Mavericks,
As an urban campus located in Nebraska’s largest metropolitan city, our number one mission is providing access to opportunities for those in our community. At UNO, we have always been devoted to building educational access for those who may not believe they have a place in higher education. However, to fulfill our mission, we must not simply provide access – we must be good stewards and help be the conduit for continued success and intellectual and social growth.
Last year, many of our faculty, staff, and students provided input in our strategic planning effort through the listening sessions and facilitated conversations. The information shared by our campus has been incredibly valuable as we have made intentional efforts to build out our university infrastructure to support areas of opportunity for strategic growth.
However, I realize that these efforts may not always be visible and that, as we prepare to move forward into a new calendar year, we cannot do so without your continued involvement and awareness. This is why I hope you will join us for a strategic planning forum next month, at the Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center, to learn how your input has been incorporated into our decision making and provide insights to the next steps of UNO's strategic plan.
Please mark your calendars for December 2, 2022 at 2 P.M. and RSVP here.
During this important session we will provide updates surrounding our ultimate objective as an urban metropolitan institution: to advance the social and economic mobility of our students, their families, and the community. At the core of this mission are UNO priorities that have been and will continue to a focus on advancing the two key areas of student performance and workforce development.
These two guiding principles, together, will make UNO the place where academic achievement and community advancement meet. Our focus on student performance represents our aim to reach more students than ever before and ensure that they have everything they need to complete their academic journeys. And through workforce development, we are focusing on using our resources to ensure that every graduate is well positioned to find gainful employment while at the same time addressing the State of Nebraska’s most significant challenge.
Our dedication to these core value has persisted for more than a century because of the power that higher education has to change lives, at all levels. This is what it means to be a Maverick. That is who we are: a compassionate community where everyone and anyone has the chance to embrace their opportunity to thrive.
I want this vision and our shared mission to be a living mission that grows and evolves with us, much like our campus has shown the ability to adapt to the needs of both the present and future. The success of that mission will need everyone to play a part in refining and strengthening this path we are on as we move forward.
Thank you for your dedication, your hard work, and everything you do each day for our students and our community. We are building a brighter future for all, together.
