January 29, 2008
Report to
Elizabeth Layman, Scholars
Council, UNC Tomorrow
North Carolina General
Statute 116-1(b) states that “the
Working from that foundation,
the Board of Governors, President Bowles, and the UNC Tomorrow Commission began
a process of envisioning the UNC system for the future – or UNC Tomorrow, as it
is called.
The process started in ~March
2007 with campus visits by President Bowles –I wasn’t a part of that. In May 2007, 14 Scholars from across the
University system were added to the process.
Here’s where I came in – I’m unclear about the selection of the 14
members of the Scholars Council – I just know that Chair Mark Taggart nominated
me – he may have also nominated others.
It was emphasized in many ways that we represented the system – we did
NOT represent our constituent universities.
The BOG charged the Commission
to learn what the people of
During the summer 2007, the Scholars
wrote briefing papers in their area of expertise – the papers focused on the
current situation in
So, to learn what North
Carolinians needed, 11 public listening forums (town hall meetings) were held
throughout the state (~2700 attendees), 11 faculty forums near all 17 campuses
(~1000 attendees), an on-line survey (~6700 respondents), and a blog.
The 14 Scholars were your
eyes and ears. Almost all the 14 Scholars
were at each the public forums (September & October). At the public forums, all the Scholars took
notes during the open mike and during the small group discussions. The small group discussions were led by a
facilitator from the Small Business and
We presented our findings at
faculty forums for all the campuses (October & November). As many Scholars as possible attended the
faculty forums. For example, I attended
faculty forums here at ECU, at
At both the public forums and
the faculty forums, talking by the Scholars, President Bowles, and members of
the Commission was held to a minimum.
The forums focused on hearing what the public and you had to say.
All these data fed into drafts
that the Commission and Scholars worked on at two meetings (November &
December). Then, the final report went
to the Board in January and was approved.
Now, we’re in the response
phase. The report has been sent or will
be sent (soon) to all the campuses.
The purpose of the response
phase is to develop specific plans as to how each campus and the University as
a whole will respond to the UNC Tomorrow Commission’s report and recommendations. Plans will include specific timelines for
implementation, reprioritization of existing resources wherever feasible, cost
estimates, and assessment and accountability measures.
The UNC Faculty Assembly has
recommended some overarching questions as campuses examine the Commission’s
recommendations:
The Response Phase takes a
phased approach. Phase I responses are
due May 1, 2008; Phase II responses are due December 1, 2008.
“Ultimately, the outcomes of
UNC Tomorrow developed during the response phase will serve as the basis for
prioritizing and realigning institutional missions, academic programs and other
initiatives, resources, and funding decisions (including future budget requests
and funding allocations) so that [the] UNC [system] can respond more directly
to the state’s future needs.”
During the response phase, campuses [and affiliated
entities] will be asked to respond to 5 main questions:
In the Response phase, to
assist campuses and General Administration, the Scholars will be identifying,
within their respective areas of expertise, best practices and barriers and
obstacles to implementation. These
documents are due March 1, 2008.