The University's mission

Our purpose has long been to improve the world by seeking to understand it better. The University’s motto, "Rerum Cognoscere Causas", comes from Virgil's Georgics and means 'to know the causes of things'.

We now define the University's mission in more contemporary language as 'to discover and understand'. We remain committed today to the goal of changing the world for the better through the power and application of ideas and knowledge.