2024-2029 Strategic Plan
The University of North Alabama is to be:
Innovative.
Inclusive.
Engaged.
Evolving.
Global.
As a student-centered, regional, state-assisted institution of higher education, the University of North Alabama pursues engaging in teaching, research, and service in order to provide educational opportunities for students, an environment for discovery and creative accomplishment, and a variety of outreach activities meeting the professional, civic, social, cultural, and economic development needs of our region in the context of a global community.
Theme One:
Student-Centric Excellence
Theme Two:
Sustainable Growth and Infrastructure
Theme Three:
Community Engagement and Partnerships
Theme Four:
Financial Viability
Theme Five:
Communication, Transparency, and Accountability
Theme Six:
Institutional Identity
Click, touch, or tap a theme button above to see the related goals and aspirations.
Theme One: Student-Centric Excellence
Goals
Aspirations
Increase experiential learning and workforce development opportunities for students (e.g., internships, study abroad, study away, and mentorship programs).
Every baccalaureate graduate completes at least two (2) experiential learning experiences, and every graduate completes at least one (1) experiential learning experience.
Increase timely hiring and funding of faculty to maintain program quality and small student to faculty ratio.
Establish efficient and consistent faculty hiring processes among the four colleges.
Maintain a high-quality, student-focused, and personalized instructional and learning environment as the University nurtures diverse academic program offerings.
Seek to limit employment of adjuncts to no more than 25% of the total number of courses taught by each department with extenuating circumstances when necessary.
Theme Two: Sustainable Growth and Infrastructure
Goals
Aspirations
Invest in building maintenance, renovations, and new projects that enhance safety and support the university’s growth.
Reduce deferred maintenance by 25%, increase safety and ADA- compliance on campus, and begin construction of a multi-use stadium.
Implement options to help address internet/network redundancy issues on campus.
Establish a secondary internet provider on campus to address internet/network redundancy issues on campus within three years of implementing the strategic plan.
Continue to develop and invest in sustainable enrollment strategies.
Continue to enroll a student population that aligns with our institutional identity while maintaining a balanced budget.
Theme Three: Community Engagement and Partnerships
Goals
Aspirations
Strengthen Community Relationships
Foster stronger relationships with the local community, bridge the gap between academia and experiential learning opportunities, and participate in community-oriented programs and collaborative projects.
Enhance Communication Strategies
Implement strategies to improve both internal and external communication.
Attract Diversity in the University Community
Establish initiatives to attract a more diverse student, faculty, and staff population.
Theme Four: Financial Viability
Goals
Aspirations
Maximize resource efficiency to ensure the future growth and expansion of the University’s mission.
Reduce duplicative resources to maximize resource allocation.
Maximize engagement with policymakers, alumni, stakeholders and supporters by highlighting economic impact to increase financial support for the University.
Stakeholders are well versed in the UNA story.
Continue to utilize data driven analysis to forecast enrollment trends and identify areas of growth or decline.
Have an efficient predictive model for enrollment and growth.
Theme Five: Communication, Transparency, and Accountability
Goals
Aspirations
Improve communication across all shareholders through a unified communication strategy.
Launch a new app that will provide shareholders access to updated information promptly.
Invest in strengthening mental health resources available to students, faculty, and staff.
Invest in mental health resources as appropriate to increase access to services.
Increase emergency preparation across campus.
Review and strengthen the emergency preparedness program.
Theme Six: Institutional Identity
Goals
Aspirations
Engage the community with tangible research, workforce training, project development, and outreach to community and alumni partners.
Implement and maintain an open communication platform, accessible to all internal and external UNA stakeholders. Conduct regular town hall meetings with stakeholders to improve overall transparency, data collection, and communication.
Emphasize UNA’s focus on high-quality education and develop a competitive enrollment strategy that ensures access for students from different backgrounds and strong canvassing of the region and beyond.
Recruit and retain well-qualified students from a variety of backgrounds who complement the University’s commitment to diversity and emphasis on academic excellence.
Prioritize and highlight UNA’s strength as a regional university with world-class faculty to enhance the student experience.
Maintain student-to-faculty ratio at current levels for face-to-face instruction and implement experiential learning opportunities across both face-to-face and online modalities.