It was Sept. 22, 1852, when Northwestern’s Board of Trustees called for a university of “the highest order of excellence” in a resolution outlining their goals for the institution.

More than 150 years later, administrators have not forgotten their founders’ credo.

To gain input on what direction to take NU, administrators reinstated in November a committee known as the Highest Order of Excellence.

Made up of administrators, faculty and staff, the committee will spend the next five years examining programs and services, brainstorming improvements and implementing new programs to improve the quality of life and revamp NU’s image.

“It’s updating across the university as a whole,” said Marilyn McCoy, vice president for administration and planning and one of the committee’s organizers. “Northwestern is a very self-conscious institution. We’re always trying to do things better.”

University President Henry Bienen initiated the first Highest Order of Excellence in 1998. From those discussions came Campaign Northwestern, a fund-raising project that earned more than $1.5 billion for the university.

This time administrators said they will involve students in the process. Already, an online survey was sent to students to gauge how well the university communicates with its students.

Responses to those questions will be used when administrators meet at their retreat in April and discuss the committee’s goals.

This “broadly participative” approach will involve more committees this time around as well, McCoy said.

One element McCoy said she hopes to enhance through the committee is the interconnectedness of programming. NU is unique because it allots funds to several departments at once to encourage joint programming, she said.

The committee will seek to create innovative new academic departments as well, McCoy said, emphasizing the importance of maintaining and expanding NU’s uniqueness.

“We don’t want to be the Harvard of the Midwest,” she said. “We want to be Northwestern.”

Bill Rowe, a residence hall coordinator for Elder Hall, participated in a forum with administrators and about five other students Feb. 11 to discuss what students like about their university.

Rowe, a Weinberg senior, said much of the discussion centered around the need to improve community on campus and to continue to provide exceptional academic programming.

The purpose for the committee’s creation is worthy, Rowe said, and the fact that students will be included this time is special to NU.

“On some level setting a goal for the university is a really good thing,” he said. “And the fact that they bothered to ask students about the top university goals has made me ecstatic.”