Our Mission

The mission of Alfred University is to help students realize their purpose. People living a life of purpose enjoy longer and happier lives.

Alfred University promotes its mission through three core strengths:

Intersections

Nestled in the scenic Allegheny Mountains, Alfred University offers a broad array of curricular and co-curricular options from which students can build impactful educational pathways. There are also intersections with applied, experiential learning opportunities; developing power skills such as communication and leadership; and engaging with community members who bring different perspectives and backgrounds to our campus. All these instances contribute to meaningful professional outcomes.

Mentorship

We promote connections for students with each other, faculty, staff, and alumni. These connections form the basis of lifelong friendships and mentorship, which positively impact the life trajectories of our graduates. In recent years, Alfred University’s faculty and staff have been securing research grants that total over $9,000 per undergraduate student per year and are disproportionately focused on improving the experience for undergraduate students by offering them the opportunity to conduct hands-on research using state-of-the-art equipment and materials while being mentored by faculty and staff. Thanks to the success of our faculty and staff in securing significant research funding from competitive grants, our students benefit from faculty-mentored, hands-on research opportunities that investigate cutting-edge problems using state-of-the-art equipment.

Inclusivity

We are deeply committed to the self-realization and success of every student at Alfred University. We promote a sense of belonging among all members of our campus community – faculty, staff, and students – in which our ability to express ourselves thoughtfully, and to listen and learn from others, advances the capacity to thrive in the workplace and our communities. These power skills embody our values, and they are also essential to preparing all of our students for their future careers and lives. 

Alfred University prides itself on being inclusive since our founding in 1836. We were the first higher education institution in the country to be fully open to women and one of the first to admit Native American and African American students. We were the first school to have a woman give a commencement speech and the first to have an African American, Frederick Douglass, as part of graduation activities.