Throughout Yale’s history, members of the Yale community—alumni, faculty, students, and staff—have made contributions in all areas of society. As Yale looks toward the future, our aspirations require that we continue to build on the accomplishments of recent years as we strengthen and broaden Yale’s capacity to contribute not only to the nation but also to the world.
Yale Tomorrow, a five-year, $3.5 billion campaign to build the future of our University, will provide the financial resources to meet new challenges and support innovations in the curriculum and in research. It is a comprehensive campaign seeking resources for all of the University’s schools and programs, with special emphasis on the sciences, the arts, internationalization, and Yale College.
In Preparing for Yale’s Fourth Century, I suggested that Yale is one of the very few universities in the world with the tangible assets, human resources, and internal culture to make possible simultaneous dedication to the preservation, transmission, and advancement of knowledge. In this essay, I identified the commitment to undergraduate education and the emphasis on the education of leaders as two shared values that distinguish Yale from other great research universities. This is not to overlook the important tasks that we undertake in common with all leading research universities.
Not only should Yale strive for excellence in teaching and research, but Yale should also be an environment in which our staff are able to thrive and to make their best contribution to the University’s mission. Our Statement of Values reflects our aspirations in this arena, and efforts to improve best practices and worklife support these values.
To maintain our preeminence in the 21st century, we must complete the transition from a local to regional to national to international university. In the 18th century, three-quarters of Yale students came from Connecticut. In the 19th century, three-quarters came from New England, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. In the 20th century, we became a truly national university. The emerging framework for this work is described in The Internationalization of Yale.
We are, as a community, committed to strengthening Yale as a great place to study, teach, research, and work. I invite you to explore these pages and join this endeavor.
Richard C. Levin, President
