Mission and History
Our Mission
At Hamline, our mission is 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.
Spirit of Hamline
Over 160 years ago, Methodist visionaries founded Minnesota’s first university on a mandate to make the world better. Their mission? Educate the state’s earliest leaders—before there was a state to lead. Out of this trailblazing spirit, Hamline University was born.
Still today, the Hamline community is driven by that same spirit, brought to life in the words of John Wesley:
"Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can."
These words unite our professors, alumni, staff, and students. And we continue to live them out and show our values in the way we:
- Deliver a relevant, rigorous liberal arts education
- Promote practical, real-world learning experiences
- Create a diverse and inclusive learning environment
- Champion justice and positive change
- Develop locally engaged, globally connected leaders
- Cultivate personal and professional growth
Today, we take the lead once more, providing a premier liberal arts education that transforms students of all backgrounds into the leaders they were born to be.
Read the full history of Hamline