Objective of a higher educational institution is obvious – teaching, research and service to the community. Mission statements reflect the collective purpose of an institution. In this paper, it is attempted to review mission statements and analyze the content of such statements for engineering colleges and universities imparting technical education in India and abroad. Inductive and deductive approaches are used for the substantive content themes, and rhetoric style has been analyzed through three dimensions: future orientation, voice (active voice or passive) and person (first person or third). It has also been attempted to identify limitations of mission statements that need be addressed. The paper highlights the need for change in mission statements with change in job market dynamics and societal demands.
Teaching, research, community service, vision, mission
