Goals for UNLV

To continue to fulfill the mission of a premier metropolitan research university, UNLV will pursue the following goals:

All members of the university community will focus on, and be committed to, student education and development by creating an environment in which learning takes place in many forms and by diverse means in interactions with students.

This student-centered culture will focus on undergraduate, graduate, and professional students' needs as lifelong learners. In this learning environment, students will be empowered to be responsible for, and involved in, their education as active players in the academic learning enterprise in order to meet their educational objectives.

ACTION ITEMS

In order to demonstrate its commitment to creating a student-centered learning environment, UNLV will:

Foster and sustain an environment that nurtures students' personal growth and supports student learning.
Develop support systems and provide opportunities, both curricular and co-curricular, that emphasize learning and help students realize their potential by applying what they have learned in the classroom.
Establish administrative procedures that provide convenient, seamless, high-quality accessible services with sufficient staffing to provide those services.
Create opportunities for students that result in personal experiences that enhance the connection of the student and the campus community.
Provide service-learning opportunities that develop leadership skills, service orientation, and responsibility among students.
Enhance technological resources to allow students a maximum number of choices as to when, where, and how classes, programs, and services are accessed.
Assess and address student needs to develop appropriate programs, activities, and services that will enhance retention and academic success for all students (including student athletes and other individuals involved in university-sponsored activities).
Respond to the challenge to provide learning any time, anywhere.
Create and facilitate activities and services for students that support positive and rewarding academic, social, and cultural learning experiences.
Assess and respond to the physical and mental health and wellness needs of students.
Encourage students to broaden their educational experience through participation in international educational programs.
Provide learning opportunities, both curricular and co-curricular (including athletics), appropriate for and focused on students.

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UNLV will hire, reward, and retain faculty, professional staff, and classified staff members who advance the mission of the university by successfully integrating teaching, scholarship, and service in a manner that supports student learning and the creation of knowledge.

ACTION ITEMS

To encourage this integration, the university will:

Encourage the broadest possible recruitment for vacant faculty and professional staff positions in order to attract the best possible candidates for positions.
Ensure a sufficient, dedicated budget for recruitment of faculty and professional staff positions.
Create mechanisms to ensure continued gains in diversity of faculty and staff.
When appropriate positions are available, be flexible in hiring such as giving consideration for qualified spousal and partner hires.
Clearly articulate guidelines for receiving merit and other rewards at all levels of the institution.
Create clear guidelines and expectations for faculty and staff.
Provide mentoring programs that focus on retention and development of faculty and staff.
Provide employees with access to services and resources they need in order to meet their goals for success.
Provide new employees with a departmental/unit orientation and a university-wide orientation soon after their arrival at UNLV.
Create a career development path for current employees to increase the possibility of their advancement.
Conduct exit interviews with faculty, professional staff, and classified staff who leave the university as a means of collecting meaningful data to help in improving retention.
Initiate climate interviews or surveys with faculty, professional staff, and classified staff at specific points in their terms at UNLV.
Be more competitive in recruiting and compensating graduate students.

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Goal #3: Continue to Increase Research, Scholarly Activities to Become a Nationally Recognized Research University

UNLV will be distinguished by the quality and quantity of scholarship produced by its faculty, staff, and students; this scholarship will enhance the reputation and visibility of the university while enhancing the quality of education experienced by UNLV's students and the quality of life of the citizens of Nevada.

ACTION ITEMS

In order to become a nationally recognized research university, UNLV will:

Improve the infrastructure (labs, equipment, and computing facilities) by following recommendations from the American Association for the Advancement of Science review team that visited the campus in 2000.
Identify and emphasize areas of research strengths.
Build a campus culture that values research and creative work produced by individuals as well as by disciplinary and multi-disciplinary teams.
Encourage innovative interdisciplinary research when possible.
Expand research-related support staffing.
Enhance the journal holdings in the library to adequately support an expanded research and scholarly mission.
Create a climate that is supportive of research and scholarship by rewarding (both monetarily and otherwise) faculty engaged in those activities.
Hire additional senior faculty to work in conjunction with current faculty to serve as mentors for new faculty.
Support new faculty by providing strong start-up packages and reassigned time from teaching so they can establish research programs.
Increase involvement of students in research at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Increase external support to build programs and centers of distinction.

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The university is developing growth and enrollment strategies that attract an increasingly diverse, talented, and academically prepared pool of applicants and is encouraging programs that serve regional needs and achieve national distinction. These students and programs will enhance teaching and research and will allow for increased collaboration between faculty and students.

ACTION ITEMS

To attract top students and encourage program development, the university will:

Become a Doctoral/Research-Extensive institution by 2010.
Educate the "whole person" while preparing students for the world of work.
Ensure that the undergraduate education offered at UNLV involves a well-rounded curriculum based in the liberal and fine arts as well as the sciences with unique opportunities for advancement in a variety of areas such as graduate studies, unique job opportunities for certain disciplines, etc.
Continue to actively support the growth and development of the Honors College and work to provide all students an educational experience similar to that provided by the Honors College.
Continue to review and revise the core curriculum when appropriate.
Provide programs that facilitate a career change for adult students or programs that assist students with furthering their career development.
Develop administrative structures that encourage interdisciplinary efforts.
Expand international education opportunities for students and faculty.
Expand services that support the hiring of, and provide assistance to, international scholars and students.
Implement increasingly rigorous admission standards at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Develop graduate and advanced professional programs that meet local, state, and regional needs
Continue to engage in a meaningful and systematic process of program review.
Implement workload expectations and other resources equal to those of comparable institutions.

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UNLV will be characterized by a civil, inclusive campus climate that demonstrates a respect for individual differences and a commitment to equity and free expression. That climate will create an environment where members of the campus community have increased awareness of diversity and the opportunity it presents.

ACTION ITEMS

In order to create an inclusive campus that respects diversity and freedom of expression, UNLV will:

When possible, expand the Target of Opportunity program to include the recruitment of professional employees.
Continue to promote diversity within the Department of Public Safety by hiring more females and ethnic minorities, emphasizing continuing diversity education programs, and encouraging alliances with other campus departments.
Evaluate the accomplishments of campus units relative to diversity, inclusiveness, justice, and civility and use the results to help allocate resources allocations and in program planning.
Design a means of undertaking an institutional conversation intended to clarify the meaning of diversity and its respective goals for UNLV, to provide examples of best practices, and to create an institutional statement of understanding about diversity.
Ensure that UNLV continues to focus on diversity in institutional planning, campus events, and retention programs as a result of the university's commitment to the idea that diversity is an integral part of the university community.
Honor and reward outstanding contributions by members of the campus community in promoting diversity on campus.
Ensure that the institution is deliberate in efforts to educate UNLV students about the importance and value of diversity, to set expectations for tolerant and civil interactions, and to promote understanding about the rights and responsibilities inherent in free expression.
Create and recommend a universal statement for syllabi that expresses the institution's commitment to diversity, civility, tolerance, and freedom of expression.
Sponsor a series of interdisciplinary discussions and lectures designed to educate the campus community about the rights and responsibilities inherent in free expression.
Redesign physical spaces to invite informal conversations among members of the university community.

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UNLV will develop administrative operations and infrastructure that further the university's goals and provide service-oriented, responsive interactions in support of the academic mission of the institution.

ACTION ITEMS

To support the university's programs and improve internal communications, UNLV will:

Encourage the planning that this document outlines that might lead to a responsive administration.
Conduct a series of campus environment surveys to assess the effectiveness of administrative services in order to solve problems.
Create effective training programs open to all faculty and staff.
When appropriate, conduct meetings, forums, retreats, lectures, and other forms of discussion to include members of the campus in the decision-making process.
Discover and analyze problems in internal communication and create solutions to those problems.
Analyze the university's infrastructure to identify bottlenecks, eliminate duplication, and streamline processes.
Create a mission statement for each campus unit. Units with existing documents should evaluate and update them.
Produce materials that will help faculty, staff, and students understand and negotiate the university's administrative processes.
Create a standardized reward system for faculty, staff, and administration.
Increase the web presence of administrators as a means of providing information both internally and externally.
Continue to recognize academic and administrative units for better service, greater efficiency and cost savings.
Increase the awareness throughout the campus community of the role of athletics in achieving and supporting the academic mission of the institution.
Create a space and facilities master plan for the campus that helps improve the efficiency of campus administration.

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UNLV will increase effective communication strategies andcollaborative endeavors with members of the campus community, the surrounding community, and external constituents.

ACTION ITEMS

To achieve effective internal and external communication and collaborative activities, the university will:

Commit staffing and funds to promote a carefully crafted vision and image of the university as defined by the strategic planning process.
Plan systematically for interactions with the Legislature, Board of Regents, alumni, UNLV Foundation, government officials, and other external constituencies.
Create a plan to communicate UNLV's values, challenges, and successes to the broadest possible audience.
Conduct a needs assessment to address real community needs through program offerings, service activities, and research endeavors.
Develop a regular institutional research cycle that addresses several key areas, including the university's reputation in the community, students' (traditional and nontraditional) needs, retention concerns, UNLV's economic impact, and public interests/needs the university can fulfill.
Identify and work to remove barriers to collaboration internally and externally. Develop and/or promote clear policies and guidelines to minimize uncoordinated and decentralized responses to major institutional issues.
Support collaborative efforts that most effectively highlight the strengths of the university, K-12 schools, other NSHE institutions, and the business community and government agencies.
Enhance outreach efforts like the Downtown Center and analyze the feasibility of developing branch campuses and research parks as needed.
Identify what policies and practices are in place for partnerships and internships with the business community and how these can be maximized.
Establish a campus intranet portal for employee information sharing and conducting business on the World Wide Web.
Seek additional resources, both public and private philanthropic support, for activities that reflect and advance institutional goals, with special attention paid to historically ignored infrastructure issues as well as buildings.
Showcase alumni and programs to demonstrate how university activities benefit Nevadans.
Showcase athletes and athletic programs to illustrate the positive effects athletics have on the university and the community.
Work to increase the communication with, and collaboration between, athletics and the community.
Develop a program to introduce key and new community leaders to the university by bringing them on campus for tours and presentations on UNLV that explain how the community can benefit from the existence of the campus.
Identify, prepare, and place selected employees in key community organizations to further gather and disseminate accurate information about the university.
Establish a campus visitors center that serves the various roles of centralizing the recruitment visitations, making essential business easier to transact, and displaying UNLV's history and accomplishments to the public.
Develop a web-oriented help guide that provides an outline of the university's governance system including lists of all college and university committees and their responsibilities.

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UNLV recognizes the increasingly significant role technology plays in the university and is committed to developing a strong, service-oriented, flexible information infrastructure that will support the institution's mission and goals.

ACTION ITEMS

In order to support and enhance teaching, research, creative activities, and administrative services through the effective management and use of information technology resources, the university will:

Develop, maintain, and enhance easy-to-use applications and information systems that help create an efficient and adaptable administrative support infrastructure and meet the changing and specialized needs of students, faculty, and staff.
Develop and implement an active, coordinated, and comprehensive assessment program that evaluates the impact of computing resources and services on teaching, learning, and research and provides significant user input in planning for enhanced access to information resources and computers.
Develop mechanisms for involving appropriate campus groups in planning and policy development involving information technology and for communicating information about technology issues to the campus community.
Create an infrastructure that will allow for the maximum flexibility in the adoption and use of technology—create a plan that allows for innovation and adapts to change.
Develop services and programs that maximize the innovative and flexible technological infrastructure of the Lied Library and the technological experience and expertise of its staff.
Create policies, procedures, and funding mechanisms that ensure new building projects and major building renovations include provisions for hardware, software, and technological support for the faculty, staff, and students in those buildings.
Develop, maintain, and continuously upgrade a research computing environment designed to support the high-speed computational, communication, and educational needs of students and faculty engaged in research and creative activities.
Secure ongoing funding for support of the information technology infrastructure through existing budgets, new resource requests, recharge mechanisms, and other appropriate measures.
Continue to develop, maintain, and upgrade all campus systems to keep pace with both campus demand and changing hardware and software technologies.
Increase access to and support for state-of-the-art computer laboratories and computer-based teaching facilities for students and faculty from all academic disciplines.
Provide students and faculty state-of-the-art equipment and instructional technology services to meet their current educational objectives, and assist them in incorporating new technologies and delivery methods into the classroom environment.
Create plans and secure funding that make it possible to replace classroom technology; student, faculty, and staff computers; and network equipment in a systematic manner.
Seek ways to upgrade development machines, software, and the support required to keep the Office of Information Technology at the cutting edge of technologies to support the campus community.
Appoint a technology officer to oversee technology across campus.
Develop instructional programs that are less restricted by time and place than courses and programs delivered by traditional means.
Ensure funding to develop and maintain systems that ensure that the campus technology infrastructure is secure.
Hire and retain a flexible, well-trained, service-oriented technology staff equipped with the tools and expertise needed to assist students, faculty, and administrative staff in meeting their technological needs.
Provide technological resources, training, and services to support the introduction of technology into the curriculum and the use of technology in the preparation and delivery of course materials.
Coordinate the efforts of all web-based activities on campus to ensure easy access to electronic information, provide tools for interactive web environments, and secure the resources necessary to stay abreast of the increasing use of the web for academic and administrative functions.

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CONCLUSION

This document provides a broad outline for UNLV's growth and progress in the coming years. The document is not meant to be a rigid recipe for the future but rather one with the flexibility to adapt and grow with the institution. It has carefully extended the ideas and goals of the previous planning document while adding much that is new to reflect the changes in the institution. The past seven years have been a time of tremendous growth and change on the campus. UNLV is a far different institution from what it was in 1995. This document reflects those differences, but it also emphasizes the core values of the institution, such as increasing its reputation in scholarship while at the same time working to maintain quality education for both undergraduate and graduate students, serving as a resource to the community and state, and providing an atmosphere in which students can learn the skills necessary to be effective citizens in the 21st Century.

UNLV GOALS

Goal #1: Create and Sustain a Student-Centered Learning Environment

Goal #2: Hire, Motivate, and Reward Superior Faculty, Professional Staff, and Classified Staff

Goal #3: Continue to Increase Research, Scholarly Activities to Become a Nationally Recognized Research University

Goal #4: Grow Selectively, Serve the Region, and Achieve Distinction

Goal #5: Continue to Foster a Campus Environment that Respects Diversity and Free Expression

Goal #6: Develop a Service-Oriented, Responsive, Accountable Administrative Infrastructure

Goal #7: Communicate and Collaborate More Effectively

Goal #8: Develop a Strong, Service-Oriented, Flexible Information Technology Infrastructure

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