UNC System ‘refreshes’ its strategic goals to focus on access and affordability
Five years ago, the UNC System set 12 data-driven goals in its “Higher Expectations” strategic plan. So far, it has hit seven of them, but missed the mark on serving low-income and rural students.
Now, it’s changing them.
The goals were focused on access, affordability, student success, economic impact and community engagement and diversity. The plan ran through the end of the 2021-22 academic year, so most of the data showing the final progress won’t be available until January 2023.
The UNC System Board of Governors reviewed and approved those “Refreshed Strategic Plan Goals” at its meeting last week.
The new goals and metrics reflect new priorities and initiatives, including a focus on adult learners and military-affiliated students as part of the state’s effort to award more college degrees, according to Andrew Kelly, senior vice president for strategy and policy at the UNC System. They consider on-time completion and student debt, which the board uses to assess President Peter Hans.
The plan also intends to better capture improvements in the “employee experience,” student mental health and other data distinguished by race and ethnicity, Kelly said.
In recent years, the UNC system saw declines in enrollment by low-income students overall and at community colleges, which is a major pipeline that brings students from Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties to the UNC System. It’s a national trend that is in part caused by more prospective students opting to work given the economy and the educational disruptions caused by the pandemic, according to Kelly.
“This is why the refreshed plan calls on us to redouble our efforts to enroll more students from counties where college-going lags behind the statewide average and commits to enrolling more students who may not enter college immediately but choose to do so as adults,” Kelly said in an emailed response.
Making universities more accessible
Across the UNC System, the percentage of rural and low-income students completing degrees has increased but the overall enrollment of rural and low-income students has decreased since the strategic plan took effect. Low-income and rural enrollments initially increased but then plateaued.
The system has not yet met any of its goals aimed at improving access to its campuses, including increasing low-income completions by 37% by 2021-22 and increasing rural completions by 20% by 2021-22.
The completion goals were two of the most aggressive in the plan, according to Kelly.
Low-income completions increased about 13% from the 2015-16 baseline, while completions by rural students increased by nearly 12% . That’s an additional 4,600 graduates from rural counties and 5,380 graduates who received a Pell Grant, which is federal student aid for undergraduate students with exceptional financial need.
“Though these improvements have not (yet) reached the aggressive goals set in 2016, they do represent real progress for students and the state,” Kelly said.
With the “refreshed” plan, the system updated its goals and measures around increasing access for underserved populations to focus on adult learners, military-affiliated students and students from underserved counties. The system changed how it defines rural and low-income counties to be based on college enrollment rates instead of county population. Underserved counties are now defined as those with a postsecondary attendance rate below the North Carolina State Average of 61.5%.
Under the new goals, by Fall 2027:
▪ increase adult learner enrollment from 24,928 to 45,000 students.
▪ increase the number of military-affiliated students from 20,455 to 25,000 students.
▪ increase the number of first-time and transfer students from underserved counties from 69,034 to 73,000 students.
The system plans to meet these goals through initiatives like Project Kitty Hawk to offer more online education and closer partnerships with military installations. Hans also signed a new regulation in May that allows students to earn equivalent credit for military training at any UNC System university.
Improving student success
The UNC system surpassed its goal for 5-year graduation rates and undergraduate degree efficiency before the strategic plan even took effect.
In addition to improving success overall, the system focused on closing achievement gaps among rural, male, minority and low-income students. The system’s degree efficiency for each of those demographics has improved since the strategic plan took effect. But for low-income students, it has remained mostly stagnant in recent years.
✓ By 2022, increase 5-year graduation rate from 65.9% to 70%
✓ By 2021-2022, increase Rural students’ undergraduate degree efficiency from 21.4 to 22.2
✓ By 2021-2022, increase underrepresented minorities’ undergraduate degree efficiency from 19.4 to 21.7
With the refresh, the system adjusted and added metrics for how it measure students success, including a new focus on student mental health.
Under the new goals, by 2026-27:
▪ increase the systemwide four-year graduation rate among first-time, full-time students from 55% to 61.5%
▪ increase the systemwide undergraduate degree efficiency from 24.9 to 25.8.
▪ work on closing equity gaps by race/ethnicity and income. The system aims to increase the four-year graduation rate for low-income students and students of color, including Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino and Native American students.
▪ evaluate graduate student success based on the number of master’s and doctoral degrees. By 2026-27, increase master’s degree efficiency from 56.2 to 60.0 and increase research doctoral degree efficiency from 27.3 to 29.0 (3-year average).
▪ improve student mental health. Each university will now participate at least once in the Healthy Minds Survey performed annually by the team of university-based researchers at the Healthy Minds Network.
Making schools more affordable and efficient
For affordability, the system set a goal to “offer education of equal or higher quality than currently provided at a cost that is both consistent with the State constitution and attainable to students and families in North Carolina” in its strategic plan. To do that, the system said it would limit “annual percent increases in undergraduate resident tuition rates to no more than the increase in the median income.”
The UNC System froze in-state tuition across the board for six straight years, and universities have been among the most affordable compared to their peers. Tuition and fees have increased for out-of-state students.
Now, the system will aim to limit or reduce student loan debt and use that to measure how it makes universities more affordable for students and families. It will also work to limit the cost per degree for institutions.
Measuring economic impact and community engagement
The system surpassed its goal to award more post-secondary credentials in health sciences, STEM, K-12 education and other emerging regional workforce needs ahead of schedule and continued that upward trajectory. It also surpassed its goal to increase research productivity early.
✓ By 2021-2022, increase critical workforce credentials by 25%
With its refreshed plan, the system aims, by 2026-27, to:
▪ increase the number of Health Sciences and STEM degrees and certificates awarded from 26,957 to 33,000.
▪ increase the number of UNC System-Educated 1st Year Public School Employees from 4,643 to 4,800.
▪ By FY27, increase sponsored research and licensing income from $1.75 billion to $2 billion.
▪ increase the number of military partnerships from 12 to 20.
Pursuing excellence and diversity across campuses
In 2017, the system sought to “strengthen its reputation and accomplishments” by having universities identify their “areas of distinction” and earn regional or national recognition within those areas by 2021-22.
The system also said it would “systematically focus on recruitment, retention, and development of the most talented and diverse workforce possible.” Universities started surveying employees to measure engagement, retention, succession planning and investment in professional development. The UNC System Employee Engagement Survey, which has been given out three times, established a baseline metric for employees and campuses use it to make improvements in those areas.
Now, the system is looking to enhance and expand that survey to improve the employee experience.
▪ Increase the positive response rate on the employee engagement survey to meet or exceed the benchmark for four-year public universities.
▪ Add survey items to the employee engagement survey that relate directly to employee mental health and well-being.
▪ By 2026-27, decrease turnover and return to “typical turnover levels” of faculty and staff from 11.8% to 6.6%
▪ Increase retention among key subgroups whose voluntary turnover rates exceed the system average. Minority employees from 14.1% to 7.5%. Women employees from 13.3% to 7.3%.
The Board of Governors approved the new refreshed goals, metrics and targets at its meeting last week.
“The goals are ambitious, and when we meet them it will make a difference in the lives of our students, faculty, staff and the citizens of North Carolina,” said board member Carolyn Coward, who chairs the strategic initiatives committee.
This story was originally published June 1, 2022 at 8:30 AM.
