Chancellor Sharon L. Gaber has announced the launch of a strategic planning process for UNC Charlotte that will set the University’s strategic direction, starting with the 2021 academic year, for the next five to 10 years. The University is in the final year of its current strategic plan.
“During my first three months as chancellor, I have received consistent feedback affirming UNC Charlotte’s outstanding academic programs and culture of innovation, as well as its potential to become even greater,” Gaber said in a message on Oct. 20 to faculty, staff and students that outlined preliminary details of the process. “The forthcoming strategic planning process offers an extremely important opportunity to set the direction of the future of UNC Charlotte.”
A Strategic Planning Committee appointed by Gaber will assess the University’s strengths and opportunities, lead a broad-based campus engagement process, analyze data and develop recommendations that will inform the creation of the new strategic plan. The planning process timeline will span from the end of October to April 2021, when UNC Charlotte’s Board of Trustees will vote to approve the plan.
The 22-member Committee will be co-chaired by faculty members George Banks and Pinku Mukherjee, and is composed of faculty, staff, students and administrators who represent diverse expertise, experiences and perspectives. The Niners who have agreed to join Gaber are:
Joel Avrin, Faculty Council president and professor of Mathematics, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (CLAS); Kevin Bailey, vice chancellor for Student Affairs; George Banks, co-chair, associate professor of Management, Belk College of Business, and Organizational Science, CLAS; Steve Coppola, assistant provost for Institutional Research; Celeste Corpening, Staff Council president and applications analyst, OneIT; José Gamez, interim associate dean for Research and Graduate Programs and professor of Architecture, College of Art + Architecture; Tehia Glass, associate professor of Elementary Education and Educational Psychology, College of Education; Doug Hague, executive director of the School of Data Science; Elizabeth Hardin, vice chancellor for Business Affairs; Robert Keynton, dean, William States Lee College of Engineering; Jeffrey Leak, professor of English and director of American Studies program, CLAS; Joan Lorden, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs; Stephanie Moller, director, Public Policy doctoral program and professor of Sociology, CLAS; Pinku Mukherjee, co-chair, Irwin Belk Distinguished Professor of Cancer Research and associate dean of Research and Graduate Education, CLAS; Jay Raja, interim director for Enrollment Management; Tahlieah Sampson, president, Student Government Association; Karen Singer-Freeman, director of Academic Planning and Assessment; Alex Suptela, president, Graduate and Professional Student Government; Rick Tankersley, vice chancellor for Research and Economic Development; Catrine Tudor-Locke, dean, CHHS; and Cheryl Waites Spellman, interim special assistant to the chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion.
To ensure broad-based input and participation, the committee will administer an online survey as well as host Strategic Planning Forum sessions. More details on these engagement opportunities are forthcoming. A webpage has been created to make available important information about the Strategic Planning Committee and planning process, including committee membership, committee meeting dates, and engagement opportunities.