UNC Tomorrow Response -- Phase I Report

Includes feedback from all-campus comment period April 18-25 
 

4.1  Our Global Readiness 
 

Introduction: Preparing students for the 21^st century is exactly what a UNC Asheville liberal arts education is designed for, and solidly positioned to do. Just as the University of North Carolina leads the nation in higher education, UNC Asheville also leads our country in undergraduate liberal arts education. North Carolina is a better state for supporting rigorous undergraduate scholarship, creative expression, exemplary teaching, community service, and global leadership in an increasingly complex world. The contextual skills and flexibility of interdisciplinary study empower our students to act responsibly in the world and explore innovative ideas beyond traditional assumptions and traditional disciplinary curricula. UNC Asheville’s strategic plan asserts this vision in three ways: by focusing on the primacy of an undergraduate education, by providing a competitive advantage gained from rigorous undergraduate research, and by fostering an intimate campus community experience that is best practiced at a school of our optimal size and mission. 
 

We will serve North Carolina best by setting the standard in public undergraduate liberal arts education for the State and for the nation.   
 
 

1.  Existing: A Curriculum for the Future—Liberal Arts

UNC Asheville affords the people of North Carolina an overtly interdisciplinary, rigorous and complex curriculum that inspires scholars to explore interconnections among and between disciplines and fields. Particularly well-suited to achieving the UNC Tomorrow objective of Global Readiness, a liberal arts curriculum creates critical thinkers, communicators and problem-solvers, citizens with both an academic and experiential understanding of the complexities of the contemporary world.

Employers, government, and graduate/professional programs place great value on the analytic and creative skills that form the core of liberal learning. By encouraging the development of human potential—the achievement of confidence in the capacity to think critically, to learn new things and to adapt to change—UNC Asheville responds to UNC Tomorrow and meets the needs of North Carolina.

We have earned many distinctions for cross-disciplinary learning. In 2007, our Integrated Liberal Studies (ILS) program won the Association of General and Liberal Studies Award for Improving General Education, and in September 2008 our campus will host the AGLS national conference. The ILS program directly addresses urgent concerns of our world: globalization, ethical dilemmas, environmental issues, diversity, and the need for information literacy. In addition, our nationally recognized Humanities program, our Arts and Ideas curriculum, and our outstanding Honors Program all share responsibility for our well-earned reputation in higher education as an exceptional public liberal arts college.

Strengths: Substantive academic majors, such as those found in the best private and public liberal arts colleges anywhere, are the ground on which our curriculum at UNC Asheville rests. Typically interested in many fields of study, many UNC Asheville students also double major in divergent fields: physics and music, environmental studies and management, pre-med and Spanish, art and chemistry. Such interdisciplinary study creates a rich multiplicity of scholarship and service. In addition to the work they do in academic majors, our students gain an invaluable understanding of today’s complex world through a variety of venues: Regional, national and international expeditions, study abroad semesters, internships and service learning projects; the emphasis within cultural events on contemporary global issues, global understanding and diversity within our curriculum; lectures, presentations, and performances by international scholars, performers, and artists; and regular interaction (including cultural and language exchanges) with students of varied backgrounds and experiences, including international students on our campus. If our students are to be prepared to face the larger world and work directly with people who look different, speak different languages, maintain different perspectives and practice different beliefs, then we need to provide opportunities to interact, learn from, and serve in communities that are different from what our students might be accustomed to. Countless service learning projects in all disciplines help students learn about others while learning the value of civil service.

Obstacles: Not enough people understand who we are and what we do. An intricate and intertwined curriculum is not easily captured in a concise definition with a succinct rationale, but in order to invite many more North Carolina students to participate in this life-changing enterprise, we continue our efforts to do so. Just as important is the need to help voters, legislators, educators and business leaders understand the value of a liberal arts education to our communities and our economy. We need funding and expertise to help refine the way we communicate our mission and value to the broader North Carolina public.

a. New Program: We will lead the national conversation about the role of liberal arts in 21^st century education by bringing the national headquarters of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) to our campus. (Action 1) 
 

1. Implementation strategies: (1) Determine which public/private peer colleges are appropriate for benchmarking among liberal arts colleges. (2) Fund a Director for our award-winning Integrated Liberal Studies Program to assure its ongoing curricular prominence and careful stewardship. (3) Offer faculty development opportunities to colleagues who teach undergraduates from sister campuses within the university as a way to share the liberal arts advantage.
2. Our Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Dean of Humanities will lead a cross-campus constituency that includes: All Academic Deans; current and previous COPLAC liaisons; Directors of Academic Conferences & Institutes; the Public Information Officer; the Dean of University Programs; 2-3 administrative and facilities support personnel; 2-3 students; 2-3 interested faculty, at least one of which is a dept chair; a Student Affairs designee; the Director of Alumni Relations. This work group will develop benchmarks to evaluate this program’s presence on campus.
3. Sample benchmarks: External benchmarks would be developed within the appropriate set of peers from this sector of higher education. Internal benchmarks might include the percentage of new freshmen who state ”Liberal Arts” as ‘somewhat’ or ‘very important’ reason for enrolling; the percentage of graduates, five years out, who report that they were ‘very well prepared’ for their employment/ service experience/graduate or professional school upon graduation. The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA), if funded, could be administered every year to Freshmen, Sophomores, and Seniors. We could then demonstrate the learning gains from Y1 to Y2 and from Y1 to Y4.

 
 

2. Existing: A Core Mission focused on Undergraduate Education

A UNC Asheville education is distinguished by a focus on intentional interdisciplinary study and quality faculty-student mentoring. Our faculty members are accomplished scholars and teachers. They continue to perform research, publish, and practice creative pursuits as any accomplished group of faculty might. In addition, UNC Asheville faculty members know their students. The faculty care about students as individuals and invest themselves in their students’ successes. There are no graduate assistants or teaching assistants that might put distance between our faculty and our students. Our students get the full benefit of the very best faculty that we can hire. No other campus in the UNC system has built this exclusive investment in undergraduates into their mission, their strategic plan, and their daily priorities.

Strengths: Our graduates are consistently high performers in entrepreneurial ventures, employment settings, and graduate and professional programs. Our graduates understand the interconnectedness of disciplines, ideas, actions and individuals, and they practice lively engagement with others and the world. Outcomes such as the success of our pre-med students in medical school and the feedback we get from both graduates and their graduate schools about their superlative preparation demonstrate the strengths of a UNC Asheville education.

Obstacles: We need to present evidence, especially in relation to student learning outcomes and making the case for deliberate interdisciplinary learning to demonstrate our success and effectiveness (Action 3).

We often fall short of UNC expectations for faculty teaching loads for a variety of reasons, including the intentional absence of teaching assistants, the intensive time required for faculty mentorship of student projects, as well as faculty who undertake service commitments and scholarship and who are granted reassigned time for administrative duties. We believe our mission is credible enough to warrant some revision of these teaching load expectations to better match faculty expectations of our peer institutions.

Faculty recruitment and development are financial challenges for us, since we compete with the more affluent private liberal arts schools for the best teachers.

We also need to provide a wider array of learning and engagement opportunities for students and all the members of the academic community outside the classroom, since we do compete directly with private and public colleges for both faculty and students. 
 

a. New Program: Expand enrollment of full time students by 30% (to 3,500 full time students) and increase the physical capacity to teach, house, and fully educate them within the next 10 years , thus serving more North Carolina students of high academic promise (Action 11).

1. Implementation strategies: Improving our student retention, diversity, graduation rates, financial aid, and capacity for on-campus student engagement will help us expand enrollment. This initiative of our strategic plan will focus on accountability measures across campus for those factors that will improve student retention and success (Action 2). Expanding our classroom, residential space, infrastructure, faculty and staff, and living/learning spaces will be required to accommodate more students.
2. Our Vice Chancellors for Academic Affairs and Student Affairs will lead a cross-campus constituency that includes: 2006 Retention Committee - 3-4 members; Diversity Action Council - 3-4 members; Dean of Admissions; Asst Provost for Academic Administration; Dir Athletics, Recreation, Student Activities; Academic Dean in charge of commencement; Dean of Students; Dir Alumni Relations; Dir Distance Ed; Exec. Committee of Faculty Senate - 1-2 members; 2-3 students. This work group will develop benchmarks to measure the effectiveness of their actions.
3. Sample Benchmark: First-year student retention rate, first-year minority student retention rate, four-year graduation rate, etc.

 
 

3. Existing: Lead the Nation in Undergraduate Research

UNC Asheville hosted the first national conference on Undergraduate Research in 1987, and helped found the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research that same year. Now, UNC Asheville consistently leads the country in student awards for faculty-mentored, student-directed undergraduate research, across all disciplines. In 2007, UNC Asheville also helped found the Division I Big South Athletic Conference, which is designed to give students a national conference experience during years when the national conference is held in geographic locations that make it unrealistic for many students from the Southeast to participate. It also is a venue for highlighting the academic interests and success of our Division I athletes.

North Carolina benefits significantly when students perform undergraduate research. The GlaxoSmithKline Women in Science Scholars Program provides selected UNC Asheville students with annual scholarships and mentoring programs that offer professional guidance, research experiences and internships with GlaxoSmithKline women scientists who have excelled in science-related careers. A recent UNC Asheville graduate chose to continue his research to assist the Asheville/Buncombe Institute of Parity Achievement in better understanding the health care needs of the African American community. Similarly, a current student is assessing the use of complementary and alternative medicine among older adults in Buncombe County. Students learn to explore complex issues, create new knowledge, collaborate with each other and their communities, and confront the unknown on topics of interest and concern.

Strengths: A full 60% of our students undertake rigorous academic scholarship and creative pursuits, using a student-directed, faculty-mentored model that is  more typical of a graduate school experience. This opportunity prepares students to address critical societal issues with confidence, maturity, and 21^st-century skills and scholarship [also meets goal 4.7: Outreach and Engagement].In addition, with the growing success of undergraduate research teams, students also learn the important skills of collaboration, joint ventures, and responsibility to colleagues. These skills are applicable to a myriad of jobs, many that we can only imagine today.

Obstacles: Undergraduate Research is not fully available to all students. The program will require funding to allow more faculty members to mentor more students. Two action items in our strategic plan are designed to address this obstacle: Action 4: Rebalance faculty work and rewards to include Undergraduate Research as a faculty expectation; Action 7: Outline process for establishing student and faculty participation in undergraduate research as a university, year round opportunity in all disciplines.  
 

1. New Program: Demonstrate and expand our national leadership role in Undergraduate Research by bringing the NCUR national headquarters to UNC Asheville (Action 6); establishing participation in undergraduate research as a universal, year round opportunity for students in all disciplines (Action 7); and enhancing the physical presence, leadership, and endowed funding for the Undergraduate Research Program(Action 8). 

 
 

1. Implementation Strategy 1: One way we will demonstrate leadership in this area will be through the implementation of a recent $500,000 grant from the prestigious Mellon Foundation. UNC Asheville will be responsible for mentoring faculty and students on the Appalachian College Association member campuses, in team-oriented undergraduate research in the arts, humanities and social sciences. This strategy meets our strategic focus on undergraduate research and provides outreach to our region.
2. Our Dean of University Programs will convene a cross-campus group to determine logistics for inviting NCUR to UNC Asheville. This group will consist of: UR Director & committee members; previous UR directors; 2-3 members of faculty senate; 2-3 faculty members heavily involved in UR; 2-3 students involved in UR; VC Alumni & Development; Director, Asheville Graduate Center.
3. Sample Benchmarks: Percentage of incoming freshmen who identify the opportunity for undergraduate research as ‘important’ or ‘very important’ reason for enrolling; percentage of graduates who participated in an undergraduate research project.

 
 

1. Implementation Strategy 2: Our Director of Undergraduate Research will convene a cross-campus group to determine plans for heightened presence and support for undergraduate research on campus.
2. This group will consist of: UR committee members; 2-3 students; AVC campus operations; 2 campus operations staff involved in facilities planning; Registrar; Dir, Academic Budgeting; Chair, IDC; 2-3 members faculty senate; member of Alumni and Development group. The group will establish benchmarks to measure their progress.
3. Sample Benchmarks: Percentage of graduates who participated in Undergraduate Research; Percentage of faculty who mentored Undergraduate Research projects; Percentage of increase in funding for UR presence, staffing, participation; Student awards/ publications related to Undergraduate Research. National, regional and local recognition of student accomplishment, including publishing as a coauthor/ co-investigator with faculty. More students attend and succeed in graduate programs of their choice.

2. New Program: Focus our Undergraduate Research efforts on addressing our region’s and society’s most pressing issues and concerns. (Action 9). [Also meets goal 4/7: Outreach and Engagement]

1. Implementation Strategy:  Our Director of Undergraduate Research will collaborate with Work Group #21 to determine how our students can assist in addressing the region’s priorities through Undergraduate Research.
2. Sample Benchmarks: Percentage of Undergraduate Research projects focused on regional or societal concerns. Percentage of graduates who pursue employment, service, or graduate/professional school with the intention of meeting regional or social needs.

 
 

4. Existing: The Campus Experience as Preparation for the Future

   Our campus has changed significantly over the decades from a two-year commuter school for local students to a statewide four-year liberal arts university campus. Through this transition, the significant advantage of learning within a close-knit campus community has become clearer and more compelling. When students strolling across the quad see dozens of people they know, when they are known, valued, and appreciated by their teachers, coaches, and mentors, and when they know the name of the person in Financial Aid who will help them with their scholarship question, they develop a sense of belonging, of responsibility, and a sense of mastery within their environment. Because our students consistently thrive—academically and socially—in this setting, we want to create an even more cohesive, inclusive, and active community. Students experienced in belonging to and building community while in college are better prepared for public service and leadership in their communities through the rest of their lives. [Also meets goal 4.7: Outreach and Engagement]

   We envision a campus in the not-too-distant future where all students are engaged in a robust learning experience that encourages responsible membership, active participation in an interdependent community of learners, respect for differences, and an informed commitment to serving our community and leading our complex world. These things most likely will occur in a community where people know and care about each other and their surroundings, as well the world around them. A learning community of our size and mission is the perfect place for that to occur.

   Strengths: Each year, we hear from students and their families about the central role that a coach or a faculty member has played in a student’s success at UNC Asheville. When we talk with alumni of the University, it matters little how long ago they graduated; the central theme is always the individuals they remember so fondly: a residence hall director, a coach, a housekeeper, an advisor, a particularly kind and gifted teacher, a mentor in a science lab, an art studio, or theater production. The confidence and self-possession that grows out of this relational experience will help our graduates adapt to the needs of a future that we cannot yet envision.

   Obstacles: For more of our students to take advantage of this transformational campus experience, we need: (1) more residence halls so that we can house a larger proportion of our students (strong predictor of student retention). (2) Additional facilities for recreation, performing arts, and student organizations. (3) On-campus student involvement for all students, including 1^st generation, commuter, and students from diverse backgrounds. (4) On-campus work. (5) Increased financial aid, especially for students from middle-income families. (6) Additional staff to provide the depth and range of student experience outside of class which would compete successfully with that offered at private colleges.

a.  New Program: Expand the availability of on-campus engagement opportunities for more students in more ways. Increase the number and proportion of full-time students and the number of UNC Asheville graduates [also meets goal 4.1: Global Readiness]. 
 

1. Implementation Strategy 1: Increase on-campus student residential capacity, shifting the proportion of students living on campus from 1/3 to 1/2 in the years ahead. (Action 10).
2. Our Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs will lead a cross-campus team that includes: 2-3 Student Affairs designees; Student affairs budgeting & assessment person; Housing Operations coordinator; 2-3 facilities planning people; 2-3 interested faculty members; campus police rep; 2-3 resident students; Dean of Admissions or designee; Dir, Design & Construction; Representative from Finance;
3. Sample Benchmarks: Percentage of UNC Asheville students who are enrolled full-time; Percentage of full-time students who live on campus; 4-year and 6-year graduation rates; Students actively involved in the university community with other students, with staff, and with faculty.

 
 

1. Implementation Strategy 2: Heighten expectations and opportunities for student engagement in campus life: Outdoor and recreation activities, athletics, citizenship responsibilities, meaningful and well-paid on-campus student employment, leadership and service learning, and student participation in campus decision-making. (Action 12)
2. Our Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs will lead a cross-campus group that includes:  Financial Aid expert, Career Services Dir; Dean of Students; 2-3 administrative support specialists, 2 UR faculty, Director of Student Activities, Resident Community Director, Dean of Admissions designee, Development designee, Bursar; Human Resources staff, Payroll expert; NEMAC or other Center rep; 2-3 students NOTE: Coordination w/Group 2 is needed to address campus culture, diversity, and retention components of this goal.
3. Sample Benchmarks: Increase in the percentage of resident and commuter students involved in student organizations; Increase the percentage of students working on campus; Decrease in the percentage of students who report that they need to work off campus for more than 20 hours per week.

 
 
 

4.2 Our Citizens and Their Future: Access to Higher Education

Introduction: Ranked nationally as a “Best Value” college for quality and affordability, UNC Asheville has positioned its responsibility as a public university as one of three major themes in its strategic plan. The University’s commitment to access comes out of our strong reputation as a superlative liberal arts university, specific and effective partnerships already established with local community colleges, and a reputation for individual attention and affordability. Access also comes through the Asheville Graduate Center, which brings the best programs—the best public, private, or collaborative programs-- to our region to extend the influence of our campus and access to education to multiple North Carolina constituents.

Our public mission is fulfilled, in part, through our responsibility for and leadership of the Asheville Graduate Center. The AGC is an important complement to our core mission--providing an outstanding undergraduate experience for traditional-aged college students. Our ability to respond rapidly to greater Asheville depends, to a great degree, on the AGC to provide masters and doctoral programs, to provide distance education and on line courses, and to the North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement, now in its third decade, to serve increasing numbers of non-traditional students / lifelong learners. 
 

1. Existing program(s):
   • Our existing affordability and low average debt has consistently earned us a ‘best value’ distinction in national rankings.
   • In addition to our participation in the State-wide transfer articulation agreement that UNC has developed with community colleges, UNC Asheville has implemented a an additional transfer articulation agreement with Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College to facilitate transfers into our Multimedia Arts & Sciences major; a similar agreement is in process with Western Piedmont Community College. UNC Asheville faculty members teach our Humanities course at AB Tech for those students intending to transfer to our campus; we send an advising and registration professional to AB Tech to assist those intending to transfer to UNC Asheville. Conversations to create similar collaborations are underway with Blue Ridge Community College, also located in greater Asheville
   • Our teacher licensure students mentor and tutor in local schools, especially with at-risk and impoverished children to facilitate achievement
   • Our Distance Education program includes lateral entry courses for teachers, correctional education, online courses, and test preparation classes, offered in community settings convenient to our constituents.
   • We have a Lateral Entry Program for Teachers in collaboration with AB Tech, serving 14 of the 18 school districts in Western NC. 
   • Our AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) tutoring and mentoring programs facilitate over 100 student tutors, working with students from underrepresented groups in K-12. 100% of AVID-tutored seniors have been accepted to two or four year colleges in 2006-07.
   • Our University Diversity Initiative scholarship program has helped increase the proportion of minority students on campus over the last two years. In 2007, our incoming class increased in minority representation by 13.3%.
   • In 2007, we introduced two new programs to help expand access to higher education to minority, low-income and/or and 1^st generation students. These include College Summit, a nationally-recognized summer program to help students of promise navigate the college search and application process in their transition to college, and our campus-based program, SOAR (Summer Opportunity for Academic Readiness) program, which helps at-risk students transition to the academic rigor and social climate of UNC Asheville. We believe these programs will continue to help us diversify our campus community.
   • Our Asheville Graduate Center offers master’s programs from six other Universities, with more on the way.

 
 

Strengths: The variety and interconnectedness of these existing programs reach out to multiple constituents within our community, most especially underserved populations and those who might not otherwise see themselves as having access to a college education.

Obstacles: We have not always coordinated our own efforts effectively, and have sometimes committed the University to worthwhile initiatives that are not sustainable or which compete for—rather than complement—human and financial resources. Focusing and coordinating University efforts and resources on programs that are sustainable will be an important task for us ahead. In addition, we have developed a richly complex curriculum that relies heavily on cumulative and interwoven academic experiences, but it does not lend itself readily to efficient transfer articulation with community college transfer students. We need to find ways to be more accessible to community college transfer students without compromising the integrity of our curriculum. 
 

2. New program: Increase access to higher education by increasing financial aid, both need-based and merit-based; Strengthen scholarship endowment. (Action 17)

1. Implementation strategies: Determine total student need, assess current availability and sources of funding, and establish goals to be included in a comprehensive campaign.
2. Our Financial Aid and Development professionals will lead a group that will include: Financial Aid staff; a Banner Finance expert; Asst to the Chancellor for External Affairs; Major Gifts officer; VC Finance & Operations; 2-3 students on financial aid.
3. Sample Benchmarks: Meet all demonstrated financial aid need of incoming students

 
 

3. New program: Focus on diversity and inclusion, to increase membership, success, and affiliation. (Action 14)

1. Implementation strategies: We have organized a Diversity Action Council, bringing the decision makers and financial managers of all diversity-related initiatives together to establish University priorities and coordinate our efforts and talents. We have experienced early success.
2. Our Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs will convene a group that includes: Chair & members of Diversity Action Council which includes Minority Affairs Committee rep; members of Center for Diversity Education; Dir Intercultural Center; Student Affairs coordinator for International Students; Diversity Intensive subcommittee rep; Dean of Admissions; Affirmative Action Officer. The group may decide to consult with rep from NCCCR and other affiliated entities; Faculty Senate designee; Dir Public Information; Dean of University Programs, General Counsel.
3. Sample Benchmark:  More underrepresented groups, including racial minorities, among students, faculty, and staff;

 
 

4. New program: Expand access to UNC Asheville by improving both image and awareness across the State, helping North Carolina families appreciate the superb resource that is UNC Asheville. [see also 4.7 Outreach and Engagement]
   1. Implementation strategies: Fund and implement a comprehensive, coordinated marketing and communications plan that refines and reinvigorates the perception of UNC Asheville among North Carolinians.(Action 19).
   2. Our Vice Chancellor for Alumni & Development will lead a group that includes: Dir Publications; Dir Web Development; Dir Asheville Graduate Center; Dir Public Information; Alumni & Parent group reps; Dean of Admissions; Chair of Faculty Senate or designee; Academic Dean w/responsibility for 1 or more Centers; ITS rep; 2-3 students; 2-3 support staff.
   3. Sample Benchmarks: Percent students who report Liberal Arts as “important” or “very important” reason for enrolling. Percentage of entering freshmen who state an intention to graduate from UNC Asheville.

 
 

5. New Program: Deepen our connection with greater Asheville, serving our public so that Greater Asheville knows we are their university. Assure that the State’s liberal arts university is as visible, and therefore desirable, locally as it is in the Piedmont part of the State.  (Action 21) [see also 4.4 Economic Transformation, 4.7 Outreach & Engagement]

1. Implementation strategies: Match our community collaborations – including many of our Undergraduate Research efforts --with the needs of our community, focused on the following:

1. The Environment—Share research on crucial public health issues such as water quality, lead poisoning, arsenic detection, intentional preservation of green space, site renewal, green building and alternative energy uses.

2. Health & Wellness—Improve quality of life for Western North Carolina residents through the NC Center for Health & Wellness, undergraduate research collaborations of Health & Wellness students within the community.
3. Craft & Art—Collaborate with Buncombe County to transform a former landfill to productive sustainable public use through our evolving Craft Campus Center and advance the American bring the center of the American craft movement to Asheville through our evolving Craft Campus.
4. Climate & Technology—Collaborate with NC State and other campuses on a Climate and Society master’s degree hosted on our Asheville Graduate Center campus.
5. Developing teachers—Focus our ‘more and better teachers’ efforts on providing Western North Carolina with well-prepared teachers who are invested in local and regional education.[also meets 4.3 Improving Public Education]
6. NC Center for Creative Retirement—Coordinate with NCCCR to invest in and learn from the vibrant over-55 population drawn to Greater Asheville by this nationally acclaimed center.

 
 

2. Our Vice Chancellor of Alumni & Development will convene a group that includes: Dir, H&W; H&W faculty; Director of Pre-Health Professions program; Chair Pre-Health committee; Chair Environmental Sciences; Landscape Architect; Dir, EQI; Dir Craft Campus; Dir AGC; Dir NCCCR; Dir Education Dept; VC Alumni & Development; Dir Public Information; Asst to the Chancellor for External Affairs (2); 1-2 UR committee members; Key Center rep; Diversity Action Council rep; 2-3 students; Dir Leadership Programs.
3. Sample Benchmarks: Increase number of highly talented high school graduates who come from the greater Asheville region; Increase in percent entering freshmen who report UNC Asheville as their first choice for college; Increase in number of graduates who undertake professional positions in Greater Asheville.

 
 

 
 
 

4.3 Our Children and Their Future: Improving Public Education

Introduction: UNC Asheville can best meet this urgent North Carolina need by continuing to support and expand our exemplary Teacher Licensure program.

Because our campus is primarily focused on providing an exemplary undergraduate educational experience for traditional-aged college students, we are less well positioned to enhance the leadership skills of current public school administrators, but we will certainly play a role in educating the next generation of public school teachers and administrators.

1. Existing program(s):

• Active participants in the successful N.C. Teaching Fellows Scholarship Program.
• Sponsor of the popular Gear Up program for underserved high school students.
• Super Saturday Program for 3^rd-8^th grade children and Super Summer Program for rising 3rd-6^th grade children.
• AVID program (Advancement Via Individual Determination), a University collaboration with City and County schools to improve teachers, graduation rates and student achievement. Our AVID program in Asheville Middle School was identified by a national team of AVID administrators as a National Demonstration Site due to the “outstanding collaboration between UNC Asheville and Asheville City Schools.” 

• The first of the four participating campuses to launch its Burroughs Wellcome Scholars Program designed to bring existing math and science majors into the teaching profession.

• College Summit Program, a national summer program to prepare traditionally underserved high school students to apply for college.
• The Math Department collaboration with the Buncombe County Schools to obtain a $360,000 grant from the NC Department of Public Instruction to facilitate math teacher professional development.

• Mentoring and practica in the local schools—over 100 tutors in the schools, and 30 tutors per year in after-school programs.

• Key Center for Service Learning coordinates student volunteers and service-learning participants for after-school mentoring and tutoring at a variety of sites including both schools and off-site homework programs, serving low-income and other disadvantaged youth.
• University School Teacher Educational Partnerships (USTEP), dedicated to the continuing professional development of North Carolina teachers.
• The Center for Diversity Education works with students, teachers and citizens of Western North Carolina to increase the ways diversity is covered in the classroom and community. Through projects, exhibits, theatrical performances, and field trips, the Center seeks to inform the community about Asian, Jewish, African American, Hispanic and other cultures that enrich American society.
• New professional development opportunities for teachers of science will soon be available through recent funding within our Physics Department to develop several modules of science education for K-12 teachers.
• UNC Asheville collaborated with Mission Hospitals to sponsor The First Regional Math Summit, featuring MacArthur Fellow, Robert Moses, who discussed Math Literacy and its connections to workforce development, social justice issues, media literacy, health and financial decision making.

 
 

Strengths: Our teacher licensure students major in a content area, providing them with deeper knowledge and expertise in their subject matter; those who successfully complete the UNC Asheville teacher licensure programs are qualitatively better and stay in the teaching profession longer than most. In short, the teachers we produce are better, and they teach longer. Our recent NCATE visit cited the strength of our collaborations across campus as unparalleled; significant local commitment and investment in schools (see existing programs above) help lower dropout rate; better quality teachers produce better prepared students; lateral entry teacher programs.

Obstacles:  Low pay and low status for teachers is the root problem for North Carolina when it comes to training and supporting good teachers in our schools. More money for prospective teachers, for education faculty, for teaching mentors, and more robust scholarship programs are important facets of the solution to this problem for UNC Asheville. If funding were available, we would be in a position to assist and reward public school teachers with free professional development opportunities for license renewal and skill building, free summer courses, free health & wellness assessments, and updated classroom technology as incentives to stay current in the profession.

2. New program: Coordinate and enhance our programs focused on K-12 success, including a new initiative, Asheville Initiative for Mathematics (AIM). This project is designed to enhance mathematical education and numeracy in Asheville/ Buncombe County for students (pre-K to college), teachers, parents and residents. [Also meets 4.2 Access to Higher Education]

1. Implementation strategies: Develop a math tutor certification program to serve Asheville and Buncombe public schools; Provide math seminars and workshops to involve all members of the community in improving math literacy; Identify the number of tutors needed to serve underrepresented and low achieving student populations;
2. Sample Benchmarks: Increased number of tutors serving underrepresented and low achieving student populations; Number of K-12 math teachers participating in professional development with at least partial involvement from UNC Asheville; Number of students serviced by UNC Asheville math majors. Increased number of UNC Asheville students majoring in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines.

 
 

 
 
 

4.4   Our Communities and Their Economic Transformation

Introduction: The distinctive nature of a UNC Asheville educational experience combines the talents, energies, and commitments of our graduates to form a compelling engine of economic transformation for the 21^st century. In addition, Greater Asheville is home to many vibrant and growing communities, and the University is a major partner in existing and ongoing community development efforts. 
 

1. Existing Program: Economist Amartya Sen has suggested that an important way to conceptualize economic development is through the development of human agency and the expansion of human capacity. University students and graduates, in the full spectrum of their intellectual and social capability and potential, provide a fundamental promise for economic transformation in North Carolina and beyond. UNC Asheville’s strategic plan leads the Student Outcomes section with the aspiration that, “UNC Asheville students [will] develop an inquisitive, interdisciplinary, engaged way of life in a vibrant university community which is just, collaborative, and increasingly diverse.” Work that is central to a liberal arts education is central to economic transformation in the future. 

Strengths: Consistent with the goals of our strategic plan, we have set high expectations for student success. This will be affirmed when our students “demonstrate an accountability to their own moral and ethical principles, and a responsibility to individuals, community, and humanity; they develop a service orientation, a sense of adventure, and a respect for differences; they discover the joys of entrepreneurship, enlightened risk-taking, and responsible activism,” in accord with their attending a premier public liberal arts college. One recent example is a 2003 cum laude graduate in chemistry and environmental studies. Building on his convictions and his scholarship, he founded and currently serves as CEO of Blue Ridge Biofuels, a local organization that has brought biofuel capabilities to our region. Combining his education in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) disciplines with an understanding of global issues, management practices, and his own ethical and moral convictions, this graduate is making a difference within his community and the environment.

Obstacles: The general public is not yet convinced of the economic, community, business, and individual benefit of a liberal arts education. We have not consistently made the case for the value of the Liberal Arts as a solid preparation for the myriad challenges of the future. We need help refining how we describe ourselves to the public so that more people understand who we are, what we do, and why our mission matters to the State of North Carolina.  
 

2. New program: Much of our contribution to local and regional economic transformation is accomplished through student-directed, faculty-mentored undergraduate research. A combination of several UNC Asheville’s Strategic Plan goals (Action 21) will provide for North Carolina:

• More and better teachers who stay in the profession, especially here in North Carolina.
• More pre-med students who are well-rounded, ethical human beings, especially here in North Carolina.
• More pre-health graduates to address the growing health crisis in North Carolina.
• More environmentally savvy thinkers, planners, and problem-solvers collaborating with greater Asheville and our state on environmental issues.

 
 

1. Implementation strategies:
2. Our Vice Chancellor for Alumni & Development and our Dean of University Programs will lead a group that includes: Dir, H&W; H&W faculty; Dir Pre-Health Professions program; Chair Pre-Health committee; Chair Environmental Sciences; Landscape Architect; Dir, EQI; Dir Craft Campus; Dir AGC; Dir NCCCR; Dir Education Dept; VC Alumni & Development; Dir Public Information; Asst to the Chancellor for External Affairs (2); 1-2 UR committee members; Key Center rep; Diversity Action Council rep; 2-3 students; Dir Leadership Programs.
3. Sample Benchmarks: Growth in the number of students completing Teacher Licensure or graduating in Pre-Health professions and Environmental Studies.

 
 

1. Existing program(s): The University is already involved in a variety of community partnerships that directly contribute to economic and community development.

• The University has undertaken a leadership role in the Asheville HUB economic development initiative, a collaborative economic, community, cultural, and sustainable development effort for Asheville and Buncombe County that aligns the University with the strategic economic plans of our region.

• RENCI at UNC Asheville is a community partnership focused on decision support tools, economic development and flood mitigation. Production of RENCI’s tools, created through partnerships with the City, the County and twelve local non-profits and companies, helps drive the local economy while assisting community and regional leaders in making sound decisions. Additionally, RENCI at UNC Asheville provides a fully technologically equipped van (the RENCI ROVER) to The North Carolina Arboretum, River Link and Colburn Earth Science Museum to support their education and outreach programs. Eleven UNC Asheville students have been supported in undergraduate research and community internships through RENCI at UNC Asheville.
• UNC Asheville’s National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC) leads the Technology Cluster of the Asheville Hub, Through Hub Technology Cluster funding, 10 UNC Asheville students have been supported in community research projects and internships.

• The North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement brings together the talent and energy of a new generation of dynamic seniors who actively contribute to the local economy and social networks. This nationally acclaimed center, and its College for Seniors, is a leading driver in making Greater Asheville a destination of  choice for active seniors.

• The University hosts the State of Black Asheville conference, facilitating an inclusive discussion on diversity as it relates to education, the economy, employment, housing, and other important issues affecting the Asheville community
• The University shares oversight of the inter-institutional Center for Craft, Creativity and Design, helping our region take the lead in craft scholarship and research.
• Our Asheville Graduate Center hosts baccalaureate and master’s degree programs from six Universities in Greater Asheville.

 
 

Strengths: Our strategic planning process was explicit in seeking advice about the needs of the greater Asheville community. Our chancellor is a visible, civic leader, and her presence and involvement is complemented by the lifelong engagement of many faculty, staff, and administrators in the economic, cultural, and sustainable community of which we are a part. The successes within Asheville and Buncombe County have received national and international press, in part because Greater Asheville has a first rate public liberal arts university.

Obstacles: Our investments and commitments in the community are many and sometimes disconnected. We have described this dilemma with our community involvement as being ‘a mile wide and an inch deep.’ We have not always been seen as a reliable partner with our community, when we have not always been able to follow through on our commitments. We need to commit carefully and well, and assure that we can maintain our investment in the right number of initiatives. We will need to add and allocate staff to respond to and coordinate our community partnerships. 
 

2. New Program: North Carolina Center for Health & Wellness [also meets goal 4.5: Our Health]The North Carolina General Assembly has provided the initial $35 million to launch this ambitious project. Scheduled to open in 2010, our new Center will be the first of its kind in North Carolina to focus on the health outreach and education of our Western North Carolina citizens. Initially focusing on senior wellness, workplace wellness and childhood obesity, this program will combine the University’s assets of a strong academic program in Health and Wellness Promotion and the many local partners already committed to this issue. Issues of nutrition, health education, health care disparity, disease prevention and management, the role of exercise, and special population health issues will have a champion and headquarters at NCCH&W. This new center will allow our community and our economy to capitalize further on our region’s reputation as a destination for health and rejuvenation. Faculty and students are already collaborating with community partners on important research into factors that affect health and wellness including lifestyle issues, aging, poverty, education, and employment. Addressing health and quality of life issues before people get sick holds the greatest potential for keeping the costs of health care down and for improving the health and quality of life for North Carolinians.
   1. Implementation strategies:  Our undergraduate research and community partnerships frame excellent opportunities for research which will benefit the public. Our community values this potential. We know this, in part, because the North Carolina Center for Health and Wellness has already attracted over $4 million of external, financial support.
   2. Sample Benchmarks: Because of early focus on childhood obesity, workplace wellness, and senior wellness, we anticipate looking at measurements in these areas to gauge our progress toward improving the health of our region through outreach, education, collaboration, and support.

 
 

3. New Program: Establish Greater Asheville as the center for the modern American studio craft movement with our new sustainable Craft Campus. Educate practitioners of studio crafts and art, teachers, scholars, collectors and advocates who will communicate, strengthen and sustain the power of the handmade object within a region already recognized for its environmental literacy, creative economy and strong craft-based cultural heritage. The Craft Campus will serve as a national model for environmentally innovative campus design and dynamic interdisciplinary craft education combining the practice of art and craft, the acquisition of economic strategies for business success in design and craft, and an active stewardship of the environment. The campus itself combines the need for environmentally healthy craft studio spaces for students and faculty, a demonstration and teaching venue for outstanding faculty and leading craftspeople of the region, a model of ingenuity in sustainable studio design and alternative energy production, along with a craft and environmental education center for the State and Western North Carolina. [also meets goal 4.6: Our Environment]Programming efforts in the area of economic, cultural, creative and societal issues will be supported through partnerships with the Center for Craft, Creativity + Design, Penland School of Craft, John C. Campbell Folk School, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Handmade in America, Black Mountain College Museum, Asheville Art Museum, Southern Highlands Craft Guild, North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement, and the American Craft Council. These partnerships will support an efficient use of funds through organized scheduling of artists, lecturers and exhibitions and will enable more ambitious programming efforts through co-sponsorship.
   1. Implementation strategies: We have already collaborated with Buncombe County to lease land adjacent to a former landfill and to use the methane gas produced from the landfill to provide the fuel needs of the craft campus. We are currently designing both the curriculum for an exciting new major in craft studies, and the studio facilities in ceramics, glass, metal and wood that will comprise the Craft Campus.
   2. The Director of the Craft Campus is convening a group that includes faculty from the art, environmental studies, chemistry, management, and other departments, fundraising professionals, our design & construction experts, regional craft experts, regional energy experts, students, and local/regional collaborators in government and the private sector.
   3. Sample Benchmarks: Early indicators of success will include the number of regional and national crafts experts drawn to our Craft Campus, visitors to Western North Carolina who choose to visit the craft and environmental education center, and the number of craft and art degree graduates who can augment and sustain our creativity-based economy.

 
 

4. New Program: The North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement will embark on a planning process for their next couple of decades of serving the needs of older adults in the region. Plans include designing new ways to deepen its connection to UNC Asheville, collaborating with the NC Center for Health & Wellness on senior wellness and quality of life issues, and broadening the racial diversity of its members and participants. Now in their third decade of meeting the needs of active seniors in the region by promoting “thriving in the second half of life through learning, leadership, service and research,” the North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement is poised to bring newcomers to greater Asheville to our campus and into closer affiliation with both the center and the university. 
 

1. Implementation strategy: Example: In collaboration with the North Carolina Center for Health & Wellness, we will develop a model intergenerational wellness curriculum through which UNC Asheville students and faculty and NCCCR members can learn from and with one another through a laboratory of innovative programs, research, and outreach. This will enhance the capacity of NCCHW and NCCCR to reach out to a broad socioeconomic and diverse senior population.
2. NCCCR leadership will work with the current NCCHW team, which includes Health & Wellness faculty, staff from Alumni & Development, Athletics, the Chancellor’s Office, and Design & Construction. This team will work with NCCCR to plan and implement the above program.
3. Sample Benchmarks: Increase in the racial and socioeconomic diversity of NCCCR leaders, members and participants; Increase in the UNC Asheville collaborations and programs that include NCCCR participation and leadership, and vice versa.

 
 

4.5 Our Health

Introduction: The success of our pre-med students places us in an ideal position to expand the number of pre-med students who can become the doctors and health care providers that we need for this century. Health and Wellness Promotion is one of the fastest-growing academic majors at UNC Asheville. In addition, we are located in a region that has long been known for health and rejuvenation, attracting more people every year for our beautiful mountain landscape, our high-quality health care facilities, our limitless opportunities for outdoor recreation and our moderate mountain climate. We are in an optimal position to begin to address an important step in solving the health care crisis in our region: health education and wellness promotion. 
 

1. Existing program(s):

• Strong pre-health programs, whose graduates become doctors, health care paraprofessionals, health educators and administrators.
• Health & Wellness Promotion majors undergo a battery of assessments, complete health risk appraisals and develop their own personal wellness plans.
• All students, majors and non-majors, learn how to use health information to improve health and quality of life.

• Approximately 175 students participate in NCAA Division I Intercollegiate Athletics, through 14 varsity team. Our multiple Recreation Programs, including UNC Asheville Outdoors, as well as our Intramural program and club sports, provide all students with access to healthy activity both on and off campus.

• Participation in the NC Center for Health & Aging, an alliance w/Western Carolina University and MAHEC to create a “cluster of innovation” around health and wellness in the western region.
• Co-leading the health and rejuvenation cluster of the Asheville HUB Economic Development Initiative
• Faculty and students conduct research through the Wellness Initiative Starter (WIS) Grant Program and the Wellness Scholar Awards (WSA) to share results with the greater community. They will collaborate with MAHEC and WCU to develop a comprehensive structure to prepare the public to use health information more effectively.
• A burgeoning Workplace Wellness Program for faculty and staff called ‘Lighten Up 4 Life,’ a multi-year workplace weight loss pilot program with UNC Chapel Hill coordinated locally through Mission Hospitals,.
• Multiple collaborations with Mission Hospitals, including a new ‘Spring into Wellness’ camp, designed to encourage high school students from underrepresented populations to explore health care professions and to develop healthy lifestyles.
• Participation with the Cliffs Communities in Zest Quest, a Childhood Wellness Program.
• GIFT (Getting Into Fitness Together) Program, a creative, 6-week physical activity program for children ages 7-12 and their families, led by students and faculty in a combined Psychology and Healthy & Wellness course.

 
 

As a liberal arts institution with a focus on exemplary undergraduate education, UNC Asheville is not well positioned to provide the clinical training to educate health care practitioners or clinicians.

Strengths:  (1) Of all UNC Asheville graduates who have applied to graduate programs in health care (medical, dental, veterinary, and pharmacy schools) in the last three years, 91% have been accepted into those programs on their first application, more than twice the national average of 41.2%. Our record improves to 100% two years after graduation from UNC Asheville. National trends over the last five to six years indicate that History and English majors have the highest chance of being accepted to these competitive programs, reflecting a growing recognition by health care educators of the dramatic and practical advantage of a liberal arts education. (2) Our Health & Wellness Promotion major is focused on education, outreach, and preventive lifestyle changes. This specialty is particularly suited to the over-55 age group that is drawn to our region. Even before the Health & Wellness building is complete, we have initial model programs addressing senior wellness, workplace wellness, and childhood obesity. (3) Our collaboration with Mission Hospitals and others in greater Asheville is already serving the public in a very visible way.

Obstacles: We do not have enough faculty and staff to fully implement this opportunity. This will be especially true when our new building will permit additional capacity in 2010. We will also need additional funding to sustain our community partnerships and our faculty/student research. 
 

2. New Program: North Carolina Center for Health & Wellness[also meets goal 4.4: Economic Transformation]Scheduled to open in 2010, our new Center will be the first of its kind in North Carolina to focus on the health outreach and education of our Western North Carolina citizenry. Initially focusing on senior wellness, workplace wellness and childhood obesity, this program will bring to bear the combined assets of the University’s strong academic program in Health and Wellness Promotion and the many local partners already committed to this issue. Issues of nutrition, health education, health care disparity, disease prevention and management, the role of exercise, and special population health issues will have a champion and headquarters at UNC Asheville. The health of our region will continue to thrive as we capitalize on our reputation as a destination for health and rejuvenation.
   1. Implementation strategies: Students and faculty have already begun to collaborate on programming and undergraduate research topics related to health promotion and disease prevention. For example, a current Health & Wellness major is conducting an assessment of the use of complementary and alternative medicine among older adults in Buncombe County.  We are also in the beginning stages of working with the Cherokee Nation High School on Health and Wellness issues and facilitating a streamlined entry into college for accomplished students. On a larger scale, we have already begun to form partnerships with Mission Hospitals and Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) to bring to bear all of our local expertise in improving the health of our citizenry. In addition, UNC Asheville’s focus on multidisciplinary approach to wellness makes us the perfect campus to host the 2008 national conference of the Association for General and Liberal Studies, exploring how a general and liberal education curriculum can lead to the health/wellness/sustainability of individuals, institutions, and communities.
   2. Sample Benchmarks: Increase in undergraduate research projects focusing on health-related issues; Increase in number of graduates majoring in Health & Wellness Promotion; Longer-term measures will include a decrease in childhood obesity in the region, and a decrease in health care costs and absenteeism for regional employers.

 
 

3. New Program: Collaboration on Senior Wellness issues between the North Carolina Center for Health & Wellness (NCCH&W) and the North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement (NCCCR). Already nationally known for its creative approach to retirement and senior living in the 21^st century, NCCCR will collaborate with NCCH&W on issues related to all aspects of senior health and vibrancy. 
 

1. Implementation strategies: Develop a model intergenerational wellness curriculum through which UNC Asheville students and faculty and NCCCR members can learn from and with one another through a laboratory of innovative programs, research, and outreach. This will enhance the capacity of NCCCR to reach out to a broad socioeconomic and diverse senior population and improve senior wellness

 
 

2. Sample Benchmarks: Individual research projects will identify health indicators to measure throughout the time of the studies.

 
 
 

4. New Program: We will participate in the expansion of medical education by working with Mission Hospital as they serve as a host site for 3^rd and 4^th year medical students from UNC Chapel Hill, as recently approved by the Board of Governors. UNC Asheville will be able to contribute more prospective doctors for North Carolina, curricular experience with health and wellness, undergraduate research projects in medicine and health, and the potential of a workforce retention program for North Carolina physicians. 
 
 

1. Implementation strategy: UNC Asheville has already begun to partner with Mission Hospitals, MAHEC, and WNCHN to assist with this effort. Medical students would collaborate on NCCH&W initiatives and projects, participate with faculty and students in Undergraduate Research projects, and serve as advisors to our pre-health majors.
2. Sample Benchmarks: Increase in number of pre-health students going to medical schools; increase in undergraduate research projects mentored by medical students; Increase in number of physicians graduating from UNC Chapel Hill medical school working in rural Western North Carolina, especially in Family Practice.
3. Implementation strategy: Develop a workforce retention program for physicians through collaboration with NCCH&W, Mission Hospitals, and MAHEC.
4. Sample Benchmarks: Increase in the number of doctors who find creative, community-based ways to teach, perform research, and practice medicine in our region.

 
 

 
 
 

4.6 Our Environment

Introduction: The third major theme of UNC Asheville’s strategic plan is Long-Term Sustainability, embracing environmental sustainability as a core value.  Environmental literacy, awareness and stewardship are long-standing practices on our campus, not just as a scientific endeavor, but as a lens through which we shape our academic, social, and operational practices. Our goal is to “enhance our state-wide leadership and recognition for environmental stewardship through continued academic inquiry, energy efficiency, conservation, and green building practices.” Our interdisciplinary general education courses reflect this intentionality. At present, every student graduating from UNC Asheville will read foundational works in environmental science, policy, literature and philosophy, because this material is part of the core syllabus in both of the required Senior Colloquia. The environment is also one of the five focus areas in our collaborations with the Asheville, assuring that many of our environmental efforts will benefit the environmental needs of our local region (action 21).

1. Existing programs: UNC Asheville has already demonstrated its “leadership role in addressing the state’s energy and environmental challenges,” as evidenced by recurring state-wide energy conservation awards, conservation leadership awards, and the sustainable design and construction of New Hall and the Sam Millar Facilities building. Working with our community, UNC Asheville’s National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC) partners with the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station on researching threats to our nations’ forests and creating a Western North Carolina Sustainability Report Card. We are actively providing results of these studies to the citizens of North Carolina through Web Tools, workshops and other outreach programs. Nine UNC Ashville students have received funding for undergraduate research through this collaborative effort. Just one, tiny example of regular environmental awareness and practice might be the use of potato-based biodegradable plates at the 2006 installation ceremony for Chancellor Ponder. Small but important decisions like these are made by hundreds of individuals across campus every day.

 
 

Strengths: Sustainability, conservation, and environmental literacy have been long-standing values practiced on our campus, by students, faculty and staff, in and out of the classroom; Our Environmental Studies department leads the campus in research and practices; Our campus hosts the Environmental Quality Institute (EQI), and the National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC);  In 2006, students initiated a mandatory Green Campus Initiative fee intended to fund sustainable initiatives, energy efficiency and conservation, and related green practices on campus, beginning with the 2007-08 academic year. This fee also funded the establishment of the Student Environmental Center to connect students with environmental events and organizations in the community, and to promote environmental literacy, practices and behavior changes related to critical environmental issues. In fall 2007, the fee was used to purchase an electric GEM Car for University Police to reduce the reliance on gas-powered vehicles.

Obstacles: We have the institutional history, the personal and professional commitment on the part of students, faculty, and staff, and the creativity to lead in sustainability measures for our campus and our region. Obstacles include (1) a shortage of resources to implement additional sustainability-oriented practices and co-curricular activities, (2) Limited resources for campus-wide renovation and retrofit of building to increase environmental and energy performance, (3) our campus has a $44 million backlog of repair and renovation projects (as projected by FCAP) that will take decades to complete at the current level of funding, resulting in these facilities remaining inefficient and wasteful in their current configurations, and (4) Outdated State regulations regarding the building and renovation of state property limit the choices we can make, as sustainable and/or green construction options tend to have higher up front costs (despite the longer-term efficiencies). 
 

2. New Program:  A new collaboration is being developed with several other UNC campuses to bring a multidisciplinary master’s degree in Climate Change and Society to campus through the Asheville Graduate Center. With the region’s burgeoning business in climate data application and technology, a concentration of climate-related government agencies, and increasing attention on the problem of global climate change, this offering is timely for our region, our economy, and the education of our citizens. This is likely to be similar to our current arrangement with UNC Chapel Hill, where the Asheville Graduate Center on our campus offers the UNC Chapel Hill Master’s of Social Work program. This collaboration serves to meet several of the UNC Tomorrow goals:  4.1 Global Readiness; 4.2 Access to Higher Education; 4.4 Economic Transformation; 4.6 Our Environment; and 4.7 Outreach and Engagement.

1. Implementation strategies: The Asheville Graduate Center is collaborating with faculty from NC State University, Appalachian State University, UNC Wilmington and UNC Asheville, local governmental agencies, environmental scientists from the Panel on Climate Change (which earned a 2007 Nobel Prize) and others to develop the degree program, which we hope to pilot within a year.
2. Sample Benchmarks: Number of master’s degrees conferred in Climate Change and Society; number of graduates working in the public or private sector addressing climate change in North Carolina.

 
 

3. New Program: A new effort to facilitate Undergraduate Research opportunities related to community-based issues; deepen the focus of Undergraduate Research projects on societal concerns and environmental issues. (Action 9) This effort meets the UNC Tomorrow invitation to “leverage existing research expertise to address critical environmental and energy issues, as well as increasing community awareness of environmental and sustainability issues.”

1. Implementation strategies: Example: UNC Asheville has been awarded a $155,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to partner with the National Climatic Data Center on faculty-student climate-related undergraduate research.
2. Sample Benchmarks: Number of Undergraduate Research projects that are focused on environmental issues.

 
 

4. New Program: Pursue creative daily practices of sustainability and responsibility; Establish sustainable best practices in technology, infrastructure and campus planning (Action 27).

 
 

1. Implementation strategies: Utilize student environmental interns and the Student Environmental Center in campus planning activities; support efforts to incorporate sustainability by greening the curriculum in appropriate areas.
2. Our Associate Provost and AVC for Campus Operations will convene a group that includes: Academic Policies committee reps; Chair ILSOC; Campus Architect; Dir Outdoor Programs; Craft Campus Dir.; VC Student Affairs designee; residence hall staff; 2-3 students; SGA & other student groups; H&W rep; Chair Environmental Studies; student environmental center reps, facilities reps involved in recycling, members of Finance Dept, Publications, Alumni &Development, UR; 2 interested faculty, 2 interested staff members.
3. Sample Benchmarks: UNC Asheville is considering participation in project STARS(Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System), currently being developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). The project will rate participating college and university sustainability efforts nationwide, using meaningful comparisons across institutions.

 
 

 
 
 

4.7 Our University’s Outreach and Engagement

Introduction: This goal speaks directly to the theme of Public Responsibility in UNC Asheville’s Strategic Plan. Our goal is to “share responsibility with our partners in Asheville and Buncombe County to bring forth our collective talents to help shape the economic, societal, and cultural future of our community.” 
 

1. Existing program(s):
• Our Asheville Graduate Center provides master’s degrees from six major universities, serving the Western North Carolina region’s need for a better-educated citizenry.
• The hosting of Leadership Asheville through the Asheville Graduate Center promotes civic awareness and responsibility among our region’s leaders and decision-makers.
• The inter-institutional Center for Craft, Creativity and Design in Hendersonville, for which UNC Asheville has administrative oversight, brings craft and art scholarship and cutting edge research to the center of the North Carolina craft economy.
• The Key Center for Community Citizenship and Service Learning advances civic engagement and service learning for all students through a variety of outreach and collaboration programs.
• University leadership in the Asheville HUB economic development alliance, specifically in the Technology and Health/Rejuvenation clusters, aligns the University with the strategic economic plans of our region.
• Our Center for Jewish Studies has, for the past 25 years, coordinated academic courses in Jewish Studies and sponsored lectures, concerts, exhibitions and public presentations on Jewish history and culture.
• We sponsor and host an active Family Business Forum for Western North Carolina, a resource to successful family-owned businesses seeking to strengthen and support the entrepreneurial spirit of the family and the company.
• The Center for Diversity Education works with students, teachers and citizens of Western North Carolina to increase the ways diversity is covered in the classroom and community. Through projects, exhibits, theatrical performances, and field trips, the Center seeks to inform the community about Asian, Jewish, African American, Hispanic and other cultures that enrich American society.
• The North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement brings together the talent and energy of a new generation of dynamic seniors who actively contribute to the life of the region, the local economy and social networks.
• National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC) conducts research in collaboration with students, faculty, the National Climatic Data Center, and local governmental agencies to provide better environmental data for critical regional planning and disaster preparation related to the environment. [also meets goal 4.6: Our Environment]
• Our Environmental Quality Institute performs and shares research on crucial public health issues such as water quality, lead poisoning, arsenic detection, etc. [also meets goals 4.6: Our Environment and 4.5: Our Health]
• We welcome our community onto our campus for a wide variety of athletic and cultural events, presentations, discussions, and performances. Our Concerts on the Quad and the weekly Tailgate Market are examples of regular practice of resource sharing and community building.
• School tutoring, mentoring, and volunteering are seen as a key, valuable way UNC Asheville students are involved in the greater Asheville community.
• Many Undergraduate Research efforts are focused on addressing our region’s and society’s most pressing issues and concerns.

 
 

Strengths: We have many committed professionals who invest themselves fully into our current community collaborations, serving as community citizens and extraordinary role models for our students. We provide a funded service-learning center to make sure that students experience the richness of our region and the responsibilities of living in a community.

Obstacles:  (1) Too many of our students are not able to participate in the full campus experience as they are working to support themselves and to afford their education. We need more financial aid and more on-campus work for students, and we need to link these experiences with Career Services to increase student retention and graduation rates. (2) Funding for a full-time director of our Key Center would provide even more opportunities for more students to participate in service learning.[See also Obstacles under 4.4 Economic Transformation.] 
 

2. New program: In the next five years, we will encourage and facilitate more Undergraduate Research efforts that relate directly to community-based issues and deepen the focus of Undergraduate Research projects on societal concerns and environmental issues. (Action 9) Meets UNC Tomorrow invitation to “create a mechanism for applying research and scholarship to addressing significant regional and statewide issues.” [Also meets 4.2 Access to Higher Education and 4.4 Economic Transformation]

1. Implementation strategies: Develop mechanisms for linking faculty and students with area agencies; provide faculty development in and resources for community-based research approaches; join area organizations in collaborative grant-writing opportunities to facilitate faculty and student involvement.
2. Our Director of Undergraduate Research will convene a group that includes: Undergraduate Research Committee members; 2-3 students; AVC campus operations; 2 campus operations staff involved in facilities planning; Registrar; Dir, Academic Budgeting; Chair, IDC; Dir, Key Center for Service Learning; 2-3 students involved in Undergraduate Research; Asst to the Chancellor for External Affairs; Dir Public Information; member of Alumni & Development group.
3. Sample Benchmarks: Number (or percentage) of Undergraduate Research projects that are focused on local or regional concerns; Number of local or regional employers who hire UNC Asheville graduates as a result of their collaboration on an Undergraduate Research project.

 
 

3. New Program: Communicate UNC Asheville’s resources, strengths, and expertise to North Carolina by funding and implementing a comprehensive, coordinated marketing and communications plan. Help North Carolina families appreciate the superb resource and treasure that is UNC Asheville. [also meets goal  4.2: Access to Higher Education]

1. Implementation strategies: Engage a professional marketing firm to design a complete marketing strategy; build a robust communications team to design and build a robust web presence for our campus.(Action 19).
2. Our Vice Chancellor for Alumni & Development will convene a group that includes: Dir Publications; Dir Web Development; Dir Asheville Graduate Center; Dir Public Information; Alumni & Parent group reps; Dean of Admissions; Chair of Faculty Senate or designee; Academic Dean w/responsibility for 1 or more Centers; ITS rep; 2-3 students;  2-3 support staff.
3. Sample Benchmarks: Percent students who report Liberal Arts as “important” or “very important” reason for enrolling. Percent entering freshmen that state an intention to graduate from UNC Asheville. Percent entering freshman that identify UNC Asheville as their first choice for college.

 
 

4. New Program: The opportunities for service to our community were made manifest when our public responsibility came forward in the formation of our strategic plan. Emerging from our study and in response to our planning, UNC Asheville, for at least the next five years, will be focusing our community collaborations on the Environment, Health & Wellness, Craft & Art, Climate & Technology, developing teachers, and the North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement serving the needs of the over-55 population. We will consult with the community on the priorities and urgency of these local and regional collaborations.(Action 21)[Also meets 4.2 Access to Higher Education and 4.4 Economic Transformation]

1. Implementation strategies:  Examples: Affiliate with local public schools to address their most urgent needs as we develop new teachers; Collaborate with the local community to target the outreach programs of the NC Center for Health & Wellness to meet the health promotion needs of those most in need in our region. (Action 21).
2. Our Vice Chancellor for Alumni & Development and our Dean of University Programs will convene a group that includes: Dir, H&W; H&W faculty; Dir Pre-Health Professions program; Chair Pre-Health committee; Chair Environmental Sciences; Landscape Architect; Dir, EQI; Dir Craft Campus; Dir AGC; Dir NCCCR; Dir Education Dept; VC Alumni & Development; Dir Public Information; Asst to the Chancellor for External Affairs (2); 1-2 UR committee members; Key Center rep; Diversity Action Council rep; 2-3 students; Dir Leadership Programs.
3. Sample Benchmarks: Measure to what extent our existing collaborations meet the above criteria, adequately meet our existing commitments; Assess future collaborations to make certain that they meet the above criteria, and that we can adequately meet the commitments involved in the collaboration.