Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

Mission

The university’s mission is to produce, systematize, and socialize philosophical, scientific, artistic, and technological knowledge, broadening and deepening students’ education for the professional practice, critical thinking, and national and international solidarity with a view to building a just and democratic society and also guaranteeing quality of life.

Vision

UFSC envisions to become a university of excellence and inclusion.

Values

UFSC must continue to establish itself as a center of academic excellence at regional, national, and international levels, contributing to the development of a just and democratic society and of a greater quality of life based on the following values:

• High-quality: an institution in continuous pursuit of academic excellence in all of its areas of action, especially in teaching, research and outreach.
• Innovative and Entrepreneurial: an institution able to identify, create, implement, support and encourage innovative and entrepreneurial opportunities, initiatives, careers, actions and practices.
• Proactive: an institution able to express opinions, influence and propose solutions to major issues, such as access to knowledge and citizenship, to environmental sustainability, and to the scientific, technological, economic, human and social development.
• Inclusive: an inclusive university, capable of looking at the most diverse social groups and building an environment where interaction and respect for all diversities, nationalities, classes, ethnicities and people with disabilities prevail; an institution committed to democratizing access to public, free and quality higher education and to overcoming any inequality, prejudice, exclusion or discrimination, in order to build a society that is more just and harmonic for future generations.
• Internationalized: a reference institution in the internationalization of higher education, able to enhance partnerships and agreements with international institutions in the most diverse branches of research, teaching and outreach; an institution that is ethically committed to the national and international academic community, and that actively contributes to the development of the University, the country and other nations.
• Interdisciplinary: an institution prepared to provide mutual interaction between the most diverse areas of teaching, research and outreach, so that such dialogues reverberate in the construction of a university of ever greater excellence.
• Free and Responsible: an institution where faculty, students and staff are free and responsible to develop their beliefs and their vocations in teaching, research and outreach; a university where there is freedom and responsibility of creation and decision making in the academic, administrative, scientific spheres and in the inter-institutional relationships and partnerships, both at the national and international levels.
• Autonomous: an institution able to decide upon its own course, within its competences, with accountability and transparency.
• Plural and Democratic: an institution committed to democratizing access to public, free and quality higher education, and to ensuring the full recognition of its academic diversity, with room for ideological pluralism and, above all, respect for any personal, academic, ethnic, cultural and intercultural differences and diversity; an institution that favors total openness to dialogue and full participation, and that values the commitment and responsibility to build and implement democratic and citizen practices.
• Dialogic: an institution that aims to promote dialogue not only between its students, faculty and staff, but also between the University and society as a whole, therefore stimulating the co-production of knowledge for scientific, technological, economic, human and social development.
• Well-managed and planned: an institution that has efficient and effective management and fundraising strategies to achieve its goals, with a view to operating with the excellence that is incumbent upon it, and yet remaining unbureaucratic in structure.
• Transparent: an institution that is accountable for its decisions and actions to the community.
• Ethical: an institution guided by ethical, social and environmental responsibility.
• Healthy: an institution concerned with promoting harmonious human relations and maintaining a sustainable and healthy environment, where there is health-oriented education; a university that spreads healthy practices and integral health care, providing longevity and quality of life.
• Sustainable: an institution capable of promoting not only sustainability, but also responsible and ethical awareness of environmental issues; a university that provides concern for humanity and for coming generations, working towards a future where economic and social development is built together with environmental preservation.