Our Mission. Our Vision. Our Values.

Our Mission. Our Vision. Our Values.

It is impossible to convey in words the human warmth of spirit, love of teaching and dedication to student success that resonates throughout Benedictine University. But our mission, our vision and our values express a great deal about the motivating spirit found at this University. Our mission has evolved as a result of years of forward-thinking, goal-setting and character-building as an expression of what community members strive to instill in each student. It is based on a long and rich Benedictine tradition of learning, as well as personal and spiritual growth. St. Benedict introduced our vision of life long learning more than 1,500 years ago. Our vision was enhanced when Fr. Cosmas Vesely, O.S.B., helped form this University into a leading institution in the field of science. Our modern-day leaders seek to improve and move us forward all while keeping the strength of our Benedictine tradition alive. Our vision statement helps to articulate these many years of enlightenment. Without our values, our mission and our vision would not stand out. Our values-based education is an important part of what sets us apart. The essential Benedictine values taught and lived out at this University seek to aid all students and community members in maintaining a life filled with purpose and meaning. For more information, visit the Benedictine University Center for Mission and Identity website at www.ben.edu/cmi.

Our Mission.
Benedictine University dedicates itself to the education of undergraduate and graduate students from diverse ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds. As an academic community committed to liberal arts and professional education distinguished and guided by its Roman Catholic tradition and Benedictine heritage the University prepares its students for a lifetime as active, informed and responsible citizens and leaders in the world community.
Benedictine Universitys mission reflects our devotion to assist students become responsible persons who will make positive contributions to society. Understand the content, methodology and interrelationships of specific areas of study Pursue and communicate the truth Confront and resolve ethical issues and contribute to the work of social justice Benefit from diversity of opinions and cultures Value the interdependence of cultures and nations Exhibit stewardship toward self and environment Strive for a life lived in balance Foster appreciation and individual development of creative expression Communicate effectively, across cultural boundaries Reason and make informed judgments Identify and solve problems independently and cooperatively Develop a sense of intellectual curiosity and a desire for lifelong learning The Benedictine University community provides instruction, counsel and life experiences that help students to acquire enduring knowledge and cultivate skills to:

Our Vision.
Benedictine University is a Catholic University in the Benedictine Tradition that Provides a Values-Centered Liberal Arts Education Enriched by Our Excellence in Science.
Benedictine Universitys vision statement can be found in the printed word, but also in the hearts of our community members. At this Catholic and Benedictine institution, our primary goal is teaching and learning. Our teaching does not stop with the current trends in pedagogy or technology. It builds on our moral and ethical Catholic tradition and our values-driven Benedictine heritage. We at Benedictine University firmly believe that success requires a body of knowledge founded in social and humanistic values that are common to all people. Inherent in our Catholic and Benedictine tradition, these values in accord with our liberal arts curriculum (of which the sciences is a subset) help to create interdisciplinary connections among all branches of knowledge. For example, our initiative to have science across the curriculum enhances students abilities to solve complex problems by allowing them to draw on facts and ideas from different, but related, fields of knowledge. This initiative also makes students alert to the ethical issues embedded in all disciplines and allows them to view science issues from more global and faith-based perspectives. With our more integrated curriculum, students leave Benedictine University as powerful figures in society.

Our Catholic tradition emphasizes: The worth and dignity of each person The solidarity of the human race and the social nature of human existence, which is oriented toward God and not limited to this life The goodness of creation and its sacramental potential for disclosing the transcendent The interconnectedness of truth and the compatibility of faith and reason in the search for the truth

Our Values.
Benedictine University is grounded in the spirit of our founders who based their lives and work on St. Benedicts Rule for Monks, written in the early sixth century. Benedictine University continues to build its educational life on the same values that have aided all Benedictine men and women in living a fulfilled life:

A search for God by oneself and with others A tradition of hospitality An appreciation for living and working in community A concern for the development of each person An emphasis on a life lived in balance A dedication to responsible stewardship of all things A commitment to academic excellence
Benedictine University has a uniqueness and a strength that allows us to offer our students quality majors anchored in a rich, integrated liberal arts base that is further enhanced by our traditional strengths in the natural and social sciences. As evidenced by our mission, our vision and our values, we at Benedictine University are dedicated to providing the necessary tools to help our students succeed in their future professions.

Our History.
The Benedictine monks of St. Procopius Abbey founded Benedictine University in 1887 as St. Procopius College. The Benedictine Order bears the name of St. Benedict, born in 480, who is acknowledged as the father of western monasticism. In 528, he established the famed monastery of Monte Cassino. Standing in that long tradition of learning, the Benedictines of St. Procopius Abbey founded the College in Chicago, securing its charter from the state of Illinois in 1890. The first building on the Lisle campus was dedicated in September 1901. It was gradually extended, and new buildings began to be added in the 1920s. The University was originally founded to educate men of Czech and Slovak descent, and in the early years most of the students were from that national group. The University became coeducational in 1968. To support the changing needs of student, the University has changed in many ways since 1970. The campus facilities now include residence halls, a physical education center, athletic fields and a student center. In 2000, the University took a big step into the future by building two new state-of-the-art learning facilities and adding independent apartment living. The University has gained national and international recognition through major partnerships. In 2003, Benedictine and Springfield College in Illinois partnered to bring Benedictine programs and services to Springfield, Illinois state capital. Benedictine collaborated in 2004 with Shenyang University of Technology and Shenyang Jianzhu University in China to bring Master of Business Administration and Master of Science in Management Information Systems programs overseas as demands are high for American business programs. Also in 2004, the University joined forces with the Village of Lisle in the construction of The Village of Lisle-Benedictine University Sports Complex, a multi-purpose facility featuring lighted athletic fields with a nine-lane track. Benedictine opened the Margaret and Harold Moser Center in Naperville in 2006 to meet the needs of adult students and area businesses. Today, undergraduate enrollment has grown to more than 3,300. Total enrollment is more than 8,000 with 53 bachelors degree, 13 masters degree and four doctoral degree programs. Most Benedictine students are from the Chicago area and Illinois, although 49 states and more than 16 foreign countries are represented.

Our Catholic Heritage.

Benedictine University is guided by the Roman Catholic intellectual tradition and the tenants of Ex Corde Ecclesiae, the Apostolic Constitution on Catholic Universities. The Roman Catholic intellectual tradition which extends back to the age of the Fathers of the Church, the monasteries of the Middle Ages and the eventual rise of the university emphasizes the worth and dignity of each person; the solidarity of the human race and the social nature of human existence, which is oriented toward God and not limited to this life; the goodness of creation; and the interconnectedness of truth and the compatibility of faith and reason in the search for truth. In fidelity to that tradition, Benedictine University is committed to investigating questions that address the ultimate purpose of life; to the dialogue between religious and secular cultures; and to the promotion of ecumenical, inter-religious and cross-cultural understanding. This type of education is designed to broaden and deepen a persons vision of reality, to help all understand the dignity and uniqueness of each human person and at the same time to place an emphasis upon the demands of freedom and social responsibility. Benedictine University encourages openness to all reality, acceptance of truth wherever it is found and the personal effort to integrate learning as a basis of wisdom for life. Benedictine University also adheres to the guidelines set forth for Catholic Universities in Ex Corde Ecclesiae. In this declaration, Pope John Paul II identifies four characteristics that distinguish every Catholic university as Catholic: a Christian inspiration not only of individuals but of the university community; a continuing reflection in light of the Catholic faith upon the growing treasury of human knowledge to which the university seeks to contribute by its own research; fidelity to the Christian message as it comes to us through the Church; and an institutional commitment to the service of the people of God and of the human family in their pilgrimage to life eternal, the journey which gives meaning to life.

We are Benedictine.
A group of monastics were recently charged by the Association of Benedictine Colleges and Universities with developing a set of hallmarks that distinguish Benedictine colleges and universities from institutions guided by secular groups and other religious orders. These individuals developed a set of 10 hallmarks, characteristics that make a Benedictine institution Benedictine. The 10 hallmarks which make a Benedictine institution Benedictine are: prayer, obedience, stability, discipline, stewardship, humility, community, hospitality, conversation and love. Prayer can be manifested participation in worship with others or through meditation and mindfulness. However, prayer is not limited by religious affiliation. Prayer can also include the Jewish use of a formal prayer book and the Islamic practices of salah or reading of the Quran. The Latin root of the word obedience comes from audire, which means to listen. It is essential that all members of the Benedictine community find time to listen to God, to listen to oneself, to listen to others and especially to listen to those in need. Stability is the commitment to the daily life of the place in which we live. Learning and freedom are not possible without discipline, which is respect for others and the structure of community which make learning and freedom possible. Stewardship is the respect for the beauty and goodness of creation. Appreciation of living and working in community stresses the need for accountability for ones actions. That appreciation and accountability require humility, through which honest interaction between people is possible. Living in community includes the search for the common good and respect for the individual. By welcoming the stranger we open our arms and our hearts to God. Through hospitality, we become closer to God and ultimately to truth. Through the process of conversatio, we are formed and transformed. Christ said, Love God above all and love thy neighbor as thyself. The Catholic tradition emphasizes the worth and dignity of each person. Only by recognizing the solidarity of the human race and the social nature of human existence, the goodness of creation and its potential for explaining the transcendent, and through love for ourselves and others can we understand the connectedness of faith and reason in the search for truth.

Our Spirit of Community.

Central to the Benedictine tradition is the celebration of community as a gathering of people who share a commitment to a common mission. Benedictine University strives to develop an academic community that supports each person in the pursuit of knowledge and personal development. This undertaking is achieved through a life enriched by the collegiate community in which the individuals interest is tempered by concern for the common good. Benedictine University also attempts to bring students and faculty into harmony with their communities and the contemporary world, hoping to inspire students to recognize their responsibilities as members of the community and to become involved in its everyday life. Benedictine graduates see themselves not merely as residents, but as citizens of their communities and know that the lives of all people, regardless of social position, education or age, are entwined. Individual and collective contributions to the community are decisive in integrating the spiritual, intellectual and economic components of daily life.

Our Tradition of Excellence.

Benedictine Universitys commitment to academic excellence traces its roots to St. Benedict, a young hermit medieval monk who wrote an insightful book of rules in the early sixth century that would serve as a guide for monastic living. Intended primarily for the men who followed him to his foundation at Monte Cassino in Italy, the life included the education of youth, some of whom would join the monastery while others would influence the world outside the cloister. During the centuries following St. Benedict until the rise of universities in the 13th century, Benedictine educational activities expanded as monasteries grew and made new foundations. The involvement of the Benedictines in education expanded to the new horizons of college and university education in addition to work at the secondary school level. Today there are numerous Benedictine colleges and universities in the United States, Europe and Canada, as well as a large number of Benedictine high schools. Naturally the curricula in these institutions focuses on contemporary educational needs. The challenge always demanded that the Benedictine men and women blend the 1,500 years of Benedictine values with the demands of an ever-changing pluralistic society. The Benedictine approach to teaching has not changed dramatically since its beginning. We continue to recognize the need to improvise where necessary and to reevaluate and implement strategies ensuring that the orientation and spirit of Benedictine education will remain synonymous with scholarship, community involvement and good citizenship. Benedictine University fulfills its commitment to the liberal arts, science, business, education, health services, and adult and professional studies through excellence in teaching and interaction between students and faculty members. A liberal arts core prepares all undergraduate students to participate fully in discourse and action within a diverse and dynamic society by balancing their rights and duties as individuals with the demands of the common good. Professional education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, built on that liberal arts foundation, is multidisciplinary in nature and prepares graduates for roles of leadership and social responsibility.

A Life Lived in Balance.

Members of the Benedictine University community are encouraged to achieve a balance in their social and professional lives. They come to understand the self as an integrated physical, intellectual and spiritual being. While the University values the dignity of work, it recognizes that balance with leisure and prayer is equally important. Living a life in balance helps to enrich ones personal and spiritual life while fostering friendships and relationships that can span a lifetime. The Rule of St. Benedict reflects that people should strive to be content with living simply and finding balance in work, prayer, study and leisure. All things are to be done with moderation.