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Student Performance, Workforce Development Highlight UNO Strategic Plan to Increase Social, Economic Mobility

“We are here to build a bright future because no community is better than a community that invests and believes in its people.”

  • published: 2022/12/05
  • contact: Brandon Bartling - Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications
  • email: unonews@unomaha.edu

Student performance and workforce development will serve as the two goals of UNO’s strategic plan as shared by Chancellor Joanne Li at the university’s latest strategic planning forum.

Faculty, staff, and students filled the Milo Bail Student Center ballroom to learn about the necessary conditions of both goals from campus leadership, share feedback on current and future efforts toward these pillars, and better understand how all these pieces fit together for UNO to be a catalyst for social and economic mobility.

For student performance, Chancellor Li outlined conditions of degree completion, time to degree, meaningful retention, and strategic recruitment. For workforce development, conditions outlined include paid internships, experiential learning, and reskilling and upskilling.

“When these two goals meet, we build an infrastructure to advance students’ social and economic mobility,” Dr. Li said. “We are here to build a bright future because no community is better than a community that invests and believes in its people.”

“When these two goals meet, we build an infrastructure to advance students’ social and economic mobility.”

 UNO Chancellor Joanne Li, Ph.D., CFA

Many of the initiatives outlined in the strategic plan are already underway or will be launching pilots in the next year. Panelists were invited to speak about some of these efforts, including:

On Student Performance:

Tori Sims, student body president and student regent, on the importance of student engagement. Sims advocated for additional opportunities for students to become engaged and find their place on campus among others with shared experiences.

Cathy Pettid, LMHP, associate vice chancellor for Student Life and Wellbeing and dean of students, on the importance of mental health and a culture of care. Pettid spoke about the services and resources available to campus to enhance mental health and wellbeing, as well as growing efforts to proactively aid students, faculty, and staff enduring difficult situations.

Deborah Smith-Howell, Ph.D., interim senior vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, on exploring competency-based education. This new approach focuses pedagogy on mastering competencies and demonstrating knowledge and skills. UNO will launch this pilot in Fall 2023.

Matt Tracy, Ph.D., senior director of general education, academic assessment, and dual enrollment, on optimizing and reforming general education course requirements. Tracy discussed efforts to bring UNO’s general education requirements more in alignment with peer and statewide institutions. He also shared how general education should be flexible in its offerings, coherent in a student’s academic journey, and relevant to a student’s desired degree program.

Rich Klein, Ph.D., vice chancellor for Institutional Effectiveness and Student Success, on utilizing data and metrics to better serve students and on recruitment through affordability. This includes tracking metrics around student performance, but also tracking different metrics that impact conditions like degree completion, time to degree, and meaningful retention. Klein also discussed support for underserved communities and new efforts to bring students out of state to UNO.

On Workforce Development:

Josie Schafer, Ph.D., director of UNO’s Center for Public Affairs Research, on the workforce landscape and which industries and demographics show the greatest promise for growth and mobility. Nebraska currently has more people working in low wage and low growth jobs, which means that UNO has an opportunity to transform the workforce and better fill high wage and high growth occupations.

Jaci Lindburg, Ph.D., associate vice chancellor for Innovative and Learning-Centric Initiatives, on exploring how UNO can reskill and upskill the workforce through microcredentials and badges. As employers look to advance their existing workforce, the university can bridge skills gaps through new, stackable microcredentials.

Martha Garcia-Murillo, Ph.D., dean of UNO’s College of Information Science & Technology, on providing students with experiential learning opportunities from the beginning through IS&T’s Learn & Earn initiative. This program provides learners with connections to employers and career path exploration from the moment they begin their academic journey.

Levi Thiele, Ph.D., director of career services within UNO’s Academic & Career Development Center, on ensuring student access to paid internships through UNO Career Connect. This partnership pairs UNO with more than 70 area employers who have committed to providing paid internships for UNO students.

David Brown, former CEO of the Omaha Chamber and executive in residence at UNO, on engaging with the business community and driving growth in successful internship and career opportunities. Brown said UNO has an opportunity to lead in how businesses provide and run their internship opportunities.

Additional information on the university’s strategic plan, its pillars, and objectives can be found on the UNO Strategic Planning website.