The International Center for Academic Integrity defines academic integrity as the following: "a commitment, even in the face of adversity, to six fundamental values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage. From these values flow principles of behavior that enable academic communities to translate ideals to action" The International Center for Academic Integrity, Fundamental Values Project.

As members of the VSU community, we are committed to cultivating an environment of mutual respect, honesty, fairness, and responsibility, because we know those values and actions cause others to respect us and the work we do. The value of the degrees VSU confers is raised because of our academic integrity.

VSU community members understand that academic integrity comes from honesty in learning and research. Genuine and sometimes hard-won knowledge and respect comes from presenting one’s own work and acknowledging the work of others.

Personal and academic honesty fosters trust. Mutual trust among all members of the VSU community is essential for a positive learning environment. Through mutual trust, we can conduct research and learn with confidence.

All members of the VSU community must be treated with fairness. This means that all policies and practices must apply equally to all members.

By respecting our academic environment and peers, we learn to thrive in VSU’s diversity. We recognize the participatory nature of the learning process and therefore the requirement for mutual respect in academic relationships, including respect and tolerance for a wide range of opinions and ideas.