Our Mission
Walden University provides a diverse community of career professionals with the opportunity to transform themselves as scholar-practitioners so that they can effect positive social change.
Our Vision
Walden University envisions a distinctively different 21st-century learning community where knowledge is judged worthy to the degree that it can be applied by its graduates to the immediate solutions of critical societal challenges, thereby advancing the greater global good.
The Passion That Drives Us
In 1970, Bernie and Rita Turner sought to build a learning community where knowledge could be applied to solve key societal challenges. Their vision: to empower students to make a difference by confronting those challenges where they live, in their professions, and on a global scale. Today, Walden is still rooted in a commitment to positive social change. It’s not just something we talk about—it’s who we are. We’ve evolved online learning to help passionate people transform their own life and the lives of others. Our students, alumni, faculty, and staff are putting our mission into action every day, creating real examples of social change in their communities and beyond.
Center for Social Change
Walden’s Center for Social Change is a networking hub with three major commitments: empowering change-makers, building community, and elevating social change outcomes. The center partners with stakeholders across the university and in the community to support and create many social change initiatives, including Global Days of Service.
Advancing the Greater Good
Teaching Nurses Self-Care
As an oncology and hospice nurse, Caroline Cárdenas (MSN, ’14) knows firsthand the mental exhaustion caregivers face. She’s now using her Walden degree to help others overcome compassion fatigue and prevent burnout through movement, play, and intentional reflection.
Caring for a New Community
After Dr. Alvin Cantero (DNP ’17 and MSN ’15) relocated to America, he needed a degree from a U.S.-based institution to continue his mission of care. Today, he’s using his Walden MSN and DNP degrees to treat underserved communities in Houston.
Improving Girls' Health
While many people may not be familiar with period poverty, it’s a reality for 20% of teenagers in the United States. Not having access to period supplies can make it difficult for girls to focus in class or even attend school sometimes. For Dr. Elesia Glover (PhD in Public Policy and Administration, '18), this issue led her to found Posh Pack, an organization that makes these basic essentials available to students in Georgia and beyond.
Community Libraries
Walden Community Libraries promote literacy and educational access by offering a free book exchange to communities in need. Each library includes a range of books, with a particular focus on selections that emphasize equity, inclusion, and social justice.
Faces of Walden
What is social impact? We’re proud to share stories of alumni who are actively bringing Walden’s social change mission to life. Find out how they’re using their education to make a real, sustainable difference in their organizations, fields, and communities.
Walden Global Days of Service
The Walden community takes on service projects all over the world. Faculty, staff, students, and alumni work alongside members of their communities on meaningful volunteer activities—neighbors helping neighbors.
