Fellow Bears,
Welcome to a new academic year. There is an energy on campus that is impossible to miss, and I am enjoying seeing familiar faces and meeting new students, faculty, and staff. Thank you to everyone who played a part in making last week’s New Student Days a memorable and meaningful experience for the newest members of the Bear community. Whether cheering on student-athletes in the fall sports underway — football, soccer, and volleyball — or exploring the offerings at the newly renovated Tobey-Kendel Dining facility, I look forward to seeing you around campus.
There is much to look forward to this year, especially as we turn our focus to the next two-year phase of our strategic plan, Rowing, Not Drifting 2030. Since we launched our plan in 2020, we have been guided by five vision elements, which serve as the enduring pillars of our vision for UNC’s future. Even as specific tasks have evolved over the past four years, we have remained focused on our core commitments: Students First, Empower Inclusivity, Enhance & Invest, Innovate & Create, and Connect & Celebrate.
Reflecting on the past two years, it is clear that we have achieved remarkable things together, and I shared some of those accomplishments in a message in May. Evidence of our momentum is visible in many ways, from achieving designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution to strengthening enrollment guided by the goals of our Strategic Enrollment Management Plan to realizing our most successful year of fundraising to date — thanks, in large part, to the more than $200 million raised through a transformational gift by The Weld Trust and the historic investment by the state of Colorado to support UNC’s proposed osteopathic medical college.
Now, as we look ahead to the next two years, we have an incredible opportunity to build on these successes and continue to enrich the lives of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and our extended community. As in previous phases, Phase III includes a set of actionable steps, or key actions, that support our vision and move us toward outcomes for 2030, and tactics, which are the specific tasks to be implemented as part of a key action.
The Phase III key actions and tactics chart a course for UNC over the next two years. Advancing these strategic priorities is not a solo endeavor, and I look forward to working together with a shared sense of purpose to realize the best for UNC and the communities we serve.
There will be numerous opportunities to come together this fall, whether to celebrate some of our successes, learn more about priorities in the year ahead, or connect with your fellow Bears. One of those occasions will be my annual State of the University Address in early October, and I hope you will join me there. Again this fall, I will host a series of fireside chats to dive deeper into topics that matter to our university, such as our efforts to fulfill our commitment as a newly designated Hispanic Serving Institution and our continued implementation of our Strategic Enrollment Management Plan. Please watch for additional details about dates and topics.
This fall we will also host a review team from the Higher Learning Commission, the university’s accrediting body. Accreditation is one of the most important ways UNC demonstrates that we are delivering on our mission and commitment to our students. I encourage you to watch for additional information and opportunities to get involved in sharing with the review team the impactful and exciting initiatives underway at our university.
As we embark on this new academic year, let’s continue to row together toward a future filled with promise.
Go Bears!
Andy Feinstein
President
