Planning for Our Future

After five months of hard work across campus, a draft strategic plan has been posted for final review. This plan will guide our decision-making for the next 10 years. It establishes our goals and strategies and will provide a roadmap by which we will measure our progress along the journey. It also includes proposed new mission and vision statements.

We have arrived at this point through the hard work of nine task forces made up of faculty, staff and students and a steering committee under the direction of Chair of the Faculty Margery Overton and Provost Warwick Arden. I appreciate this strong effort and also appreciate the fact that people from all parts of our campus have submitted their comments and suggestions through feedback forms and forums.

The draft will be online for a final review through  March 25, when the strategic plan committee will incorporate feedback into a final version for Board of Trustees review and approval in April. I hope you will continue to take an active role in crafting this document by submitting your comments.

The strategic plan process is  one of three resource management conversations taking place on our campus, including reorganization and the state budget. The strategic plan has already helped to shape our reorganization conversation through conversations on resource allocation and organizational efficiency. We will make our reorganization plan public on March 15. The state budget conversation will continue to play out in the state legislature. Only when we have a final budget will we know the full impact of our budget reduction.

While this time of restructuring and refocusing can be energizing, it also can be disconcerting. Change is rarely easy, especially when at least part of the conversation is being driven by a weak economy. A thoughtful approach to planning and reorganization puts us in the best position for wise use of resources and to help ourselves and our state out of this challenging environment.

We are NC State, a university whose identity is built on our history of serving this state. This is not a time for us to recoil. This is a time for NC State to firmly establish itself as a university dedicated to its historical identity while maintaining a commitment to the progressive advancement best suited to meeting the needs of our students and the people of North Carolina.

Sincerely,
Randy Woodson
Chancellor
NC State University