Chancellor on Final Strategic Plan

To the NC State community:

I am pleased to announce that the strategic plan, The Pathway to the Future, has been approved by the Board of Trustees. The final version of the plan, as adopted by the Board, has been posted. Please take a moment to explore and better understand the document that will soon become the driving force behind the forward progress of our university.

We have reached out to and been amazed by the tremendous input and support this plan has received from the NC State community—from great leadership and commitment within our task forces to campus wide input through public forums and the web. Your comments have been incorporated in order to make this a living document, reflective of the values and needs of our university constituents. In response to these recommendations, the final version differs from the draft in a few notable ways:

• Revised mission statement
• Expanded list of NC State values
• Additional consolidated accountability guidelines in place of accountability measures for each of the plan’s five goals
• Modified strategies under Goals 1, 2 and 5
• Minor modifications to text throughout the document to improve overall tone and flow

As many of you prepare for summer plans, I would like to make you aware of the next steps regarding the implementation of the strategic plan. We will create an implementation plan, specifying responsibility and a timeline for the initiatives associated with the plan’s five goals. As part of this plan, we will define accountability measures and future targets based on peer benchmarks, best practices and today’s baseline. This will establish clear goals, setting a tone of intentionality and direction. The mission statement will be submitted to the UNC Board of Governors for approval, and we will soon begin the work of forming and charging various implementation teams. Details of the implementation plan will be posted on the Strategic Planning web site in the coming months.

The support of the broader NC State community has forged a truly valuable roadmap for the future of this university. Concurrent with strategic planning, NC State has been developing a realignment plan informed by the draft strategic plan. As we move forward, we will further coordinate these plans. Our goal is to ensure that our strategic goals and our operational structure are complementary. We will keep the campus community informed of our progress and maintain an open dialogue along the way. At the end of the day, NC State will be guided by clearly defined goals, a commitment to accountability and a strong sense of intentionality to guide us into the future.

Thank you for your help and support and have a great start to your summer!

Sincerely,