By Chancellor James A. Anderson
Fayetteville State University

FAYETTEVILLE – The University of North Carolina, of which Fayetteville State University (FSU) is a proud constituent institution, recently unveiled Higher Expectations, the Strategic Plan that will chart the course of the system for the next five years. The UNC Strategic Plan incorporates five meta-goals and encourages each institution to identify areas of distinction and this fits well with the ascension of FSU in the national rankings across several academic programs.

The plan, which was developed by five working committees with representative membership, will improve student outcomes, expand access to affordable, high-quality degrees, and achieve measureable outcomes in five key areas – access, student success, affordability and efficiency, economic impact and community engagement, and excellent and diverse Institutions. The plan also aims to build on the innovative approaches already being utilized in the university system, such as one of FSU’s initiatives focused on improving student success, BroncoConnect.

BroncoConnect is a user-friendly software program that connects students with campus resources and allows instructors to give feedback about student academic performance or attendance concerns.  This feedback is immediately sent to students, advisors and other staff who can reach out to recommend corrective actions to the students. To date student usage, satisfaction and success has been highly encouraging.

Each constituent institution has identified two areas of distinction that will have a significant impact and that will serve as public indicators of institutional effectiveness and quality. For FSU those two areas are: 1) Facilitating Higher Education Attainment by Military-Affiliated students, and 2) High Quality and Affordable Online Education. Each area of distinction is accompanied by a set of metrics that will serve as clear evidence that progress is being made toward goal-attainment.

FSU is a leader in the system in enrolling and graduating military-affiliated students, and in providing other credentials like certificates in Cyber Security. Several current online programs are ranked either #1 or #2 in the country. They include Psychology, Nursing, Criminal Justice, Birth through Kindergarten, Fire and Emergency Services Administration, and the Master’s of Business Administration. New online programs include Accounting, Intelligence Studies, and Professional Studies. FSU has also signed its first online agreement with a Chinese university.

North Carolina always has been at the forefront of higher education in this country, and this Strategic Plan underscores the commitment by its people to provide the best educational opportunities possible for its citizens.

We’re proud to have played a role in shaping the future of our university system through the strategic plan, which was developed through an extensive process that even included a town hall meeting FSU hosted with UNC President Margaret Spellings this past November. Those conversations, along with extensive feedback from community leaders, citizens, faculty, staff and students, have ultimately resulted in a clear plan that seeks to align our state’s greatest needs and sets well-defined goals to measure progress.

FSU is fully committed to the development of the UNC Strategic Plan so we can solidify the status of the University of North Carolina as the premier system of higher education in the country.