UWS Core Values Statement
Inclusiveness
We believe in the humanity and inherent value of each person.
We invite each member of our university community to engage as their entire self.
We strive for each person to feel valued and supported.
We cultivate a safe environment where all members of our community are included and empowered to collaboratively teach, learn, and work.
We recognize the strengths, weaknesses, and challenges in our history and how our history has affected individuals and communities.
We endeavor to expand access for all.
We celebrate the benefits and opportunities that resulted from listening to diverse perspectives as we prepare students and employees to thrive personally and professionally.
Student Focus
We deliver student-focused education and training experiences that emphasize understanding of those around us.
We advance enrollment opportunities for all people in our student recruitment, admissions, and retention, and employee selection and promotion.
Whole-Person Health
We embrace the multiple dimensions that each individual contributes to our community. Whole-person health includes the entire person, their lived experiences, and their ways of being.
We engage the members of our community to strengthen local and national partnerships.
We help eliminate health disparities by educating current and future health care professionals, and by providing high-quality health care.
Curiosity
We welcome change as part of the work. Curiosity drives us to explore new possibilities.
We prioritize the development and implementation of policies, practices, and procedures that speak to the entire university community.
Professionalism
We demonstrate accountability by examining and evaluating our efforts to be inclusive of all and by exercising continuous improvement practices.
We exemplify respect and professionalism in our language and practices when communicating and interacting with others.
Best Practices
We use evidence and data to inform our decision making and to continuously improve and implement best practices in teaching and learning.
UWS Land Acknowledgement
University of Western States (UWS) is located in Portland, Oregon, in Multnomah County. We respectfully acknowledge and honor the Indigenous people whose traditional and ancestral homelands we stand on, the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Tumwater, Watlala bands of the Chinook, the Tualatin Kalapuya, and many other Indigenous nations of the Columbia River.
Despite attempts of removal and erasure, Indigenous communities, groups, and individuals remain a strong and vital part of our region and many regions across and the world. We recognize that this acknowledgement is a small step in affirming the ongoing presence and contributions of Native and Indigenous communities in our region and beyond. We commit to engaging with these communities by expanding access to our university, supporting current and future students and employees, building partnerships with local tribes and Native organizations, and improving access to quality health care.