Aim: Broaden Nebraska’s engagement in community, industry, and global partnerships
We are Nebraska. Engagement — the co-creation, co-discovery and co-development of solutions — is key to the land grant mission of the University of Nebraska. Engagement brings Nebraska to the world, and the world to Nebraska through a university where students, faculty, staff and alumni are actively engaged across Nebraska and beyond. It is imperative that the university embrace a culture of engagement and partnership that generates genuine mutual benefit both in Nebraska and across the world, while creating extraordinary opportunities for students, alumni, industry, community partners, faculty, and staff.
At its core, engagement is about relationships and reciprocity that must be built upon a foundation where every person and interaction matters.
Strategies:
- Recognize engagement (i.e., relationships with stakeholders for opportunities in partnership and impact) as one of Nebraska’s mission areas, reflected in staff and faculty apportionments and evaluation criteria
- Create a vehicle for advancing and supporting student engagement in community- based research, creative activity, and learning experiences at the local, national, and global level
- Establish and nurture strong, consistent two-way communication with stakeholder groups allowing for research and learning collaborations
- Establish new international partnerships that connect the world to Nebraska, and Nebraska to global opportunities
- Pursue Carnegie Community Engagement classification
- Develop Huskers for Life program to engage alumni and stakeholders from varying sectors and cultural backgrounds in life-long learning opportunities and partnerships
- Embrace and exploit existing and future technologies to promote access for individual and community-based research, learning, engagement, and creative activities
- Concentrate resources and funding to promote engagement responsive to unique local, national, and international needs
Expectations:
- UNL apportionment guidelines and staff position descriptions and evaluation criteria revised to include engagement
- Student engagement program developed and supported
- Increased number of and impact on community, industry, and global partners
- Carnegie Community Engagement achieved
- Increased engagement of alumni and stakeholders
- Increased engagement through online platforms
- Improved infrastructure and professional development to promote communication, applied research, and sharing of knowledge
- Accelerated and concentrated response to needs
Targets:
- UNL is designated a Carnegie Community Engagement campus
- 10% annual increase in percentage of faculty members with an engagement apportionment
- 5% annual increase in number of overall alumni giving