Core Values

During the 2023–24 academic year, the Executive Committee and Faculty Organization Committee engaged various constituencies of the college in exercises to define Luther’s core values. The initiative aimed to clarify a shared sense of institutional identity: Who are we, and what matters most in our work?

The resulting core values provide a lens through which to pursue initiatives and make choices, a valuable tool for everyone (faculty, staff, and students) who serves in a leadership role as well as for groups engaged in project-based work tied to institutional identity. The five core values developed this past year represent a range of qualities (academic, personal, and communal) and communicate both who we are as well as who we aspire to be.

Excellence

We prioritize excellence, so we

• challenge each other to grow in our learning, creating, and competing
• accept risk and equip ourselves to serve with distinction for the common good

Inclusivity

We are committed to inclusivity, so we

• embrace the diverse identities and perspectives that enliven our campus
• strive to be a community where people of all backgrounds and identities flourish and belong

Curiosity

We cultivate curiosity, so we

• ask big questions and tackle tough problems
• take joy in learning and in a sense of wonder

Sustainability

We pursue sustainability, so we

• care for one another, for our place, and for the planet that sustains us
• prepare globally engaged leaders who understand and confront a changing society

Community

We live and learn in community, so we

• strive to be transformed by encounters with one another
• support one another and sustain lifelong relationships

President Jenifer K. Ward and provost Brad Chamberlain, in consultation with the Executive Committee, also formed a task force that will propose revisions to the Luther College mission statement in light of the newly articulated institutional core values. The task force began its work in summer 2024 and will present recommendations to the Board of Regents at their February 2025 meeting.