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Strategic Plan

The CMS Strategic Plan is a 5-year plan that will be implemented and assessed annually. These assessments should be cognizant of changes in the landscape of opportunities in which CMS resides.

Mission

The Center for Marine Science at UNCW, North Carolina's Coastal University, is dedicated to discovering and promoting the importance of coastal and marine environments to society. Employing an innovative mindset, we provide research, education, service and outreach to promote understanding, stewardship, and sustainability of coastal and marine habitats. 

Vision

Pioneering knowledge and solutions in coastal and marine science. 

Ethos

As part of UNCW, the Seahawk Respect Compact is central to values and respect at CMS. Novel and efficient collaboration in teaching, research, and service across diverse disciplines is encouraged. Additionally, the strategic plan acknowledges the desire of CMS personnel to elevate our profile as the state’s preeminent coastal university and an international leader in coastal and marine sciences. The Center recognizes the value of both basic and applied research in driving the impact on local, national, and global scales.  

PILLAR I

Expand regionally relevant and globally important research by pioneering knowledge and solutions in the following key areas:

This area addresses safety and stability in the environment and includes topics such as flooding, community resilience after storms, coastal ecosystem resilience, risks from toxins, sustainable fisheries, and environmental hazards.

  • Objective 1.1: Develop an initiative to understand coastal flooding risks and promote effective response.
  • Objective 1.2: Map local coastal environments to provide baseline information that helps safeguard our coasts from physical, chemical, geological, and biological threats.

Generate useful, sustainable technologies and products that are essential for the future success of human society’s interaction with, and stewardship of, marine systems. Technological advances will promote, for example, food security & resource availability, allowing communities to live more harmoniously in coastal environments. Innovation efforts include topics such as aquaculture, pharmaceutical resources, sensor development, AI-enabled tech, and health-related products.

  • Objective 2.1: Leverage use of aquaculture facilities by engaging a broad range of users and promote use-inspired research.
  • Objective 2.2: Promote development of genome-enabled sciences and computational resources (including AI and informatics) to enable “smart” innovation.

This area focuses on fundamental requirements to sustain life. Examples in this topic include organismal response to a changing world, biochemistry of marine systems, biodiversity, physical attributes that allow life, and assessment of interconnected systems throughout the world’s ocean.

  • Objective 3.1: Improve our capabilities to study marine life at the molecular and cellular levels.
  • Objective 3.2: Augment facilities to hold and study marine organisms in a controlled environment.

Understanding and predicting environmental variability is necessary to allow individuals and communities to thrive. Example topics critical to this area include coastal ocean modeling, changes in geomorphology, microbial nutrient cycling, and physical oceanographic forcing.

  • Objective 4.1: Improve predictive models for key ecosystems in the region.
  • Objective 4.2: Augment CMS’s observing capabilities across data types.

PILLAR II

Build nationally prominent programs that cultivate opportunities for CMS researchers:

  • Objective 5.1: Promote research collider activities to strengthen interdisciplinary interactions that increase grantsmanship and research products.
  • Objective 5.2: Support travel opportunities that strengthen ties with other marine campuses and universities in the region.
  • Objective 5.3: Increase the number of post-doctoral fellows to increase productivity.
  • Objective 5.4 Break down barriers to commercialization and innovation related to the Blue Economy.
  • Objective 6.1: Develop and promote opportunities with new research vessel & CMS core resources.
  • Objective 6.2: Refine and curate long-term data sets unique to UNCW and improve discoverability and access.
  • Objective 6.3: Create lab and housing opportunities for visiting scientists.
  • Objective 6.4: Increase support staff availability for researchers.
  • Objective 7.1: Connect CMS research to policies, economies, and social environments of local communities through deliberate engagement activities.
  • Objective 7.2: Facilitate participation in international conferences.
  • Objective 7.3: Lead and host high-profile symposia with published volumes.

PILLAR III

Enhance educational opportunities and experiences through collaborative efforts:

  • Objective 8.1: Develop Summer course program.
  • Objective 8.2: Create Certificate programs (e.g. aquaculture) that augment college efforts.
  • Objective 9.1: Formulate strategy for managed growth.
  • Objective 9.2: Increase support for student travel to present research.
  • Objective 9.3: Develop methods for placing and tracking graduate student success after graduation.
  • Objective 10.1: Generate opportunities for experiential learning (e.g. research protocols, computation/informatics, community engagement, internships).
  • Objective 10.2: Expand student access to infrastructure and resources (e.g. ship time, core facilities, boat use).

PILLAR IV

Enhance the role and brand as the State’s coastal university by expanding our engagement with local, regional, and global stakeholders:

  • Objective 11.1: Secure an Advancement officer dedicated to growing CMS opportunities.
  • Objective 11.2: Continue to expand and develop the Bluefish society.
  • Objective 11.3: Increase foundation support.
  • Objective 12.1: Facilitate interactive workshops and events with communities, state and federal agencies, and other stakeholders.
  • Objective 12.2: Host a Global Marine Summit.
  • Objective 12.3: Create decision support tools that can aid and inform local and regional stakeholders on coastal and marine issues.

PILLAR V

Elevate job satisfaction and wellness at CMS:

  • Objective 13.1: Celebrate and enhance recognition for faculty, staff and students.
  • Objective 13.2: Acknowledge and amplify the role staff play in scientific products and community engagement activities.
  • Objective 14.1: Increase opportunities for staff to engage in professional development courses.
  • Objective 14.2: Support opportunities for staff to attend professional confere
  • Objective 15.1: Promote opportunities for informal gatherings and intentional collisions (e.g. Ebb Tide, CMS socials, improved coffee space).
  • Objective 15.2: Create recreational space and opportunities at CMS.
  • Objective 15.3: Explore flexible work schedule and remote work as appropriate.