As UNC Asheville approaches its centennial year in 2027-28, we continue to pursue the mission set forth by our founders to provide a unique model of public higher education in Western North Carolina. As enduringly articulated in 1963 by Dr. Roy A. Riggs, then chairman of Humanities and later dean of the faculty:
UNC Asheville is traditionally sound and boldly experimental. Our students explore the interrelationships among broad fields of knowledge to develop a system of ethics and morals worthy of free people as they confront difficult intellectual challenges with knowledge and understanding that will equip them to pursue their individual goals, to function effectively and constructively in society, and to find meaning in their personal lives.
This statement, adapted from the UNC Asheville Founding Document: Aims and Objectives is still as compelling and relevant today as it was nearly 60 years ago.
Today, with our mission as our firm foundation, we are gaining momentum through the power of UNC Asheville’s possibility and potential. Under the steady, inclusive leadership of Chancellor Nancy J. Cable, the revitalization of UNC Asheville is underway.
Developed with insights and feedback from hundreds of UNC Asheville students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends over the past three years, we are pleased to present the UNC Asheville Revitalization Plan 2021-2028. This plan will guide and frame the University as it thrives in perpetuity as an intellectual and cultural beacon in Asheville and Western North Carolina.
Three key strategic priorities frame the University’s revitalization efforts:
1: Increase our fiscal strength and capacity
- Design and successfully complete UNC Asheville’s first comprehensive fund-raising campaigns
- Become a high demand summer destination for national thought leadership, summer study and research
2: Evolve & Innovate our curriculum, institutional culture and student support
- Talent identification and student success scholarship
- Master’s programs in UNC Asheville’s existing hallmark strengths
3: Enhance our public-private partnership footprint across the region, state and beyond
- Leverage our Millennial Campus designation from the UNC System to partner with regional leaders on key public-private projects
- Strengthen partnerships in the UNC System and across North Carolina
- Enhance our proven role as an academic and financial incubator for the UNC System
Together, we will build upon our strengths, continue to engage our community and friends in each step of the plan, and revitalize what we do best. It is time for UNC Asheville to restate our position as one of the most dynamic, high-quality and student-centered universities in the UNC System and the nation.