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Moving from Planning to Action
Key Initiative 1: Develop strategic and/or tactical implementation plans in each CALS department and unit or adjust existing plans
Key Initiative 2: Implement a cross-functional working group process to continually propose, evaluate and implement new college strategic priorities as needed
Key Initiative 3: Create a process for identifying and sunsetting programs to free resources for new initiatives
Key Initiative 4: Redefine research, teaching and Extension promotion and tenure criteria to reward, recognize and elevate nontraditional impacts and contributions and value all three functions equally
SUCCESS METRICS
• Department and unit strategic or tactical plans created or updated • Successful new strategic priorities implemented • Programs developed, eliminated or phased out
WOLFPACK 2030 ALIGNMENT
• Goal 5: Drive institutional effectiveness through transformative technologies, cutting-edge processes and actionable data • Goal 6: Lead in developing innovative partnerships, entrepreneurial thinking and applied problem-solving
While this strategic plan provides the framework and foundation for how we will live out our mission and achieve our vision through 2030, it must also be put to use by action and implementation.
While our talented and committed faculty, staff, students and other internal stakeholders will be responsible for implementing much of this plan and integrating it into our operations, programs and services, we recognize that our external partners’ ideas and support also will be crucial to the implementation of this plan. The incredible diversity of agriculture and life sciences in North Carolina makes it virtually impossible to represent all of our partners’ research, teaching and Extension needs in one document. We will look to our departments and centers to incorporate the ideas and visions of our partners, as appropriate, into their strategic plans by asking fundamental questions like where our industries and associations see themselves in 2030, and how can we assist them in getting there? Each of the ten strategic priorities outlined in this plan supports our external work; in some instances very directly, such as through developing a career-ready workforce, and in others more indirectly, such as by building our infrastructure where we need high-quality facilities and training to do the work necessary to support our industries and communities. This strategic plan represents the continuation of conversations with our external partners—representing dialogue and collaborations that will be ongoing throughout the life of this plan and beyond.
This comprehensive strategic plan creates new enterprises and expands others. There are many initiatives we can accomplish in the near term and are working to implement with existing resources, while other initiatives can be initiated and accomplished with existing personnel and supported by redirecting existing funds or resources. There are also many others that are highly complex and will take years to design, resource and implement. These are instances in which the involvement and support of our vast network of stakeholders will become crucial components of our joint success.
Our biggest challenge rests with funding new initiatives and increasing support of existing programs that cannot be accomplished with existing funding and personnel. Fully implementing this plan will require additional financial resources from various sources, including state budgets, federal allocations, grants and gifts. Consequently, as we implement this strategic plan, we will need to prioritize and resource many of these new activities in coordination with a plan to reduce or potentially eliminate lower-priority activities. For example, departments may facilitate this process by proposing faculty positions that support new initiatives when faculty retire or leave the college through natural attrition. We acknowledge that such conversations will require input from internal and external stakeholders, representing the spirit of transparency and collaboration for which CALS is known and is evident throughout this plan.
Crucially, this plan represents a foundation for this dynamic collaboration and will guide all the tremendous work our college will do in close coordination with our many partners. We stand ready to move this plan forward, prioritize our
