Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Horticulture at The University of Arkansas is to conduct applied and basic research to support and enhance the Arkansas horticulture industries and to conduct high quality teaching and student research programs leading to B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees.

Our mission as a department of the Land Grant University of the State of Arkansas is to first serve the people of Arkansas, but we are also obligated to assist the nation and the world through education, research, and service. Through dedicated teaching, research, and interaction with society, we seek to improve our contributions to the general welfare. The Department of Horticulture has, as perhaps no other department, a missionary concern for the quality of life for all citizens--economic, aesthetic, and social well-being. How we accomplish our mission is equally important.

The following values are fundamental to our success:

People: Our people--students, faculty, staff, and alumni--are our strength. They are the source of our creativity, they determine our reputation, and they provide our vitality.

Respect: All our people are important contributors. Respect, humanity, and integrity are required in our treatment of each other.

Openness: In the classrooms, laboratories, studios, and field stations, our efforts are open to challenge and debate.

Precepts that guide our Department:

  • Students are our most important clients. The quality and completeness of their education is our top priority.
  • We have a responsibility to society to contribute to its social, aesthetic, and economic well-being.
  • Flexibility, change, and constant improvement are essential to our continued success.
  • In instruction, research, and service activities, we honor and impart principles of academic honesty, freedom, and integrity.
  • Diversity is a key to our success. The University of Arkansas and the Department of Horticulture are committed to the policy of providing educational opportunities to all qualified students regardless of their economic or social status, and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, creed, sexual orientation, disability, veteran's status, age, marital or parental status, or national origin.

(Revised: January 2002)