April 20, 2009

University Planning Council

Minutes for April 21, 2009

Present: Melissa Acker, Buffy Bagwell, Peg Downes, Becky Doyle, Jane Fernandes, Bill Haas, Archer Gravely, Bill Haggard, Jeff Konz, Jim Kuhlman, Amy Lanou, Keya Maitra, Bill Massey, Cortland Mercer, Linda Nelms, Adrienne Oliver, Dan Pierce, John Pierce, Anne Ponder, Christine Riley, Barbara Svenson, Betsy Wilson

Absent: Amanda Alvarez

UPC met from 3:30 to 5:01 in HU 221.

1. In a budget update, Chancellor Ponder stated that the state has issued rigid guidelines for the remaining fiscal year expenditures for May and June. We will only receive allocations from the State for payroll, debt service, financial aid, and utilities. She reported further that we now have so many staff vacancies in critical areas that we may need to make internal reassignments to cover critical functions. Graduation and Summer School will be conducted, but we have to request a budget “exception” from the State for them. Costs connected to student classroom experience are likely to qualify as exceptions. There is some possibility that purchasing and travel freezes may extend into the new budget year starting July 1.

2. Chancellor Ponder asked for UPC input on setting budget priorities for the next two years. Ms. Riley distributed a draft document 2009-11 University Strategy on Resource Allocation that proposes a statement of priorities for allocating resources. This document is designed to help us respond if the budget situation gets worse. UNC members provided feedback and input on the form and content of this document. UPC will consider a revised draft next month.

3. The strategic plan dashboard discussion was deferred until a future meeting.

4. Dr. Wilson led a discussion of the draft mission and vision statements. The draft #4 (see attached) will be sent to the Board of Governors as a draft within the next couple of days. The mission review committee will consider UPC’s suggestions from today and provide a final draft for UPC review at the next meeting on May 12. The Board of Trustees will also review the statement at their May 16 meeting.

5. Mr. Cortland Mercer was introduced as the newly elected SGA President and UPC member replacing Mr. Ladd. The new Faculty Senate members will join us in the next UPC meeting on May 12.

Proposed UNC Asheville Mission Statement, Draft 4

April 20, 2009

Vision:

UNC Asheville, a diverse and inclusive community, strives to exemplify excellence as a public liberal arts university.

Mission:

UNC Asheville is distinctive in the UNC system as its designated liberal arts institution. Our practice of the liberal arts emphasizes the centrality of learning and discovery through exemplary teaching, innovative scholarship, creative expression, co-curricular activities, and engaged service. We offer this challenging educational experience, once available only to the privileged, to promising students who are committed to learning and personal growth.

Small by choice, and primarily undergraduate, UNC Asheville requires students to concentrate in one area while developing an understanding of the connections among disciplines. Our educational approach emphasizes life skills including critical thinking, clear and thoughtful expression, and honest and open inquiry. We cultivate an understanding of the dimensions of human diversity with recognition of the common humanity of all. We encourage students to clarify, develop, and live their own values while respecting the views and beliefs of others. These skills and attributes enable our graduates to be lifelong learners and to lead successful, flourishing lives as leaders and contributors to their respective communities.

At UNC Asheville, we respond to the conditions and concerns of the contemporary world both as individuals and as an institution. We incorporate economic, social, and environmental sustainability into our institutional practices and curriculum. Through a range of associated centers and initiatives, we fulfill our public responsibility to address the needs of the community through the liberal arts. We strive to develop a commitment to continuing service characterized by an informed, responsible, and creative engagement with the Asheville area, the southern Appalachian region, the state of North Carolina, and a diverse and increasingly connected world.