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Strategic Plan
Strategic Plan

our plan.

The University of Nebraska at Omaha has been involved in strategic planning since its doors opened in 1908.  In 1997 that involvement expanded into a new campus-wide strategic planning initiative.  Faculty, staff, students and members of the community have created a dynamic process that encourages good ideas, allows employees to shape direction, and is transforming our institution.

For a printable version of the current UNO Strategic Plan, please see the 'Resources' tab, or click the link to the left.

Mission

As Nebraska’s metropolitan University, UNO is characterized by its strong academic foundations and creative community relationships that transform and improve the lives of constituents, the region, and the nation.

Vision

The University of Nebraska at Omaha will be among the nation’s premier metropolitan universities – a university of high distinction with strong academic and scholarly values distinguished by creative relationships with the communities we serve.

 

Values

The University of Nebraska at Omaha community is a diverse group of individuals sharing core values and working together to accomplish a common mission and vision.

UNO Believes:

  • That knowledge enriches the lives of all people and is committed to preparing students to face the challenges of living and learning in an ever-changing world;
  • In an educational partnership characterized by the commitment of: students to learning; faculty to the highest ideals of teaching, research, service; and staff to the highest standards of education and service;
  • In the welfare, talents, and future of our employees and their expanding professional development;
  • In the educational, cultural, and economic strengths of our communities and is committed to enhancing these through teaching, research, service and outreach;
  • In the importance of educated and healthy citizens and programs that improve their quality of life;
  • In the principles of inclusion, representation, openness and diversity.

 

Goal 1: UNO will be recognized as a student-centered metropolitan university.

As we strive to achieve our vision, students are always UNO’s key constituency. UNO commits to build and serve a diverse student body reflecting a dynamic metropolitan environment.

  • Sub-Goal A: UNO’s academic programs, advising, and support services will reflect the varying and evolving academic, career, and personal goals of traditional and non-traditional students.
    • Objective 1: Curricula will provide a strong academic foundation.
    • Objective 2: Student development, goal identification and attainment will be in the top tier of UNO’s peers.
    • Objective 3: Student’s ease of transfer into UNO from community colleges, four-year colleges and universities as well as international institutions will increase.
    • Objective 4: Distance education and other alternate delivery methods will increase accessibility and flexibility of academic programs consistent with student demand and resource availability.
  • Sub-Goal B: UNO students and graduates will be prepared for responsibility as active and productive citizens as demonstrated by their leadership, participation, and careers in diverse environments throughout the nation and world.
    • Objective 1: UNO’s intellectual, cultural, physical and social learning environment will foster pride, attachment, and participation of students, alumni, faculty, and staff.
    • Objective 2: UNO’s distinctive intellectual, cultural, physical and social learning environment will strengthen academic programs, leadership opportunities, self development, and growth for all students.
    • Objective 3: UNO students will measurably benefit from the opportunities in and interaction with the metropolitan environment.
    • Objective 4: Employer satisfaction with UNO graduates will increase significantly, as will graduates’ satisfaction with preparation and opportunities for employment.
  • Sub-Goal C: UNO will increase the educational opportunities for students from under-represented populations. UNO will:
    • Objective 1: Increase recruitment, retention, and graduation of students from under-represented populations.
    • Objective 2: Increase recruitment and retention of a diverse faculty and staff.
  • Sub-Goal D: UNO will increase its success in recruiting students desiring a metropolitan university experience. UNO will:
    • Objective 1: Increase the percentage of high school students in the top 10 percent of their graduating class who enter UNO.
    • Objective 2: Increase the percentage of high school students who consider UNO their first university choice.
    • Objective 3: Increase the percentage of post-baccalaureate students who consider UNO their first choice for graduate education.
    • Objective 4: Increase the percentage of non-traditional students who consider UNO their first university choice.
    • Objective 5: Increase the percentage of UNO enrollments in comparison with all higher education enrollments in the metropolitan area.
  • Sub-Goal E: UNO will foster an environment that attracts and develops students, faculty, and staff of diverse talents and backgrounds. UNO will:
    • Objective 1: Recruit and support underrepresented students from Omaha and the metropolitan region.
    • Objective 2: Design, maintain, promote and assess programs and services designed to recruit and develop student, faculty, and staff of diverse talents and backgrounds.
    • Objective 3: Demonstrate and assess a welcoming environment based on a community of learners and an appreciation of differences.

Goal 2: UNO will be recognized for its academic excellence as a leading metropolitan university.

UNO, led by the faculty, in collaboration with staff and students, strives for excellence at all levels of teaching, learning, scholarship, research, and creative activity consistent with its metropolitan mission. Excellence is demonstrated in programs and areas of distinction, high quality undergraduate education, and strong graduate research/professional programs.

  • Sub-Goal A: UNO will meet the highest aspirations of students drawn to a metropolitan campus. UNO will:
    • Objective 1: Value and reward faculty teaching, research and creative activity.
    • Objective 2: Continually improve instruction through engaging and evidence-based pedagogical techniques, effective use of current technologies, and appropriate outcome assessment strategies.
    • Objective 3: Increase opportunities for integrating research and creative activity into the learning experience of all students.
    • Objective 4: Provide supportive academic resources, such as the library, information services, student technology infrastructure and academic advising, to meet the multiple needs of students and those who instruct them.
    • Objective 5: Increase opportunities for on-going lifelong educational experiences.
  • Sub-Goal B: Led by its faculty scholars/artists, UNO will increase its commitment to building and strengthening academic programs of excellence. UNO will:
    • Objective 1: Have and promote nationally or internationally recognized programs of excellence.
    • Objective 2: Target specific outreach activities as a basis for developing academic programs that stress service learning and community outreach.
    • Objective 3: As an attestation of academic excellence, be ranked among the "top three institutions for learning" by prospective college students in Nebraska and Western Iowa.
  • Sub-Goal C: UNO will enhance its status as an outstanding community of scholars and artists. UNO will:
    • Objective 1: Encourage faculty research and creative activity, and when appropriate the inclusion of students in such scholarly activities, through increased funding and allocation of time for scholarship and engagement with leading international professionals.
    • Objective 2: Increase the resources provided to faculty to submit a greater number of successful proposals for external research and creative activity funding.
    • Objective 3: Reward, recognize, and promote published research and publicly displayed or performed creative activity.
    • Objective 4: Increase its public profile by publicizing faculty research and creative activity.
    • Objective 5: Support the faculty in integrating the metropolitan and global communities in generating research and creative activity.
    • Objective 6: Actively recruit and retain outstanding faculty and students while supporting our metropolitan mission.

Goal 3: UNO will be recognized for its outstanding engagement with the urban, regional, national, and global communities

In accordance with our mission, UNO is committed to community engagement. UNO defines community engagement as collaboration between the University and its local, regional, national and global communities for the exchange of knowledge and resources. As an engaged campus, UNO is fully committed to creating value through mutually beneficial partnerships where information and expertise is shared and applied for the common good.

  • Sub-Goal A: UNO will expand its community connections by engaging with partners in instructionally-based academic and educational activities. By 2015:
    • Objective 1. Each of the UNO colleges will increase the number of undergraduate and graduate courses with service learning components by 25%.
    • Objective 2. UNO will establish dual enrollment course agreements and offerings with all the public school districts in the Metropolitan Omaha Educational Consortium.
    • Objective 3. UNO will expand its curriculum and transfer articulation agreements with all community colleges in Nebraska and southwestern Iowa.
    • Objective 4. UNO will expect that all students complete a minimum of 20 hours of service or community engaged scholarship, such as volunteering, service learning experiences, and/or internships.
    • Objective 5. UNO will, in collaboration with schools, businesses, and other community partners, increase the number of joint courses and joint continuing learning/professional development.
    • Objective 6. UNO will increase its commitment to working with students, countries, and institutions around the world.
  • Sub-Goal B: UNO will increase its research and creative activity that expand and advance the study and nature of community engagement. By 2015:
    • Objective 1. UNO faculty and researchers will research, write and publish an increasing number of projects which may be described as “scholarship of engagement.”
    • Objective 2. UNO faculty, staff and students will apply for and be granted external funding for doing “scholarship of engagement”.
    • Objective 3. UNO faculty, staff and students will create and disseminate artistic and media projects which add to the existing integration of the scholarship of engagement and actual community engagement in fields such as voluntary community service.
    • Objective 4. UNO faculty, staff and students will document UNO’s community engagement in such a way that the documentation may be used by UNO and other researchers and creative artists engaged in the scholarship of engagement.
  • Sub-Goal C: UNO students, faculty, staff and constituencies will engage with our communities through service, involvement and support. By 2015:
    • Objective 1. UNO will broaden its presence in the community through engagement in non-academic service areas.
    • Objective 2. UNO will encourage knowledge, involvement, and support of community engagement opportunities by the campus community.
    • Objective 3. UNO will establish a process for gathering and documenting service engagement by the campus community.
    • Objective 4. UNO will increase the involvement of alumni and friends to advance UNO’s priorities.
  • Sub-Goal D: UNO will provide leadership through developing and expanding the infrastructure, resources, policies, and practices that support the university’s commitment to engaging with the community. By 2015:
    • Objective 1. UNO will have a Community Engagement Center on campus that provides offices, learning spaces, meeting spaces, and community areas in support of work with community partners.
    • Objective 2. Working with governance units across the campus and colleges, UNO will embed the culture of community engagement into its evaluation and review systems.
    • Objective 3. Working with governance units across the campus and colleges, UNO will expand the network of resources for supporting and encouraging local, regional, and international community partnerships.
    • Objective 4. UNO will establish mechanisms for recognizing excellence in contributions and achievements that advance partnerships aimed at addressing the compelling needs in our community.
    • Objective5. UNO will create communication strategies through which campus and community needs and opportunities are articulated and disseminated to internal and external constituencies.