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Strategic Priorities

  • Objective 1.1: Develop a long-term enrollment management plan that includes a focus on selecting underrepresented student types (transfer, adult, online, military affiliated and those from underserved counties within North Carolina).  
  • Objective 1.2: Invest in and strategically deploy financial aid to diversify our student body and increase the ability for students to graduate from UNCW with as little debt as possible.  
  • Objective 1.3: Increase graduate student enrollment and success.  
  • Objective 2.1: Develop an advising model for campus that ensures all students receive high-quality, comprehensive academic advising from initial enrollment through graduation.  
  • Objective 2.2: Create an intentional “one-stop shop” for student success and engagement deployed with knowledgeable and well-trained staff prepared to deliver this service.  
  • Objective 2.3: Foster the development of campus affinity that engages students beyond their time at UNCW.  
  • Objective 2.4: Expand recreational and health-related student programming to support health, well-being and belonging.  
  • Objective 2.5: Increase capacity of mental- and health-related services on campus.
  • Objective 3.1: Develop initiatives that ensure that all students will have participated in at least three “high-impact practices” before graduation.  
  • Objective 3.2: Enhance career-readiness activities through robust career services offerings.
  • Objective 3.3: Assess and revise, as needed, the University Studies curriculum to ensure students gain intercultural competency and skills needed to improve society.
  • Objective 4.1: Increase salary pools for faculty and staff as much as practicable and consistent with market trends.  
  • Objective 4.2: Enhance benefits offered through local partnerships.  
  • Objective 4.3: Develop programs that address faculty and staff wellness.  
  • Objective 4.4: Become a “best place to work” as identified in national publications.
  • Objective 5.1: Ensure students from diverse and underrepresented populations attain student success objectives at levels consistent with the student body as a whole.  
  • Objective 5.2: Hire faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds and perspectives to ensure we support our mission and our values.  
  • Objective 5.3: We will assess policies and practices across our institution to ensure they address issues that disproportionately burden or create disparities for individuals.  
  • Objective 5.4: We will strengthen/enhance/ensure policies and practices that foster civil and respectful discourse and debate while protecting free expression and academic freedom.
  • Objective 6.1: Implement QEP to become the national leader in interdisciplinary pedagogy. 
  • Objective 6.2: Develop interdisciplinary academic and co-curricular programs. 
  • Objective 6.3: Re-imagine campus facilities to foster interdisciplinary collaboration.
  • Objective 7.1: Develop new academic programs in emerging disciplines that serve regional and state needs.  
  • Objective 7.2: Develop curricular pathways and knowledge certification that enhance student mobility and skill building (badges, micro-credentials, etc.).  
  • Objective 8.1: Develop research capacity of faculty around interdisciplinary topics that address the world's biggest problems.  
  • Objective 8.2: Develop coastal resiliency and sustainability initiatives.  
  • Objective 8.3: Expand programming in health equity and outcomes activities.
  • Objective 9.1: Partner with local health community to expand health sciences areas. 
  • Objective 9.2: Expand and incentivize research capacity of faculty around health sciences
  • Objective 10.1: Invest in technologies and research programs that expand academic programming related to coastal living.  
  • Objective 10.2: Develop branding campaign that highlights coastal location. 
  • Objective 11.1: Partner with local community to expand the UNCW involvement in downtown Wilmington and the Southeast region of North Carolina.  
  • Objective 11.2: Develop a new Welcome Center.  
  • Objective 11.3: Increase activities for hosting on-campus conferences and events from external groups.  
  • Objective 11.4: Improve campus wayfinding, parking and access points.  
  • Objective 12.1: Incentivize, support, recognize and reward community engagement of UNCW faculty, staff and students.  
  • Objective 12.2: Increase service-learning and volunteerism opportunities for students.  
  • Objective 12.3: Develop mentoring programs that connect students with partners in the local region.  
  • Objective 13.1: Develop and implement a “global partner roadmap” that expands and enhances outbound offerings for faculty and students.  
  • Objective 13.2: Increase inbound international faculty, staff and students that strategically grow academic programs with regional needs.
  • Objective 13.3: Build a strategic international enrollment plan for degree-seeking and visiting international students, particularly in technology-based, face-to-face programs, that includes goals, resources and approaches to growth. 
  • Objective 14.1: Develop strategic and master plan for UNCW athletic facilities and athletes.  
  • Objective 14.2: Expand cultural arts offerings through a renovated and modernized Kenan Auditorium as well as coordinated offerings across campus.  
  • Objective 15.1: Develop sustainability practices and activities, including facility upgrades and renovations.  
  • Objective 15.2: Develop practices that focus on the implementation, tracking and monitoring of continuous improvement with a focus on customer service.  
  • Objective 15.3: Develop a university-wide culture of transparency and accountability to ensure that faculty, staff and administrators are positioned to be active contributors toward university success.  
  • Objective 15.4: Identify critical operational areas of campus for process improvement, including the potential development of a Project Management Office.  
  • Objective 16.1: Implement a data modernization initiative to establish a robust enterprise data warehouse that reduces data silos and focuses on customer service. 
  • Objective 16.2: Improve practices related to technology upgrades that result in safe and secure technology environments (Data and Information Technology governance) while also reducing duplication and redundancy.
  • Objective 16.3: Improve data integrity through automation and the establishment of transparent data definitions.  
  • Objective 16.4: Implement a data analytics initiative that results in a more user-friendly and at-a-glance dashboard for campus leadership, faculty and staff.  
  • Objective 16.5: Develop critical data tracking mechanisms that address existing gaps in our data environment to better capture and report strategic activities (e.g., tracking of high impact practices; community partnerships, productivity, sustainability, etc.)
  • Objective 17.1: Identify from strategic plan critical facility upgrades and/or additions which will advance the institution.  
  • Objective 17.2: Develop cross-divisional functional teams that focus on improved facility and space planning with short, intermediate or long-term plans.
  • Objective 18.1: Increase philanthropic giving from individuals, corporations and foundations 
  • Objective 18.2: Increase alumni giving and engagement  
  • Objective 18.3: Increase externally funded research  
  • Objective 18.4: Creatively manage enrollment, tuition fees to maintain affordability while increasing revenues
  • Objective 18.5: Enhance advocacy for federal, state and local funding  
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