collaboration within and between the University and the public we serve.