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Phase II Key Actions and Tactics

UNC will continually identify new opportunities, key actions, and tactics that support the mission of the university and the academic success and personal growth of students. Because of this commitment to serving our students, UNC continuously looks for ways to also enrich the experiences for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and our extended community.

Diverse experiences, new programming, and engagement opportunities will be paramount to the work conducted throughout the next decade. UNC will progressively seek opportunities to demonstrate what a Students First university means today and into the future by implementing strategies that support everyone at the institution.

In support of Rowing, Not Drifting 2030, the university is committed to implementing the following Phase II key actions and tactics. Based on the collaborative nature of the strategic plan, additional key actions and tactics may be identified and completed by departments and individuals across the institution. UNC’s progress will be compiled and measured throughout the course of the strategic plan and each phase.

KEY ACTION 1:

Develop and implement a Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) plan.
DEFINITION: Strategic Enrollment Management is a comprehensive process designed to help the university achieve and maintain optimum recruitment, retention, and graduation rates. As such, SEM is a university-wide process that embraces virtually every aspect of UNC’s function and culture. The SEM plan will serve as critical foundational work to position the university for sustained success.

Tactics:

  • Create and empower a SEM committee comprised of representatives from across the university to serve as the leaders and driving force of the plan.
  • Establish clear goals for the number and types of students needed to fulfill the institutional mission.
  • Leverage and expand access to data to inform decisions to support our strategic enrollment management goals.
  • Complete a Campus Master Plan that aligns with the SEM plan key outcomes and academic program priorities, focusing on the student campus experience and environmental sustainability. Explore external funding for key capital projects.
  • Using the results of the Brand Audit completed in Phase I, update UNC’s marketing and communications plan to support the goals created through the SEM plan.

KEY ACTION 2:

Build on Phase I foundational work to ensure UNC is a Students First university.
DEFINITION: Student success is often connected to a student’s sense of belonging, their quality of engagement, and how it impacts their progress toward graduation. From the traditional academic setting to campus life and support services, UNC will continue to better understand how students engage inside and outside of the classroom – and implement strategies focused on enhancing our student’s experience and their success.

Tactics:

  • Continue to work from the Students First Framework to make progress on reaching UNC’s retention and graduation goals as established in Spring 2022.
  • Implement practices, programs, and services that help students translate their academic accomplishments, learned knowledge, and campus experiences into being engaged citizens and lifelong learners post-graduation.
  • Expand and adapt student services and programs to meet the needs of today’s students, including undergraduate, graduate, and extended campus students at UNC.
  • Enhance university events and traditions that unify the UNC community and create new events and traditions that build Bear spirit and pride.
  • Identify, cultivate, and solicit philanthropic gifts in support of UNC’s people and programs in alignment with campaign priorities developed through Phase I.

KEY ACTION 3:

Continue development and implementation of faculty and staff recruitment, engagement, and retention plans.
DEFINITION: In order to effectively prioritize student success at UNC, we must create an environment in which our students learn and grow from a strong team of highly-skilled, knowledgeable, and dedicated faculty and staff across the institution. Just as we develop plans and strategies for recruiting and retaining students, we must also do so for our faculty and staff.

Tactics:

  • Implement a multi-year equitable and competitive compensation plan for faculty and staff that builds on the compensation analysis from Phase I.
  • Assess the effectiveness of the classified and exempt staff evaluation process implemented as part of Phase I and adjust as appropriate.
  • Identify and implement policy changes and programs to address 1) work life balance, including but not limited to policies regarding hybrid and remote work and workload expectations, 2) healthy working relationships, including but not limited to supervisor training and healthy conflict resolution, and 3) career development, including but not limited to improved internal professional development opportunities and articulation of career ladders.
  • Improve the candidate recruiting and onboarding experience – using an equity lens – including the development of a recruiting toolbox for hiring authorities and search committees and review of administrative barriers in the search process.
  • Develop, seek funding for, and implement a holistic, equity-minded, faculty professional development plan that supports faculty teaching, scholarship, and service, and that builds upon the existing efforts in the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL), the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Human Resources.

KEY ACTION 4:

Create plans, structures, and programs that foster an inclusive environment at UNC where all individuals feel welcomed and supported.
DEFINITION: In Phase I, we made it clear that the university would be taking important measures to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion across the institution. Fostering a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment is ongoing work that never ends and is not done in silos. Therefore, we continue to emphasize our commitment to ensuring that UNC is a place wherein all students, faculty, and staff feel welcomed – and that we offer a supportive environment well suited to collective and individual success.

Tactics:

  • Create a comprehensive university-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion strategic plan, which will serve as the foundation for the creation of such plans at each college/division level.
  • Complete the next stage of UNC’s Hispanic Serving Institution 2025 plan which includes developing HSI assessment metrics, preparing a pre-application for federal designation, and investigating HSI grant funding opportunities.
  • Implement the English Language Learner Support Initiative and develop a training for supervisors on the Equity-Minded Teaching and Service Reflection Guide developed in Phase I.
  • Administer and iterate a university-wide Campus Climate Survey.
  • Examine the faculty and staff evaluation process to determine the extent to which DEI work (in teaching, scholarship, or service) is recognized and rewarded, and to identify ways in which there might be obstacles to the success of faculty and staff members from marginalized groups.
  • Develop a process in which faculty and staff are publicly recognized for their contributions and innovation specifically related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Create faculty and staff DEI Associates/Fellows responsible for serving as facilitators and resources to their colleagues on matters related to DEI within their areas/divisions.

KEY ACTION 5:

Create and implement an academic portfolio management plan.
DEFINITION: UNC must be responsive to the evolving expectations and desires of our students and the needs of our community and state. In order for the university to be well positioned for long-term success, UNC will develop and refine processes that ensure our portfolio of academic programs are up-to-date and relevant. Our academic portfolio management plan will provide clarity and direction on proactively evaluating current programs and streamlining processes in developing new educational opportunities. The plan will also provide guidance on effective communication strategies in sharing changes to our academic offerings.

TACTICS:

  • Refine the criteria by which proposed academic programs are evaluated and ensure that they are aligned with those used in the program review process.
  • Review, modify, and streamline the process by which proposed academic programs are developed to ensure that the process is responsive and efficient.
  • Include annual health checks in the existing program review process to inform the ongoing needs of each program, and aid in determining if a program should be enhanced, held constant, downsized, or eliminated.
  • Create a communication plan by which decisions about academic programs and the rational for them are shared with stakeholders.
  • Make progress in the pursuit of establishing a College of Osteopathic Medicine at UNC, which will expand upon our offerings in the health sciences and meet a critical need our state currently faces by producing more physicians in service to our communities.