MISSION

California State University San Marcos focuses on the student as an active participant in the learning process.  Students work closely with a faculty whose commitment to sustained excellence in teaching, research, and community partnership enhances student learning.  The university offers rigorous undergraduate and graduate programs distinguished by exemplary teaching, innovative curricula, and the application of new technologies. CSUSM provides a range of services that respond to the needs of a student body with diverse backgrounds, expanding student access to an excellent and affordable education.  As a public university, CSUSM grounds its mission in the public trust, alignment with regional needs, and sustained enrichment of the intellectual, civic, economic, and cultural life of our region and state.

VISION

In its second decade, California State University San Marcos will become a distinctive public university known for academic excellence, service to the community, and innovation in higher education.  In its teaching and student services, CSUSM will combine the academic strengths of a large university with the personal interaction characteristic of smaller institutions.  Students will select from a growing array of specialized programs responsive to state and regional needs.  Our curriculum will emphasize a strong foundation in the liberal arts and sciences while it provides the knowledge, skills, competencies and experiences needed in a global society experiencing accelerated technological, social, and environmental change.  A faculty of active scholars and artists will foster student learning through teaching that reflects ongoing discovery and experimentation.  CSUSM will celebrate and capitalize on its diversity to form a learning community committed to this shared vision. 

VALUES

California State University San Marcos is an academic community dedicated to the values of:

• Intellectual Engagement: learning, teaching, discovery, and application of knowledge

• Community: shared commitments to service, teamwork, and partnership

• Integrity:  respect, honesty, trust, fairness, academic freedom and responsibility

• Innovation:  creativity, openness to change, flexibility, responsiveness, and future focus

• Inclusiveness:  individual and cultural diversity, and multiple perspectives