Mission

Gallaudet University, federally chartered in 1864, is a bilingual, diverse, multicultural institution of higher education that ensures the intellectual and professional advancement of deaf and hard of hearing individuals through American Sign Language and English. Gallaudet maintains a proud tradition of research and scholarly activity and prepares its graduates for career opportunities in a highly competitive, technological, and rapidly changing world.

The Vision of Gallaudet University is to:

• Provide the highest quality liberal and professional education through undergraduate and graduate programs for deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing students.
• Offer a welcoming, supportive, and accessible bilingual educational environment for teaching and learning through direct communication.
• Embrace diversity within the university community by respecting and appreciating choices of communication while guiding students through their process of linguistic and cultural self-actualization.
• Pursue excellence in research, pedagogy, scholarship, and creative activity.
• Lead the advancement of intellectual, social, linguistic and economic vitality in deaf people through educational, outreach, regional, international and leadership development programs.
• Preserve deaf history and use visual media to promote the recognition that deaf people and their signed languages are vast resources with significant contributions to the cognitive, creative and cultural dimensions of human diversity.
• Position our community to reach its full human potential and assume its role as a progressive global entity committed to civic responsibility and social justice.

Approved by the Board of Trustees November 2007