NLU Service Values and Best Practices are the foundation of NLU’s culture of service excellence and reflect our deep commitment to caring for our students, colleagues and the community in our daily interactions.  These Service Values and Best Practices were developed through a rigorous process involving students, faculty, staff and administration from across the university.  Questions or comments to service@nl.edu. 

NLU Service Values 

Collaborative:  We coordinate efforts across disciplines and departments, leveraging diverse perspectives and expertise, to form effective partnerships that promote the free flow of information to foster trust and unity and to achieve shared goals.

Accountable: We proactively take responsibility for delivering a satisfying service experience and can be trusted to reliably follow-through on commitments with attention to detail, integrity and transparency.

Responsive: We respond in a timely and caring manner, with a sense of urgency and adaptability, to meet the evolving service needs of our community.

Empathetic: We strive to understand the needs and feelings of others by fostering a genuine connection, providing support, and showing compassion in our service interactions.

Solution-Oriented: We work to find pragmatic solutions to service challenges by sharing knowledge and thinking outside the box, while being forward-thinking to prevent future issues. 

15 Best Practices for Service Excellence

We live out our service values by striving to follow these best practices in our daily interactions with students, colleagues and the community.   

1. Communicate openly, clearly and proactively
2. Actively listen to others’ perspectives
3. Give others our full attention
4. Strive to value, hear and include everyone
5. Be present, kind and respectful 
6. Promote teamwork within and between functions  
7. Respond to requests in a timely manner
8. Take ownership of problems to solution
9. Welcome and act upon questions, suggestions, and concerns 
10. De-escalate conflict to find equitable resolution
11. Communicate that issues are actively being addressed
12. Empower others to find and act on creative solutions
13. Provide problem-solving resources and tools
14. Take responsibility for optimal functioning of facilities and systems
15. Reflect on our actions to learn and grow