2008 Woodie Awards
UConn Eyes Top-20 Standing
Andrew Peters
Issue date: 4/25/08 Section: News
A new academic plan that aims to make UConn a top 20 public university will likely be approved this summer, according to officials.
The plan outlines university "aspirations, mission, values, and focused areas of excellence" - but most importantly, stands as a guideline for how to appropriate funding in the years to come.
A draft of the five-year plan was presented April 15 to the Board of Trustees, where suggestions were gathered for the next draft.
"What the plan does is to set the direction for the future of the university," said Provost Peter J. Nicholls, who collaborated with the president's office to assemble the latest draft.
As it stands, the draft outlines three interdisciplinary themes that "serve to unify the plan" - "Our World," "Our People" and "Our Future."
"Our World" focuses on environmental research and education in order to prepare students for success in an international economy.
"Our People" represents an emphasis on health care and human behavior.
"Our Future" proposes a collaboration to develop innovative new products and ideas.
The unification of these themes, proponents hope, would guide UConn into the top tier of public universities until the plan would expire in 2013. The university is currently ranked No. 24 by U.S. News & World Report.
The draft specifies six areas of focus - undergraduate education, graduate education, research and scholarship, diversity, public engagement, and administrative and capital processes - that will be approached according to the "Our World, Our People, Our Future" theme.
"All of the six goals are quite interrelated," said Lisa Troyer, senior associate and chief of staff for UConn President Michael J. Hogan. "All of them will drive us to that aspiration [of becoming a top-20 public university.]"
"I think it's all very important," Nicholls said. "It speaks to the fundamentals of the institutions."
The proposed plan counts on the regional campuses to hone their specializations as well - marine and maritime studies at Avery Point, metropolitan and public policy at Hartford, business at Stamford, arts and humanities at Torrington and community involvement at Waterbury.
The plan outlines university "aspirations, mission, values, and focused areas of excellence" - but most importantly, stands as a guideline for how to appropriate funding in the years to come.
A draft of the five-year plan was presented April 15 to the Board of Trustees, where suggestions were gathered for the next draft.
"What the plan does is to set the direction for the future of the university," said Provost Peter J. Nicholls, who collaborated with the president's office to assemble the latest draft.
As it stands, the draft outlines three interdisciplinary themes that "serve to unify the plan" - "Our World," "Our People" and "Our Future."
"Our World" focuses on environmental research and education in order to prepare students for success in an international economy.
"Our People" represents an emphasis on health care and human behavior.
"Our Future" proposes a collaboration to develop innovative new products and ideas.
The unification of these themes, proponents hope, would guide UConn into the top tier of public universities until the plan would expire in 2013. The university is currently ranked No. 24 by U.S. News & World Report.
The draft specifies six areas of focus - undergraduate education, graduate education, research and scholarship, diversity, public engagement, and administrative and capital processes - that will be approached according to the "Our World, Our People, Our Future" theme.
"All of the six goals are quite interrelated," said Lisa Troyer, senior associate and chief of staff for UConn President Michael J. Hogan. "All of them will drive us to that aspiration [of becoming a top-20 public university.]"
"I think it's all very important," Nicholls said. "It speaks to the fundamentals of the institutions."
The proposed plan counts on the regional campuses to hone their specializations as well - marine and maritime studies at Avery Point, metropolitan and public policy at Hartford, business at Stamford, arts and humanities at Torrington and community involvement at Waterbury.
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Orlando McDreamy
posted 4/25/08 @ 1:02 PM EST
Hate to be the party-pooper for this Grand "Plan", but if you want to get in the top 20, all you have to do is see how those colleges are different from UConn and work to become more similar to them. (Continued…)
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