“Forward Together” is an ambitious plan that outlines our institution’s vision for at least the next five years. In short, the goal is to do more: more for our students, more for our community through research and creative activities, and more for our faculty and staff.
Our state’s demographic changes mean business as usual will not be enough. North Carolina’s economic growth depends on getting students from underrepresented backgrounds into the middle class and beyond. Developing the talents of the next generation benefits everyone.
PILLAR 1 UPWARD MOBILITY FOR STUDENTS FROM ALL BACKGROUNDS
We commit to fully supporting our students from matriculation to graduation and beyond. That’s why our first goal is enhancing student wellbeing and achieving the highest rates of degree attainment.
Among public Research 2 universities, our graduation rates are above the mean. We are also significantly less expensive than average, which supports much lower loan debt for our students. That’s good because a larger proportion of our students are from low-income families than at many similar institutions.
We want to lead the nation among access-focused regional comprehensive universities by holding costs down, controlling student loan debt levels, and increasing four-year graduation rates from 39% to 45% on the way to pushing six-year graduation rates from 59% to 65% by 2030.
PILLAR 2 RESEARCH AND CREATIVE EXCELLENCE TO SUPPORT SOCIETAL IMPACT
Our expansive idea of research and creative scholarship leads to discovery, knowledge creation, and innovation to transform the world and its people. Nearly 40 UNCG faculty were recently cited by their peers as being among the world’s most influential researchers. We’re also home to talented scholars, artists, and creators across disciplines.
This plan aims to elevate faculty research, discovery, and creativity. We’ll build on our strength in community-focused scholarship while forging new partnerships with local, regional, national, and global organizations and industries. Our target for 2030 is to achieve R1 Carnegie classification and $70 million in research expenditures.
PILLAR 3 OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE AND RESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIP
It is important that UNCG retain and develop its workforce, ask how a university of our size should be resourced, ascertain how its operations can be optimally supported, and find ways to align its financial and human capital to address budget realities. We also must look toward future innovations.
The next five years will be a time of political, cultural, demographic, and economic change that will continue to pose challenges. So, financial sustainability must be at the heart of how UNCG’s future is charted and realized. The ability to invest in high-performing programs where we can compete and earn distinction requires creating a reinvestment fund. Our target for 2030 is to achieve a strategic reinvestment fund worth 5% of the annual operating budget.
UNCG is the best in the state at creating economic mobility and social impact through education. With “Forward Together,” UNCG will build on its strengths while facing today’s challenges. Learn more about the three pillars of the new strategic plan at strategicplan.uncg.edu.
Photograph by Grant Evan Gilliard