On June 15, 1995, Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan signed into law Senate Bill 340 which gave Missouri State University a statewide mission in Public Affairs. This mission defines a primary way in which a Missouri State education is different from that of other universities and one way by which we educate our students to imagine the future.

As a public, comprehensive university system with a mission in Public Affairs, Missouri State University’s purpose is to develop educated persons while achieving five goals: democratizing society, incubating new ideas, imagining Missouri’s future, making Missouri’s future, and modeling ethical and effective behavior.

The public affairs mission at Missouri State seeks to:

• Develop an increasing awareness of the public dimension of life.

• Produce a broad literacy in the primary public issues.

• Establish a campus environment where the awareness of public questions is nurtured and their discussion is encouraged.

• Create the capacity for and the interest in doing voluntary public work.

• Provide community service learning opportunities as a significant component of disciplinary instruction.