OUR MISSION

The mission of the Atkinson Graduate School of Management is to identify and convey principles of management shared by successful business, government, and not-for-profit enterprises. The School’s purposes are to establish a close community; to provide diverse learning experiences to serve individual student objectives; to strengthen learning through scholarship and discovery; and to apply learning through service and leadership. Extending to management education the teaching and learning traditions of Willamette University, the School’s academic commitment is to nurture each student’s aspirations toward professional excellence. The Atkinson School aims to be the preeminent private management program in the Northwest.

Strategic Objectives

Foster an integrated view of management rather than one of specialized functions. The school’s emphasis on general management promotes synthesis as well as analysis and incorporates a global perspective.

• Ensure mastery of management fundamentals common to business, public, and not-for-profit organizations.
• Assure students who pursue careers in one function will understand decision-making in the others; that students who pursue careers in one sector will understand the others; and that students from one culture will understand others.
• Assist students with backgrounds in the liberal arts and sciences to adapt efficiently to management education.
• Implement a challenging curriculum that affords students flexibility in shaping their course of study.

Implement collaborative learning among faculty and students, valuing teaching and encouraging practical applications of knowledge. While capitalizing on the liberal arts and law strengths of the University, the Atkinson School concentrates on master’s level education that sets high expectations for faculty and student achievement.

• Recruit and retain faculty based on teaching performance.
• Encourage student to cooperate with each other and with faculty in learning and in building effective relationships.
• Support experimentation and innovation in teaching and support services.
• Pursue diversity in the community of students, faculty, and staff.
• Develop joint programs with other colleges in the university.

Contribute intellectually to understanding management and public policy. The school values generating and disseminating knowledge, especially research and publication, and invites students to collaborate.

• Recruit and retain faculty based on scholarly performance.
• Encourage scholarly interactions across the university campus and with other educational institutions in the country and abroad.
• Involve students with faculty research.
• Distribute research results to interested constituencies.

Develop mutually productive relationships with the professional community. The school tempers study and classroom learning with practical experiences that deepen managerial competency and enhance student and faculty commitment to high standards of professional behavior.

• Encourage public and private organizations to view the school as a resource.
• Engage faculty and students in serving the community.
• Support student and faculty involvement in professional organizations.
• Promote student and faculty interactions with managers both on and off campus.

Continuously improve the Atkinson program. Atkinson values, actively seeks counsel from, and includes in its decision processes students, alumni, employers, supporters, and the University at-large.

• Use regular student and peer evaluations to improve performance.
• Incorporate the interests of consumer groups into operational decisions.
• Cultivate relationships with employers.
• Solicit guidance on school policies from alumni, business and government, and other constituencies.

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