From its inception in 1993 till 2007, Kozminski University was guided by the same mission statement. The former mission corresponded with a diffi cult but very fruitful period in Poland when KU supported the development process of the Polish economy after transition and assisted and lead local business pioneers in their journey to success. By the time of our 15th anniversary, we had fulfi lled the aims and values of our this mission, so we decided to rethink our identity and to re-address the issues of who we are and what we stand for. In other words, political and economic changes, as well as KU’s maturing and stabilization of its role as quality leader in the region, called for a re-formulation of the School’s mission and strategy.

The new mission of the University was developed in 2006/2007 in a collaborative process involving all stakeholders. The process of formulating a new mission statement included consulting sessions with representatives of all major stakeholder groups (e.g.: senior faculty, young faculty, staff, students and corporate world). Eventually, a new mission was accepted by the Academic Senate.

Our mission is to teach business, management and business law…
KU is an institution that, above all, offers modern, state-of-the-art interdisciplinary education. We offer academic and professional education that addresses the needs of contemporary successful business people: management (in Polish and English), fi nance (in Polish and English), business law, administration, European studies, and sociology. This enhances our cross-fertilization approach to business education, with a somewhat broader defi nition of business than that practiced in the U.S. and Western Europe. The interrelated subjects constitute the pillars of our academic profile - management, fi nance, and business law - with a theme of excellence in management as a primary and ever-recurring formula that holds our values together and is the ultimate goal for our research and teaching efforts. This business-like model allows a more interdisciplinary and humanistic profile which makes us more market-driven and flexible.

…in an environment that combines world-class research, business and academia…
We never forget that our roots are in the world of academia. We strongly believe that high-quality education and teaching efforts cannot be successful if they are not accompanied by world-class research. Therefore, we put great emphasis on the development of research that translates into publications and participation in international conferences (see also chapter 5, Research and Development). We encourage our faculty members to take scholarships and short-term appointments at the best universities in the world and establish frameworks for international cooperation with our faculty members and with foreign scholars (for details see chapter 4, Faculty, chapter 5, Research and Development and chapter 9, Internationalization) Another important element of KU’s profi le is our dedication to maintaining strong ties with the business world. We were pioneers in introducing professional education and the fi rst MBA programmes in Poland after 1989, and our executive education program is an internationally renowned centre of excellence in professional training and education on the executive level. We maintain close contacts with the world of business through a number of initiatives, among which we especially note ate the ICAB, the Career Centre “Forge”, and the Alumni Association (see chapter 7, Contribution to Community and chapter 10, Corporate Connections).

…in the heart of Europe.
Lastly, our location in the heart of Europe is an important aspect of our mission. We are a full-fl edged international school, but we are also a committed member of the Polish, European and world communities. This is the identity we preserve, foster and convey to our stakeholders and partners abroad. We believe we can make a contribution to the international academic community and promote the successes of Polish transformation. The term “the heart of Europe” suggests the human face of management development and management education in many areas of the world. This includes a strong “North American touch,” as a large number of our professors have experience in US academic institutions.