Executive Summary
Our Bold Path Forward is the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s three-year strategic framework to cultivate a thriving, people-centered university where every person and every interaction matters.
It is the culmination of a six-month effort that has four distinct phases.
Phases
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Phase 1: Launch and Engagement
The launch and engagement phase began on February 13, 2026, when Interim Chancellor Katherine S. Ankerson called on the university community to envision a strategic planning process at the Charter Day ceremony. From February to May, members of the Executive Leadership Team, college deans, and university leaders held 85 in-person and online roundtable discussions which yielded 3,104 web-form submissions and engaged more than 3,719 faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members. Those efforts generated more than 6,823 interactions that directly informed revisions to the framework. A website was established and updated weekly during this period to publicly share emerging trends and themes.
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Phase 2: Synthesis and Alignment
The synthesis and alignment phase began in May as the Executive Leadership Team analyzed and included feedback from the university community and external stakeholders. Input was organized thematically and tested against existing institutional priorities such as the University of Nebraska System’s strategic plan, the university’s Research Identity Framework, and other unit-level plans for synergies and alignment. The framework was further refined through feedback from more than 100 faculty, staff, and student leaders at the Summer Leadership Retreat on June 19, 2026. This phase concluded in July with successive rounds of revisions by the Executive Leadership Team.
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Phase 3: Finalization
Finalization and rollout is the third phase and delivers the completed framework in August. As the academic year begins, Interim Chancellor Katherine S. Ankerson and the Executive Leadership Team will work closely with deans, department executive officers, and shared governance partners to implement the framework. This effort includes identifying progress indicators for reporting accountability.
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Phase 4: Assessment and Performance
The final phase is assessment and performance monitoring that will empower leaders at the unit, college, and departmental level to reassess strategic priorities as situations and factors change.
Roundtable Discussions
The roundtable discussions were a series of sessions designed to gather input from faculty, staff and students.
85 roundtable discussions from February to May
3,719 roundtable participants
3,104 web form submissions
Total input and feedback from 6,823 faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors and community members from across Nebraska.
Summer Leadership Retreat
The summer leadership retreat brought together university leaders to review feedback gathered throughout the spring, discuss refinements to strategic priorities and begin discussing how the framework can be implemented across colleges, departments and units.
