University of North Carolina Wilmington
Strategic Action Plan
Version of 11.21.14
Dare to Soar: Statement of Context and Intent
UNCW has gained national and international recognition for many of its academic programs and research
endeavors. The university is known for its combination of a strong interpersonal, residential, selective character,
and a structure of education, research, and training that is student-oriented and intellectually demanding. The
university engages students in an innovative and inspiring journey of learning that involves the collaborative
pursuit of knowledge and is organized through a substantive general education that incorporates the arts,
humanities, and social, natural and physical sciences. The university offers a wide variety of undergraduate
majors and minors, along with professional degree programs. UNCW has added in recent years a number of
graduate academic and professional programs, including notable doctoral degrees. The institution enrolls
approximately 14,000 students, typically from over 40 states and over 40 countries. The campus is widely
regarded as both beautiful and functional. These accomplishments rely upon a capable, research-oriented faculty
committed to quality teaching, open inquiry, critical and innovative thinking, and the passion to cultivate student
intellectual excellence, ethical judgment, and the aspiration to a life of achievement and leadership. Equally
important is the vision of capable leadership in administration and university governance and support from the
multi-campus state university, long regarded as a national model of higher education. Our commitment to
knowledge and learning, to our place as North Carolina’s coastal university, and to innovation and ideas has never
been stronger.
American public higher education, however, is changing as a result of budget limitations and a new philosophy of
funding. It is neither possible nor desirable to shift state-level funding reductions to students through tuition and
fees. In addition, the technology of instruction and knowledge dissemination more broadly has profound
consequences for the way we educate students, who now face a wider array of choices for access to education and
degree programs. The UNCW as we have known it is not sustainable. We must change and adopt new ways of
operating in regard to these new realities. This change will be thoughtful, innovative, and participatory, based on
the best tradition of shared university governance. It will require choices, clarity of priorities, and greater
attention to new sources of support, cost efficiencies, and reallocation of existing resources.
What will endure is our collective vision of UNCW as a university recognized nationally for its creation of an
innovative, inspiring, and aesthetic context for the development of knowledge and for its effective dissemination
and application of that knowledge. We must continue to recruit and retain the finest minds among faculty, the
most accomplished and industrious of students, and a dedicated staff committed to the highest levels of faculty
and student achievement. Students must continue to be engaged at the undergraduate level in exploration and
pursuit of knowledge collaboratively with faculty, and our academic offerings and requirements must be
intellectually coherent, knowledge based, and contemporary. Graduate programs, including select doctoral
degrees, require a research-oriented faculty who exemplify and encourage student competence, currency of
knowledge, the highest level of accomplishment, ethical consciousness, and the capacity to provide substance and
leadership.
UNCW is connected inextricably to its physical place as North Carolina’s coastal university. This sense of place
requires a strong partnership with our region and its economic, cultural, environmental, social, and governmental
order. That partnership and sense of regional mission will guide development of degree programs, research
priorities, and knowledge dissemination and application in the form of products and services. That sense of place
also involves a commitment to the people of North Carolina and recognition that the benefits of the university
must be accessible and applicable to persons of all ages, nationalities, ethnicities, genders, and cultures. The
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common denominator must be intellectual attainment, industriousness, virtue of character, and a commitment to
use knowledge and skill for the benefit of others.
UNCW recognizes that a premier university is inherently global in vision and is connected through emerging
technologies to a base of knowledge and collaboration that is vast, involving the finest centers of inquiry and
education worldwide. The combination of the classical university, with its strong residential and selective
character, and a structure of education, research, and training that is globally engaged but regionally responsive
and consequential is the motivating vision of our future.
This is an evolving strategic plan with measurable objectives that represent the highest priority items for the
coming biennium. All objectives have associated measures that incorporate campus input. Some of the measures
shown are derived from UNC performance funding measures for UNCW. The goals and objectives in the plan
are aligned with Our Time Our Future, the UNC Strategic Directions for 2013-18.
Mission Statement
The University of North Carolina Wilmington, the state’s coastal university, is dedicated to the comprehensive
journey of learning through the integration of teaching and mentoring with research and service. Our
commitment to the power of ideas and innovation engages students in creative inquiry, critical thinking,
thoughtful expression, and responsible citizenship. High-quality academic programs are primarily at the
baccalaureate and master’s levels and include doctoral programs in marine biology, educational leadership, and
nursing practice as well as University of North Carolina inter-institutional degree programs that address state and
regional needs and build upon institutional strengths. Substantial research and creative activity, recognized
teaching excellence, and collaborative faculty-student scholarship shape a vibrant learning community and foster
personal and professional accomplishment. We are committed to diversity and inclusion, affordable access,
regional responsiveness, and global perspectives. We enrich the quality of life through scholarly engagement and
application in areas such as marine and coastal issues, health, the environment, education, the arts, and the
economy.
UNCW modified, proposed Mission Statement December 15, 2013
Vision Statement
UNCW will be a university that dares to soar. Three themes are at the core of this vision: the commitment to the
journey of learning, a love of place, and the power of ideas and innovation.
UNCW will embrace our motto, Discere Aude (Dare to Learn), by the active involvement of students in facultymentored research and other individualized applied learning experiences.
UNCW will utilize our unique coastal location and commitment to our region and state to shape the development
of academic programs, research initiatives, and community outreach and engagement.
UNCW will innovate. We will embrace emerging technologies and advance knowledge to transform the
university and meet the needs of a diverse and changing society.
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Core Values
1. UNCW’s commitment to the journey of learning supports the pursuit, dissemination and application of
knowledge through:
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Joy of discovery
Integrity and accountability
Personal development and growth
Inquiry that transcends boundaries
Robust academic programs
2. UNCW’s love of place is inspired by our beautiful coastal environment and is embodied in our inclusive
and respectful campus community through:
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Partnerships
Safety and security
Sustainability and stewardship
Collaborative and transparent governance
Economic and cultural impact
UNCW’s culture embraces the power of ideas and innovation through:
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Creativity
Adaptability
Entrepreneurship
Forward-thinking
Responsiveness and problem-solving
Goals and Objectives
Goal I: Engage students in a comprehensive journey of learning that prepares them for the changing
opportunities of 21st century global communities.
Objective 1: Achieve goals pertaining to student persistence and success consistent with UNC performance
funding measures for UNCW and competitive with peer and aspirant institutions.
Objective 2: Implement a University Studies curriculum that aligns with the general education student learning
outcomes, through robust curricular planning, alignment with the North Carolina Comprehensive Articulation
Agreement, and transfer-friendly policies and procedures.
Objective 3: Build on existing success as a national model for service to military-affiliated students (active duty,
reserves, veterans and dependents)
Objective 4: Ensure that all undergraduates have an applied learning experience (in research/discovery,
internships/application, service learning/regional engagement, and/or study abroad/exploration away) that
achieves a set of learning objectives.
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Objective 5: Strategically develop and fund graduate programs in alignment with UNCW’s mission.
Objective 6: Provide values, knowledge, and transferable skills that prepare our students for meaningful lives and
successful careers as global citizens.
Objective 7: Advance UNCW’s reputation as a national “best value” by expanding student scholarships and
support.
Goal II. Leverage UNCW’s love of place to improve the quality of life on the campus and throughout the
southeastern North Carolina region.
Objective 1: Build the prominence of UNCW as North Carolina’s coastal university through infrastructure,
programs, and services that respond to issues impacting oceans, coasts, and marine life.
Objective 2: Become recognized as a state and national leader in university partnerships and community
engagement.
Objective 3: Recruit, support, and retain high quality, diverse faculty, staff and students
Objective 4: Establish a leadership role within the UNC system with regard to environmentally sound practices.
Objective 5: Advance the reputation of UNCW as an attractive, functional, sustainable, and safe campus.
Objective 6: Secure resources to accomplish the goals of the Campus Master Plan.
Objective 7: Expand student engagement in campus life through athletics, recreation, student government,
organizations, and other campus activities.
Goal III: Employ the power of ideas and innovation to maximize the positive impact of UNCW on North
Carolina and beyond.
Objective 1: Increase institutional engagement in quality research, scholarly and creative activity, especially that
which enhances the quality of life, involves students, and aligns with UNCW’s mission as North Carolina’s
coastal university.
Objective 2: Support faculty professional success by creating and implementing an innovative model for
individualized faculty workload, roles and rewards, consistent with UNCW’s mission.
Objective 3: Create a professional development model to support staff success in a shared services environment.
Objective 4: Expand institutional reach and student access by increasing UNCW’s portfolio of academic
programs and courses delivered through distance education, e-learning, and other emerging modalities.
Objective 5: Sustain the University Innovation Council as a national model for soliciting, reviewing, and
recommending ideas that enhance quality, improve efficiency and effectiveness, and reduce operational costs.
Objective 6: Develop and implement predictive analytics to optimize efficiency and effectiveness in enrollment
management, business operations, and cost allocation, among other core university functions.
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Objective 7: Within the 2013-2015 biennium, integrate the Strategic Action Plan and the university’s unified
budget and planning model.
Objective 8: Optimize space utilization through technology, e-learning, innovative pedagogy and non-traditional
scheduling.
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