The fundamental work of Strixhaven University is the application of magic to academic study. Students and faculty aren’t limited to magical topics alone; they pursue studies in every facet of existence—magical or otherwise—applying magic to whatever they study. At Strixhaven, historians call the spirits of the dead to aid their lessons about the past, and arcano-biologists use necromancy to pull at life and coax out death when teaching about the natural world. Simultaneously, mage-artists sculpt elemental energy to create animate art, and arcane symbologists teach students how to recognize and understand the magical glyphs they encounter.
The colleges and curriculum at Strixhaven are organized around the idea of philosophical principles joined in concordant opposition. Each school embraces the paradoxical unity of two polar principles: life and death, order and chaos, reason and emotion, and so on. The five Founder Dragons are thought to embody the coexistence of these principles, while the ten deans of the colleges stand for the individual principles distinguished from their opposites.
A student’s course of learning at Strixhaven involves exploring the tension between these opposing principles, which typically involves late-night arguments in residence halls and study rooms. The university’s teaching philosophy is built on the idea that exploring opposites leads to an understanding of a greater whole. Most people believe that only a being with the wisdom (and long life) of the Founder Dragons or the archaics can truly master both halves of a school’s dichotomy, but a mage must learn at least the rudiments of those halves. A Strixhaven graduate is expected to leave the university prepared to argue the fundamental issues of their school’s philosophies.
The faculty members of Strixhaven are mages and scholars—experts in their various fields and in the use of magic to enhance their studies. They are dedicated to their research and to educating generations of mage-students who follow in their footsteps. Some faculty members value research more than teaching, while others make education their highest priority. But all find some balance between the two.
Strixhaven’s faculty begin their careers as instructors, focusing primarily on teaching classes and crafting curriculum, while the school administration evaluates their performance. At the end of a provisional period, which can last from one to several years, an instructor is elevated to the rank of professor or let go.
Professors who have distinguished themselves over the course of a long career—typically at least twenty years—hope to be recognized with the title of esteemed professor. This honor is bestowed in recognition of groundbreaking research as well as exceptional teaching.
Upon retiring, a professor receives the title of mage emeritus. Mages emeriti are held in high esteem and welcomed to campus as guest lecturers.
Students at Strixhaven spend their first year in a course of general studies, which lays the foundation for the more specialized work to follow. During this year, they wear a uniform of black, white, and gray. They’re encouraged to study broadly so that they become acquainted with a wide range of disciplines.
First-year students live in dormitories located on the central campus and often form close friendships there that last throughout their educational careers, even when members of tight-knit groups of friends join different colleges in their second year. A few students continue to live on central campus after choosing a college, particularly if they pursue extensive studies in multiple colleges or work as resident advisers to first-year students. But most students move to dormitories located on their chosen college’s campus in their second year.
The day-to-day functioning of Strixhaven relies on hundreds of laborers, clerks, coaches, administrators, and others. These personnel include folk like Mavinda Sharpbeak, the kindly owlin guidance counselor who takes first-year students under her wing, and Gyome, the troll chef of Witherbloom College. In addition to legions of people who devote their lives to the university’s operations, numerous automatons and artificial life-forms—various kinds of Constructs—serve in various roles, including campus guides and library assistants.
All these operations are managed by an administration overseen by the ten deans, two in each college. Each dean is an esteemed professor who embraces one side of their school’s philosophical dichotomy. The deans, like the professors who serve as counselors to students, view it as their role to disagree with each other and guide the college by way of their arguments. Furthermore, rivalries among the deans only exacerbate this combative attitude.
When the argumentative deans fail to chart a coherent course for Strixhaven, the Founder Dragons are occasionally forced to intervene. They don’t step in directly, but a director known as the Voice of the Founders—currently an imposing man named Taiva—speaks on the dragons’ behalf.
Each of Strixhaven’s five colleges has a mascot—a small creature associated with the magic of the school and often found wandering their respective campuses. Witherbloom’s mascots, pests, are naturally found in the world around the campus. The other colleges’ mascots are brought into being through magic. The Strixhaven Mascots table lists the mascots by college.
The five kinds of mascots act as companions for students and faculty, sometimes serving as willing subjects for experiments or demonstrations, and occasionally even helping out in a duel or a more serious combat situation.