Strategic Planning  

To the Northern Arizona University Community,

Since our last extensive review of the strategic plan in 2007, dramatic social and economic changes have demanded that we sustain the university in a new, challenging landscape. Our path will advance recent accomplishments and carry on the legacy of Northern Arizona University with new approaches to learning, student success, and discovery that create an inclusive, innovative, and efficient approach to education.

The university’s faculty, staff, students, leaders, and stakeholders have accomplished a great deal. Now, we must accomplish more with fewer resources and greater attention to inclusion and impact on the region. We must re-examine our revenue streams and rethink our curriculum designs.

Northern Arizona University is well positioned to be a leader in sustainable higher education: a model that promotes human potential, community well-being, and environmental responsibility. This means we must significantly improve students’ progress toward graduation to equip them with capacities to contribute and succeed.

In addition to being a center of intellectual discourse, the university is an engine of prosperity and a catalyst for innovation. As faculty, staff, and students engage in scholarly and creative activity, we can apply, and in some cases commercialize, our academic inventions. Building strong partnerships and harnessing new technologies will make education more accessible to a diverse population and will help us renew academic programs for greater impact in communities and on economic development.

We are on the verge of transformative shifts brought about by the economic turmoil of 2008 and the recognition of the challenges presented by the inequalities within our communities. Rather than wait for others to decide our fate, we will cultivate partnerships with all sectors—public and private—to deliver education that is relevant to the needs of a sustainable society.

—John D. Haeger
President
Northern Arizona University