2004-2009 Strategic Plan

Culture

The culture of the University of Northern Iowa is characterized by a long-standing commitment to student learning and to excellence in teaching. This commitment has been established through the development of an open, ethical and caring community that promotes diversity, honesty, integrity, respect, fairness, trust and civility among its members. This community has created a culture based on core values that include intellectual vitality, intellectual and academic freedom, the well-being of its members and service to others.

Values

The University of Northern Iowa community values:

Excellence in all its endeavors
Intellectual vitality
Intellectual and academic freedom, dialogue and the free exchange of ideas
Expansive awareness of multiple perspectives characteristic of a global society
An ethical, caring and diverse community characterized by pluralism and civility
Personalized learning
The well being of its students, faculty and staff
Service to the citizens of the State of Iowa, the nation and the world
An appreciation of people with different backgrounds with an emphasis on gender, race/ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, physical abilities, socioeconomic class, and national origin.

Vision

The University of Northern Iowa will be the leader among the nation’s finest public comprehensive universities, characterized by a multicultural and inclusive community with high-quality teaching/learning environments and socially responsible contributions to the State of Iowa, the nation, and the world.

Mission Statement

The University of Northern Iowa is a comprehensive institution dedicated to providing a personalized learning environment, founded on a strong liberal arts curriculum. It is committed to being an intellectually and culturally diverse community. The University focuses both on undergraduate education, and on selected master’s, doctoral and other graduate programs. It is characterized by excellence in three areas: teaching and learning; research, scholarship, and creative work; and service. Through its varied endeavors, UNI shares its expertise with, and provides service to, individuals, communities and organizations throughout the state, the nation and the world.

Focused Mission Statement

The University of Northern Iowa offers a world-class university education, providing personalized experiences and creating a lifetime of opportunities.

Goals

Goal 1.0

Provide intellectually challenging and character-building experiences for undergraduate and graduate students in a personalized learning environment.

Objective 1.1: Maintain the excellence in undergraduate and graduate programs that distinguishes the university, and strategically expand programs that attract students.

Objective 1.2: Provide a personalized learning environment that responds to needs, encourages growth, and recognizes achievements of individual students.

Objective 1.3: Increase understanding of and commitment to the role and value of a liberal arts education as the foundation of a university education.

Objective 1.4: Enhance appreciation of, and encourage participation in, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities that cultivate intellect and character.

Objective 1.5: Broaden and enrich the intellectual and learning experiences of students by increasing the number of U.S. racial and ethnic minority, and international students, faculty and staff.

Objective 1.6: Provide instruction to students by tenured or tenure track faculty in accord with established performance targets.

Objective 1.7: Maintain a schedule of class offerings that enables timely academic progress toward a degree.

Goal 2.0

Maintain a faculty distinguished by their creative and intellectually rigorous teaching and scholarship.

Objective 2.1: Recruit and retain a highly qualified and diverse faculty.

Objective 2.2: Support faculty initiatives to enhance the quality of their teaching.

Objective 2.3: Support and strengthen collaboration among Arts and Sciences, Business, and Education faculty as it pertains to the Liberal Arts core, Teacher Preparation and other university-wide programs.

Objective 2.4: Increase opportunities for faculty to enhance the quality and quantity of their research and creative activity.

Objective 2.5: Increase focus on research and creative activities that provide additional experiential learning opportunities for students.

Objective 2.6: Increase support for seeking external funding.

Goal 3.0

Focus the involvement of the university in addressing critical local, state, national and global needs.

Objective 3.1: Assess and respond to diverse expectations and needs for UNI programs and services.

Objective 3.2: Develop opportunities for students, faculty and staff to provide services to the greater community as part of their academic, co-curricular and extra curricular activities.

Objective 3.3: Establish strong, mutually beneficial relationships with external constituencies through various initiatives including expanded distance learning and creation of an area of campus dedicated to outreach.

Goal 4.0

Promote a university culture characterized by diversity, collegiality, mutual respect, organizational effectiveness, and shared responsibility.

Objective 4.1: Employ recruitment and retention strategies that will increase the number of U.S. racial and ethnic minority, international, and protected class students, faculty, staff and university officials.

Objective 4.2: Maintain a safe and supportive working and living environment characterized by services and programs that promote individual well-being and organizational effectiveness.

Objective 4.3: Broaden participation in university governance activities by students, faculty and staff.

Objective 4.4: Enhance opportunities for mentoring and social interaction among all members of the university community.

Goal 5.0

Provide and maintain appropriate resources including staffing for effective and efficient university operations.

Objective 5.1: Implement budget processes linking allocations to the strategic plan.

Objective 5.2: Develop intellectual resources by providing opportunities for staff and faculty to pursue professional development and to enhance performance.

Objective 5.3: Provide an appropriate array of library, informational resources, and other university collections to support academic and other campus programs.

Objective 5.4: Assess and meet the technology, information and data base systems, and equipment needs of university programs and operations.

Objective 5.5: Upgrade, construct, and maintain buildings, grounds, and equipment in accord with the university’s Campus Master Plan.

Objective 5.6: Increase external funding to support programs and services.