Engagement and Communication

STRATEGIC PRIORITY 2.1: Elevate N.C. PSI’s Presence Across NC State, Throughout North Carolina and Around The World

N.C. PSI operates as a university-wide center for driving interdisciplinary research in plant sciences—a crucial mandate, but one that is intrinsically challenged in the context of a decentralized higher education system related to research interests, disciplines and geography. The challenges of communicating across a large university environment are not unique to NC State. However, it is imperative that we recognize these obstacles and identify them as areas of opportunity, where an initiative like N.C. PSI has been intentionally designed to foster interdisciplinary research.

Many university partners and stakeholders view N.C. PSI as a CALS initiative, which can create challenges in generating buyin and participation among other colleges and departments. Meanwhile, some internal stakeholders are unclear or unaware of how best to integrate with N.C. PSI, while some colleges or departments view it as a potential threat to losing faculty and the resources that go along with a faculty member’s research. The university is taking aggressive steps to dispel these perceptions while elevating interdisciplinarity as a cornerstone for how NC State will approach research in the coming years. N.C. PSI is poised to serve as a model for large-scale interdisciplinary initiatives, both in driving policies and implementing structures that best accommodate interdisciplinary activities and attract interest, participation and resources that make these activities possible. The entire NC State community must see N.C. PSI as a value-add resource that can elevate the impact of their work.

We must be intentional and aggressive about transparently engaging all university stakeholders, particularly faculty and students who may have an interest in affiliating with N.C. PSI or being engaged in our work. Our future success is also largely contingent upon building buy-in among department heads in and outside of CALS, whose leadership and influence can drive the participation of faculty in large-scale interdisciplinary activities. There is natural benefit and opportunity for collaborating with other colleges and disciplines such as business, science, humanities and social sciences that have not yet been thoroughly integrated into N.C. PSI.

We also recognize that we have much to build and share with other NC State units in how we collectively achieve success in interdisciplinary activities—from developing policies and financial models that encourage interdisciplinary collaboration to designing communication strategies that build understanding and buy-in among stakeholders. For example, we must define and aggressively communicate the value proposition of N.C. PSI to principal investigators (PIs) across the university, as some are hesitant to engage for various reasons, including losing space in their department and the inadequate weight placed on interdisciplinary work through their department’s retention, promotion and tenure (RPT) criteria. It will be even more imperative to educate, equip and mentor younger faculty and students as a pipeline for the next generation of PIs. We will do so by teaching them how to form partnerships and highlighting the significant support N.C. PSI can provide in advancing their research through administrative support, funding, technology and cutting-edge equipment, facility and lab space, and more. These are not issues or challenges unique to N.C. PSI, but they are ones we are well positioned to address. As we expand our reach, we can create the systems that allow for broad, sustained engagement across the NC State ecosystem for both N.C. PSI and other interdisciplinary initiatives.

In coalescing NC State’s tremendous talent and expertise in plant sciences within our N.C. PSI ecosystem, we will further position N.C. PSI as a hub for discovery and hypothesis-driven science that attracts other scientists from around the world eager to engage in the challenges we are working to solve. Our focus on scientific excellence and impact will serve as both a driving force for future collaborations and a global beacon for plant science research, attracting interest and investment among all those who seek to be at the forefront of innovation and discovery in plant sciences.

GOAL 2.1.1: EXPAND N.C. PSI COMMUNICATION PLATFORMS, STRUCTURES AND RESOURCES

Key Initiatives

Key Initiative 1: Conduct a comprehensive communications audit of N.C. PSI stakeholders and stakeholder needs, and develop an annual communications plan and audience-specific communication and engagement strategies

Key Initiative 2: Implement a sustainable organizational model for N.C. PSI communications, including staff and resources dedicated to supporting ongoing communications initiatives

Key Initiative 3: Develop protocols and requirements for N.C. PSI grants rooted in project deliverables for providing project updates, successes and information that can be used in broad N.C. PSI communications

Key Initiative 4: Establish and promote a distinct N.C. PSI brand that evolves beyond CALS

GOAL 2.1.2: INCREASE FACULTY RESEARCHERS, TEAMS AND STUDENTS ENGAGED WITH N.C. PSI

KEY INITIATIVES

Key Initiative 1: Establish a regular cadence of general communications with targeted updates and information tailored to non-affiliated faculty, students and groups

Key Initiative 2: Identify and promote lecture series, hackathons and similar interactive events to integrate faculty and students from across the university with N.C. PSI

Key Initiative 3: Design materials and hold informational sessions throughout NC State to promote pathways to engaging with N.C. PSI, how to apply for support or affiliate with N.C. PSI and the value of affiliating with N.C. PSI

GOAL 2.1.3: FULLY COALESCE N.C. PSI FACULTY RESEARCHERS, STAFF, STUDENTS AND TEAMS WITHIN THE N.C. PSI ECOSYSTEM

KEY INITIATIVES

Key Initiative 1: Establish regular cadence of communications, updates and events tailored to N.C. PSI-affiliated teams and staff

Key Initiative 2: Hold monthly and bi-annual events to encourage broad interaction across N.C. PSI-affiliated teams and staff and share key N.C. PSI updates

Key Initiative 3: Hold quarterly platform meetings for N.C. PSI-affiliated teams and staff to share best practices and encourage collaboration and information-sharing related to platform topics

STRATEGIC PRIORITY 2.2: Prioritize Engagement With the North Carolina Agriculture Sector

N.C. PSI is the direct result of the significant and sustained support our external stakeholders have provided over the years. These partners placed significant confidence and resources in N.C. PSI when it was merely a concept; we are now at a point today where we can and must demonstrate this support was well placed. We must build on this foundation of engagement underpinning N.C. PSI, ensuring these same groups and individuals be part of and easily understand our work, experience the science and discovery as it unfolds and see clear value that bolsters their bottom lines.

This is both a function of setting clear expectations for how we engage partners in our work, or even specific projects, and fulfilling those commitments in ways that are most valued and appreciated. Fundamentally, this starts with sharing regular updates on the work taking place within N.C. PSI in ways beyond email or social media. We must have an active presence throughout the state, with leadership, researchers and staff visibly engaging with these partners and other stakeholders on projects and activities that matter the most to them. In addition to reinforcing the commitment we have made to all the communities of the state, this engagement will also enable our N.C. PSI team to better understand the needs of individual stakeholders and adopt focus areas they will immediately connect with and understand, rather than making assumptions about those needs or conducting research that may not be applicable to them. NC State Extension is a valuable conduit we will leverage in this outreach and engagement, whereby N.C. PSI can also help to drive Extension’s continued evolution in connecting new technology advancements, data management capabilities and more with the idiosyncrasies of the state’s farming landscape and geography.

In addition to providing regular updates to our partners and stakeholders, N.C. PSI can and must be more proactive and transparent in helping all external stakeholders understand the “pace of science,” what N.C. PSI is working toward and the incremental but key benchmarks research yields along the way that helps to generate impactful successes. Regular updates and real-time success stories can help carry this message to our external stakeholders while maintaining momentum for larger-scale research that can be more time consuming but highly impactful. These success stories can also yield additional value in attracting new researchers or funding interest to N.C. PSI and elevating the likelihood of securing additional grants or support to continue our work as we demonstrate the real value we are already creating.

More general communication with our external stakeholders should also be focused on the real-world implications of what N.C. PSI is doing to address real-world challenges. This will be particularly important in raising awareness of N.C. PSI among the non-agriculture public, connecting terms like sustainability and climate change in ways that clarify their meaning and move beyond political leanings or perspectives.

GOAL 2.2.1: IMPLEMENT STRUCTURES FOR ELEVATING N.C. PSI’S IMPACT ON THE STATE’S AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY

KEY INITIATIVES

Key Initiative 1: Establish an N.C. PSI Growers Advisory Board with thought-leaders that represent major commodities and external stakeholders throughout the state

Key Initiative 2: Design and launch programs in coordination with NC State Extension specifically focused on connecting external stakeholders with N.C. PSI capabilities

Key Initiative 3: Assign designated NC State Extension agents and specialists to serve as liaisons to N.C. PSI platforms

GOAL 2.2.2: ENHANCE AND EXPAND COMMUNICATION PROGRAMS AND STRATEGIES TO BETTER INTEGRATE EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS INTO N.C. PSI’S WORK

KEY INITIATIVES

Key Initiative 1: Curate and share messaging, stories and updates on a wide and representative variety of external stakeholders throughout the state

Key Initiative 2: Develop an annual report to highlight N.C. PSI activities and how they are impacting external stakeholder priorities or needs

Key Initiative 3: Hold general and commodity-specific roundtable meetings for external stakeholders to learn about key N.C. PSI activities and share updates on real-time needs that may be addressed through N.C. PSI research

Key Initiative 4: Establish a regular schedule for N.C. PSI platform leads and other key staff to travel outside of Raleigh to engage with stakeholders, understand new challenges and provide updates on N.C. PSI activities

Key Initiative 5: Design and hold annual N.C. PSI field days to demonstrate translational work produced by affiliated projects

Wolfpack 2030 Alignment

• Goal 3: Expand and advance our engagement with and service to North Carolina and beyond, defining the standard for a 21st-century land-grant university.

• Goal 6: Lead in developing innovative partnerships, entrepreneurial thinking and applied problem-solving.