Academic Initiatives, Priorities & Programs
The Office of Academic Affairs is involved in a number of important projects, initiatives, and programs involving academic life at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. This page describes a number of our current UNL academic priorities, initiatives, and programs.
Academic Programs
The university plans many programs and workshops for the growth, development and advancement of our administrators and faculty. Visit our Programs page to learn more about these events.
Academic Program Reviews (APR)
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is required to periodically review all academic programs for both the Academic Planning Committee (APC) and the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Secondary Education (CCPE).
Learn more about Academic Program Reviews.
Academic Strategic Planning
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has implemented an interactive strategic planning process. The planning process is coordinated by the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and involves all University units. Academic strategic plans are submitted annually by all academic units reporting to the Chancellor, the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, and the Vice Chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Learn more about UNL's strategic planning efforts. To submit a college or department strategic plan for 2008-09, visit the Templates page. The Hiring Priorities information has also been posted.
ADVANCE - Nebraska
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln received a National Science Foundation grant to help the university recruit, promote and retain female faculty in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Two committees composed of faculty, RECRUIT-NE and PROMOTE-NE, will compile and disseminate "best practices" to increase the number of STEM women in our applicant pools and in faculty positions.
Learn more about the ADVANCE-Nebraska program on their web site.
Budget Planning
The Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs is actively involved in campus budget planning.
Learn more about our budget planning efforts.
Confucius Institute
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Confucius Institute is a non-profit public institute with a mission of promoting and teaching Chinese language and culture in Lincoln and the state of Nebraska. Dr. Barbara Couture, UNL Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, serves on the governing board. Located in Nebraska Hall, the Institute was dedicated in fall 2007.
Digital Measures
UNL has launched a new web-based project that will help the university more easily collect and aggregate data about faculty scholarship, research, and outreach. To do this, UNL has purchased a software service called Activity Insight™ from Digital Measures. See our Digital Measures page to find out more about the project and to log in to it.
General Purpose Classroom Advisory Committee
The General Purpose Classroom Advisory Committee assists the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (SVCAA) in identifying and resolving issues concerned with the use, design, and equipping of General Purpose classrooms. Specifically, the committee will make recommendations on planning and policy matters pertaining to the apportionment, design, enhancement and use of General Purpose instructional and instructional support service space.
Learn more about the Committee's charge and its membership in pdf and in Word. To find classroom technology support, visit the IT classroom support page.
Global Gateway Program creates more world-wide opportunities
To create more opportunities within the UNL curriculum for students to engage the world, the Chancellor is pleased to announce the UNL Global Gateway Program. Global Gateway is a new initiative, funded by the NU Foundation, designed to promote and enhance global competency among students and faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The attached Call for Applications explains this exciting new opportunity for UNL faculty and students.
Instructional Technology Advisory Committee (ITAC)
The Instructional Technology Advisory Committee assists the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (SVCAA) in identifying and resolving issues concerning the assessment, acquisition, use, configuration and support of campus-wide instructional technology resources.
Learn more about this committee, or read the Word version. Committee members are listed in this document.
International Programs Advisory Council (IPAC)
The International Programs Advisory Council (IPAC) is a representative group of university leaders, reporting to the Chancellor, to help UNL articulate a strategic vision for international programming. IPAC's main function is to define a forward-looking focus for the university's international work. To this end, the work of IPAC will be to support the ongoing international relationships and work of our faculty, and to promote visionary planning. Specifically, IPAC is charged:
- To think "big," helping to catalyze and focus UNL efforts in international programming.
- To make recommendations to the Chancellor, SVCAA, VCIANR, and the Council of Deans for focusing.
- To propose campus-wide measures and benchmarks for assessing UNL efforts in international programming.
Learn more about the Council's charge and membership.
Preliminary Report from IPAC - "A Vision for International Programming at UNL."
Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP)
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is a partner campus with the Association of American Colleges & Universities in its Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP) Campaign. This campaign champions the value of a liberal education–for individual students and for a nation dependent on economic creativity and democratic vitality. UNL's efforts are coordinated with our reform of general education.
Partnership Degree Program/China Initiatives
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| Dr. Barbara Couture (right) attends an Asian summer event. |
University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Office of China Initiatives, under the leadership of Dr. David Lou, has overseen the development and implementation of two partnership degree programs. The first program, begun in fall 2007, is with Xi'an Jiaotong University City College in Xi'an, China. The second, with Zheijiang University City College, is in Hongzhou, China, and was begun in fall 2008. These programs allow students at these two Chinese universities to complete the first two years of their studies in China while taking English classes from UNL lecturers, and then, if academically successful, to apply for admission to UNL where they complete their degrees.
Programs of Excellence
The Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs coordinates the UNL Programs of Excellence selection and funding process. Learn more about POE.
Recruiting and Retaining a Diverse Faculty
An initiative to adopt best practices to recruit and retain a diverse faculty launches this fall (2009). The initiative received approval from the academic deans in mid-April, following review by the Senior Administrative Team, the Academic Planning Committee, and the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate. A Faculty Advisory Committee, appointed by the chancellor, and college deans are being asked to develop related action plans as part of their ongoing strategic planning processes. See the Diverse Faculty page for the history of the initiative and its major features.
UNL's Mission Statement
The role of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as the primary intellectual and cultural resource for the State is fulfilled through the three missions of the University: teaching, research, and service.
Read the entire statement
UNL's Core Values
- Learning that prepares students for lifetime success and leadership;
- Excellence pursued without compromise;
- Achievement supported by a climate that celebrates each person's success;
- Diversity of ideas and people;
- Engagement with academic, business, and civic communities throughout Nebraska and the world;
- Research and creative activity that informs teaching, fosters discovery, and contributes to economic prosperity and our quality of life;
- Stewardship of the human, financial, and physical resources committed to our care.
SVCAA Calendar
