The university’s mission statement emphasizes the following objectives, values and tasks:
Promoting Personal Liberty
We are convinced that personal liberty is the elixir of a vital, dynamic and democratic society. Though guaranteed by the constitution, it does not appear from nowhere, but has to be won and defended again and again. For that reason we value liberal-minded and independent employees and students with the courage to stand up for the preservation and defence of civic liberties and basic rights while respecting the liberty of others.
Emphasis on Self-Determination
We believe that men can only fully express their creativity, originality and personality if they are able to determine their course of life mostly by themselves. This is why in our university we promote every individual’s self-determination and development, i.e. the ability to develop an individual opinion based on facts, to come to well rounded conclusions and to advocate them firmly and politely.
Promotion of Individual Responsibility in Social Relationships
We are confident that an individual’s personal responsibility, motivation and private initiative are better suited to help him lead a self-determined, socially responsible and socially beneficial life than his trust in collective structures and solutions. Every individual has a unique personality while at the same time being a member of society. This is why we support our students and employees to think and act independently and actively, and autonomously create their own lives with confidence in their own abilities and in cooperation with others.
Tolerance and Cosmopolitanism
We welcome every member of our staff and every student, irrespective of their ethnic, religious or social background, provided that they meet our professional requirements, act with respect and tolerance towards their fellow human beings and respect the values of our mission statement. We impart intercultural competencies at our university and encourage our students to gain international experience.
Ensuring our Independence
In order to ensure a climate of intellectual independence and diversity that supports students and employees developing, defending and realizing their own ideas and opinions, we pay heed to preserve the political, religious and ideological neutrality of the SRH Universities and their independence from the interests of industries and other third parties.
Promoting Social Market Economy and Competition
Our guiding principle is the social market economy that connects individual freedom, the dynamics of the economy and social balance. We are convinced that a market economy, which is as free from government intervention as possible, supported by the elements of freedom of contract, private property and competition, is better suited than any other system for promoting individual wealth, solidarity with others and a fair society. As a consequence, we would like our university to contribute to the understanding, the preservation and the strengthening of Germany’s market economy, enabling our students to be successful in global free-market competition while being aware of their social responsibility.
Entrepreneurial University Management
We believe that our universities need to be led in an entrepreneurial way if they want to live up to the above mentioned values and meet the demands that we make on them in a more flexible, faster and better way. This requires strong entrepreneurial personalities who are willing to accept responsibility for the well being of the entrusted company, seek for their individual path to success and endeavour upon it even if this entails difficulties and resistance to be overcome.
