A Message From the President

February 7, 2006

My thanks to all of you for working with me during the past several years to develop a comprehensive strategic planning process. That on-going process was organized into three phases: Vision, Academic Plan, and University Strategic Plan. This comprehensive planning process, encompassing all UNT units, will unite our campus community as we move forward to fulfill the vision of being a student-centered public research university.

In Phase I, we began with a broad-based discussion of our alternatives and the realization that we could indeed shape our future. Our aspirations were captured in the Vision 2015 document. We also developed a general understanding that an "academic plan" must precede, be central to, and drive the development of a comprehensive university strategic plan designed to achieve our vision.

Phase II, academic planning, extended throughout the last academic year. The Office of the Provost led more than 200 members of the campus community through the development of an Academic Plan which was finalized and published in April 2005 (http://web2.unt.edu/vpaa/academicplan.doc). The Academic Plan was presented in concert with the kickoff of UNT’s new branding campaign, aligning our institutional identity and the strategic direction set in the Academic Plan.

During the summer and early fall, Phase III of the planning process was initiated. Provost Howard Johnson and I worked with faculty, staff and administrators to translate the Academic Plan into the draft framework for a University Strategic Plan. In November, we presented it to the Administrative and Academics Committee of the UNT System Board of Regents. The latest version is available on the web at: http://web2.unt.edu/vpaa/strategicplan.htm.

By mid-fall, schools, colleges, and academic support units began developing appropriate unit-level goals and objectives in support of the Academic Plan. They also have identified the specific measures and milestones to be used to track progress. These unit-level plans will be incorporated into the university’s comprehensive strategic plan.

Because the development of the final version of the UNT Strategic Plan will likely extend beyond my time here as President, I have asked Provost Johnson to lead its completion. The final version will include plans from all university units and take into account comments received from members of the UNT community, as well as from Chancellor Jackson and the Board of Regents.

I am proud to have had the opportunity to work with you through what were often intense, but always illuminating discussions about what we want to become as an institution and what it will take to get there. I am immensely pleased that we can look forward to the Board of Regents approving a University Strategic Plan that is driven primarily by academic considerations and that provides a strong sense of long-term direction for our campus.

Although the Strategic Plan will be presented in May to the Regents, the planning process will not end there. The Strategic Plan must be reviewed and updated annually to make certain that it supports our vision. The outcome measures will be used to assess our progress in achieving the vision, and feedback from that assessment will become a critical part of the evaluation of both the goals and the strategies.

I am convinced that UNT will continue to grow and prosper by seizing opportunities, by building on the strengths of individuals and departments, and by planning wisely. With your continued participation, UNT's next president will inherit an institution with direction and a good deal of sustainable momentum.

Norval F. Pohl