Office of Mission Engagement

Guided by our Catholic Dominican identity and Adrian Dominican foundation, we aspire to strengthen our institutional commitment to Learn, Reflect, and Serve. All members of the Barry community are invited to participate in annual mission centered traditions which include Founders’ Week, Peace Week, Earth Week and Leading the Legacy programs.

Barry University’s collegiate traditions promote campus spirit, highlight our history and build community through social and academic mission-centered programs across the university. Join us for these signature events that promote pride in our institution and are beloved by students, faculty and staff.

Barry has put in place "layers of protection" to guard against the spread of COVID-19 within our university community. Our institutional traditions, highlighted below, will incorporate physical distancing and remote participation in order to ensure a robust student life experience, both in-person and virtually.

Barry University seeks to create campus leaders that can articulate the institution’s distinctive Catholic Dominican identity and mission while assuming increasing responsibility for its Adrian Dominican legacy. In recognizing the importance of educating faculty and staff about the University’s Mission and Core Commitments, Barry seeks to ensure the future viability of our rich heritage for future generations.

Leading the Legacy is an initiative to invite members of the Barry community to engage in reflection, dialogue, and action around topics and themes that are most important to the University’s future. The lectures, conferences, committee projects, and new initiatives launched each year are intentionally designed in response to the growing need to develop Legacy Leaders at Barry. Contemporary social justice issues and communal stances taken by the Adrian Dominican Sisters are highlighted during various programs.

Barry University is committed to developing leaders who are prepared to uphold the vision and legacy of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, our religious sponsors. Hosting the Adrian Dominican Associate Life formation sessions at Barry is an important step in helping us achieve the goal to deepen our understanding of the institution’s Dominican heritage and Adrian Dominican foundation.

Review resources from previous years Associate Life Sessions through resources. You can also learn more by visiting the Adrian Dominican Associates website. If you have any questions or would like to more information, please contact the Office of Mission Engagement at ME@barry.edu or 305-899-3599.

Barry’s Mission and Core Commitments call us to recognize the sacredness of Earth and engage in meaningful efforts toward social change. The Adrian Dominican Sisters’ 2016 General Chapter Enactment on climate change says:

Recognizing the violence against Earth community that places our common home in dire jeopardy and intensifies the suffering of people on the margins, future generations and all creation, we will sacrifice to mitigate significantly our impact on climate change and ecological degradation.

In addition, the Encyclical Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home, is Pope Francis’ urgent appeal to the entire world to acknowledge the environmental crisis, to take a hard look at our culture of consumerism and to work together to find and implement viable solutions for the common good. Increasing environmental stresses call each of us and our University to create responses that will support ecological sustainability for future generations.

Barry's Ecological Sustainability Team (BEST) addresses environmental issues and increases sustainability throughout all of the Barry University campuses and facilities. All faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend one of the committee’s monthly meetings. One critical aspect of Barry's Core Commitments is an expectation that all members of the Barry community "recognize the sacredness of Earth." This commitment invigorates a spirit of respect for nature and a desire to reduce human consequences to nature. It has also sparked a series of ecological sustainability efforts throughout the University.

BEST members include students, faculty, and staff from across the university, including Academic Affairs, Facilities Management, Center for Community Service Initiatives, Housing and Residence Life, Library, Dining Services, Marketing, and Mission Engagement among others.

For more information or to join BEST, please contact the Office of Mission Engagement at 305-899-3599 or ME@barry.edu.

Barry University is committed to recycling. Empowered by our University Mission and Core Commitment to recognize the sacredness of Earth, and to engage in meaningful efforts toward social change, Barry's Ecological Sustainability Team (BEST) and Recycling Committee partner with Barry's Facilities Management to coordinate and foster recycling practices, education, and events.

Cooperation and support from all members of the campus community is necessary for the success of any recycling program. Through our partnership with Waste Management Services, the university offers single-stream recycling. This means that all recyclable materials go into the same bin, including the following: (only) plastic bottles, aluminum, steel, tin, paper and cardboard.

There is hardly any aspect of modern life that isn’t affected by the current challenges facing the environment. Barry’s Mission and Core Commitments call us to recognize the sacredness of Earth and engage in meaningful efforts toward social change. 

As we learn more about how human behavior is harming the planet, we’re creating new ways to educate, reflect, and innovate within our campus community. This page provides a curated list of resources, local shops, and organizations in South Florida where students, faculty, and staff can explore and practice an eco-friendly lifestyle.

Barry University prepares graduates to become 21st century leaders, advocates for social change, and active citizens in their communities. The De Porres Center for Ethical Leadership (DCEL) empowers students to lead through a social justice lens that is grounded in Barry University's Mission and Core Commitments.

Opportunities in leadership education, mentoring, conferences, speakers, and retreats are offered each semester to build professional skills, foster ethical decision-making, and inspire students to get involved in organizations and causes they are passionate about. 

All students are invited to discover their passion and leadership potential through programs such as the Emerging Leaders Program, Ethical Leadership Conferences, and Leadership Adventure.

Theories on leadership and ethics focus on two main things: actions of leaders and their character. Using the traits listed above, our leadership programming focuses on exciting opportunities to develop ethical leaders that have the ability to impact the Barry University community and beyond.

For upcoming programs, follow us on Instagram @barryumission or contact us at leadership@barry.edu.

Undergraduate students are invited to participate in a leadership certificate program during the fall semester, which includes self-discovery, team building, and reflection. This cohort program introduces students to the Social Change Model of Leadership Development through fun, hands-on sessions featuring guest speakers and Peer Mentors.

Once participants complete the ELP certificate, students are encouraged to apply for campus leadership positions such as Student Government, Resident Assistant, Service Fellows, Ambassadors, O-Team, and others as well as develop on-going mentoring relationships with upperclassmen, university staff, and faculty.

In an effort to honor our many student leaders, recognize their contributions, and highlight the impact of their leadership at the university, all faculty and staff are invited to nominate a student for the new Student Leader of the Month award!

We prefer that the nominated students hold a 3.0 GPA or above. Please submit a nomination below for an undergraduate or graduate student who exemplifies ethical and inclusive leadership through one or more of the Barry University Characteristics outlined below. 

Barry University prepares graduates to become 21st century leaders, advocates for social change, and active citizens in their communities.

Students who get involved in the various programs and positions below practice leadership skills, create professional networks, build their resumes, and have fun with friends. We encourage you to browse the options and reach out to us if you have any questions.

The NSLS is the largest leadership honor society in the United States. Our NSLS chapter at Barry University was started in 2009. Our local chapter is part of the national organization with 700+ chapters and over 1.4 million members. Students are selected based on exemplary academic achievement. 

The NSLS leadership program teaches the interpersonal skills that employers seek to give you an edge in the job market. Hear directly from current members as they share how their experience has changed their life.

If you become a member, some of the other benefits are:

• Learn from exceptional leaders like former President Barack Obama during exclusive Speaker Broadcasts.
• Meet new friends and make lifelong connections (on-campus and virtually).
• Overcome challenges with success coaches shortcutting your way to success.
• Access to private networking events.

Visit the NSLS website to learn more about and accept your nomination.