Core Values

Washington State University is guided by a commitment to excellence embodied in a set of core values.

Inquiry and Knowledge
Intellectual growth is at the heart of Washington State University's mission. We are committed to developing an informed citizenry, to fostering a love of learning and intellectual inquiry in all its forms — empirical, theoretical, and aesthetic — and to developing the capacity for thoughtful reasoning.

Engagement and Application
We are committed to partnerships focused on applying knowledge and expertise to address complex issues, especially, but not only, as that application enhances the partners' knowledge and understanding.

Leadership
We are guided by an ethic of leadership and service that recognizes the importance of identifying, articulating, and responding to the interests and needs of Washington State University's diverse constituencies.

Diversity
We are committed to a culture of learning that challenges, inspires, liberates, and ultimately transforms the hearts, minds, and actions of individuals, eliminating prejudice. Our differences are expressed in many ways, including race, sex, age, physical and mental ability, sexual orientation, religion, class, philosophy, and culture. Respect for all persons and their contributions is essential to achieving our mission.

Character
Washington State University aims to create, through our work and our relationships, an environment that cultivates individual virtues and institutional integrity. To serve our diverse communities, we must first be a community that extends mutual respect and regard for all individuals and protects their right to free expression.

Stewardship
Careful shepherding of our financial, human, capital, and intellectual resources is necessary for us to realize our values. In addition, the mission of the institution is most likely to be achieved when faculty, staff, and students at Washington State University take responsibility for upholding the full scope of these values.

Teamwork
A great strength of a university of distinction is the initiative and individual creativity of its members. But we also value a common commitment to achieving the institution's goals, a collective spirit, a dedication to teamwork, that transcends private concerns.