Why do we teach? Because we want to contribute to making the world a better place by training students to become responsible, critical and engaged academics who want to continuously develop themselves.
In the VU Educational Vision, VU Amsterdam describes the guiding principles for its education.
Through its education and research, VU Amsterdam aims to contribute to a better world. VU offers high-quality, meaningful and challenging (post-)academic education. With its education, VU contributes to the society of today and tomorrow by training students for meaningful positions in society.
VU Amsterdam has cherished its freedom and independence, freedom from state and church in teaching and research since its foundation in 1880. It encourages the free and open communication of ideas. The original Protestant-Christian identity is visible in the values the VU propagates. From the foundation, some core values have nestled themselves in VU's academic culture: personal, open and responsible. These values guide the work and actions of staff and students and are reflected in teaching and research.
VU's mission statement answers the question of why we teach: to improve the world by training students to become responsible, critical and engaged academics who want to continuously develop themselves. In its academic education, VU consciously emphasises, in addition to the practice of science itself, the social value and relevance of the questions raised in science. There is room and attention for what motivates lecturers and students and for what formative influence science has on members of the VU community. Students are encouraged to account for their own values, cultural or philosophical identity and their implicit and explicit presuppositions. This is how they learn to relate to others and to today's increasingly complex and diverse society.
Like its founders, there is still the conviction that education and scientific research are not value-free. The VU wants to be at the centre of society and make a social contribution through its activities. In addition, attention to scientific quality and conducting good academic research are important preconditions for providing good academic education.
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