Strategic Framework

Our Bold Path Forward will provide guidance for colleges, units, and departments as they set actionable goals and strategic priorities through the 2028-29 academic year. Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to provide suggestions to the draft framework online. Submissions will be collected through May 8.  

Extraordinary Teaching and Learning

Strategic opportunities to advance student-centered excellence, promote transformative learning environments in and out of the classroom, and support faculty and staff.  

• Reimagine curriculum to align with career development and world readiness. 
• Reimagine future-focused curriculum equipping learners for rapidly changing environments with the processes, literacies, and proficiencies foundational to acquire and implement new knowledge.
• Expand and enhance accelerated master’s degree programs in critical workforce areas.    
• Expand access to higher education through expanded statewide transferability and new online degree completion pathways.
• Support all learners through intentional, inclusive, and innovative curriculum design across all academic areas and instructional modalities. 
• Review all academic policies and practices to remove any barriers to access and student success for all learners. 
• Bolster unique student experiences reflecting the UNL identity that every person and every interaction matters. 
• Enhance out-of-the classroom programs and initiatives that improve student success through affordability, civic engagement, leadership development, community building, well-being, and support resources. 
• Support faculty and staff in the development and implementation of inclusive instructional design and pedagogies to support all learners. 
• Prioritize early engagement and equitable access to transformative opportunities such as undergraduate research, internships, creative activity, career development, graduate fellowships, global learning opportunities, and experiential learning.

Extraordinary Research and Creative Activity  

Strategic opportunities to accelerate research and creative endeavors for societal impact, grow research collaborations, and promote economic development. We will advance excellence in research and creative endeavors.

• Scale up research and creative endeavors through strategic faculty hiring, infrastructure investment, and interdisciplinary collaboration aligned with core areas of strength and emerging federal, state and local priorities and opportunities.
• Integrate research and creative endeavors, teaching and learning, Extension and engagement to meet workforce and industry needs locally and nationally.
• Stimulate use-inspired research that addresses Nebraska’s challenges and opportunities while contributing nationally.
• Grow and strengthen partnerships with community, industry, alumni, and peer institutions to co-create innovations and workforce solutions.
• Align promotion and tenure criteria to incentivize contributions to entrepreneurship, technology transfer, and publicly engaged scholarship. 
• Support faculty positioning and pursuit of highly prestigious awards. 
• Nurture and spotlight UNL innovations that enhance quality of life and economic vitality in Nebraska.  
• Review and align evaluation criteria and guidelines in units to incentivize (prioritize) scholarship with emphasis on measures associated with top-tier research universities.

Extraordinary Partnerships and Engagement 

Strategic opportunities to expand partnerships in Nebraska and beyond, bolster alumni engagement, and increase public engagement. 

• Strengthen relationships with community colleges, state colleges, industry, start-ups, foundations, military, alumni, and Big Ten peers to support student access and success, drive research/creative excellence, and expand community engagement.  
• Bolster industry relations in support of research, student hands-on learning, and economic development through enhanced coordination across UNL, NU System, and the NU Foundation.
• Map and mobilize alumni networks to expand influence and opportunities nationally.
• Leverage UNL’s Carnegie Community Engagement classification to establish long-term, reciprocal partnerships that advance community-identified priorities across the state and beyond.
• Catalyze partnerships across NU campuses, colleges, centers, and higher education institutions in support of interdisciplinary collaborations and wider public engagement.

Extraordinary Culture and Environment 

Strategic opportunities to invest in people and support a welcoming, engaging, and vibrant university culture.

• Expand professional development opportunities for faculty, staff, and students.
• Reward excellence and create incentives for outstanding research, creative endeavors, teaching and learning, Extension, engagement, and service.
• Bolster highly competitive hiring practices for outstanding faculty and graduate students. 
• Expand activities, initiatives, processes, and policies leading to successful career trajectories for faculty and staff.
• Support and develop strong and innovative leadership among faculty, staff, and students.
• Optimize processes and involvement in shared governance.
• Foster retention by creating a safe and welcoming community where people build long-term careers.

Extraordinary Stewardship and Effectiveness

Strategic opportunities to enhance operational excellence and efficiency.

• Reduce all barriers to teaching, research, Extension, and service excellence through streamlined processes and enhanced operational clarity.
• Build and sustain an ecosystem that incentivizes efficiencies realized through collaboration and strategic alignment with university priorities. 
• Make strategic resource allocations and invest where there is strong ROI; clear mission value; and essential institutional priorities for UNL and the people of Nebraska.
• Data transparency and accountability will support a culture of continuous improvement across all core mission areas.  
• Shift from “do more with less” to “do with excellence.”