Mission and History

Hamline University’s mission statement, values, and vision are not something that exist in words alone.

You can find them in the values that guide our education, in the way our community comes together, and in our professors, leaders, staff, alumni, and students’ hearts.

They are not static. Rather, they are continually active, guiding us in what we do, whether it is creating new programs, erecting new buildings, or charting a course into our next 150 years.

Mission

To create a diverse and collaborative community of learners dedicated to the development of students' knowledge, values and skills for successful lives of leadership, scholarship, and service.

Values

Hamline University recognizes its roots in the traditions and values of the United Methodist Church. Through our personal and collective effort, we will make a lasting difference in the world as we aspire to the highest standards for:

• Creation, dissemination, and practical application of knowledge
• Rigor, creativity, and innovation in teaching, learning, and research
• Multicultural competencies in local and global contexts
• The development and education of the whole person
• An individual and community ethic of social justice, civic responsibility, and inclusive leadership and service

Vision

Hamline University will be recognized as a diverse, learning-centered university that is:

• Rooted in a tradition of liberal education
• Dynamic and actively inclusive
• Locally engaged and globally connected
• Invested in the personal and professional growth of persons 

History

Hamline University is Minnesota’s oldest university. Named in honor of Leonidas Lent Hamline, a Methodist bishop who donated the funds, Hamline's first home was in the town of Red Wing in what was then the Territory of Minnesota. The first classes were held on the second floor of the village general store. Hamline graduated its first class in 1859: two sisters, Elizabeth A. Sorin and Emily R. Sorin, who were not only Hamline’s first graduates, but also the first graduates of any college or university in Minnesota.

Read the full history of Hamline University >

Historic Photos