University of Iowa
PAE-2: Strategic Plan

Excerpt from the 2010 UI Strategic Plan:

Sustainability
The University has committed to make sustainability a central priority of all aspects of the enterprise, from the academic mission to daily operations. Our goal is to lead change and to be a meaningful resource to all Iowans in the promotion of sustainability. We will build on successes to date that include highly ranked sustainability-related academic focus areas, the establishment of an Office of Sustainability, an undergraduate certificate in sustainability and a sustainability-focused living-learning community, an interdisciplinary “cluster hire” focused on water sustainability (the Water Sustainability Initiative), new buildings designed to LEED standards, significant cost savings through energy audits, leadership in the development of renewable energy systems, and many others.

Below are major initiatives outlined the UI Strategic Plan related to environmental sustainability:

Create 100 tenure track faculty “cluster” positions to address the major societal issues of our time (e.g., environmental sustainability, aging, etc.; these are new faculty hired by departments who collaborate with colleagues in other departments and colleges on problems that require cross-disciplinary expertise);

Facilities
Major capital projects in 2010-15 – totaling $890 million – will transform teaching, research, clinical practice, and student housing well into the 21st century, and will
emphasize environmental/energy sustainability. This will be accomplished while lowering unit energy consumption and providing effective stewardship for the existing inventory of UI buildings.

Create and attain progress toward meeting 2020 sustainability goals: http://sustainability.uiowa.edu/vision-2020-the-university-of-iowa-s-sustainability-targets/

Sustainability
Integrate sustainability into all aspects of the university enterprise – academics, operations, and outreach
Provide students with educational opportunities to increase their knowledge of and problem-solving skills in environmental, social, and economic sustainability;
 Support the workforce development needs of green industries in Iowa;
 Support and grow interdisciplinary research in sustainability-focused areas;
 Achieve aggressive improvements in energy conservation, renewable energy reliance, waste reduction, and CO2 reduction.

Inclusion and internationalization
Across the strategic focus areas and in all that we do, the University will continue to advance the core values and priorities of inclusion and internationalization. Domestic and global diversity are essential to excellence across all parts of our mission.

**Internationalization and diversity
Enhance educational excellence by expanding domestic and international diversity and by bringing the world to Iowa and taking Iowa to the world.
 Strengthen recruitment and retention of talented underrepresented domestic minority students and international students and scholars;
 Infuse international and multicultural perspectives in our institutional missions;
 Expand the proportion of students who study abroad;
 Expand the University’s global reach through active partnerships with institutions abroad.

Indicator:
Trend data of the six-year graduation rates of Iowa’s public university underrepresented racial/ethnic minority students compared to non-minority students.
Target:
Close the gap between the six-year graduation rates of underrepresented minority students and non-minority students by 50% at each of Iowa’s public universities by 2016.

In addition, the UI Vision 2020 addresses the social aspects of sustainability through expanding opportunities for all students, to support sustainable water resources research (especially in those areas where water is a limiter to quality of life) and to build partnerships for sustainable communities and a sustainable Iowa economy.

** Public outreach and civic engagement
Create better futures for Iowans by extending the reach of the University’s missions throughout the state.

Expand non-traditional paths for earning baccalaureate and graduate degrees for place-bound adults in Iowa by establishing partnerships with community colleges throughout the state to provide on-site and online degree completion programs;

Expand and enhance transfer and articulation agreements with community colleges, such as “2+2”/dual enrollment programs;

Expand our public leadership and public contributions to economic and cultural vitality, and to the health and quality of life of the people of Iowa, by forging partnerships with local communities.

**Efficiency and effectiveness
Maximize available resources by being more collaborative, enterprising, and innovative; align budget allocations and reallocations with strategic priorities.
 Practice budget discipline and realize cost savings through ongoing administrative and academic streamlining;
 Review curricular, procedural, and policy requirements that impede progress to degree, and consider innovations that would help students complete their degrees faster;
 Offer alternative educational delivery models that maintain quality and lower costs;
 Incentivize units to increase enrollment, retention, and extramural and clinical revenues;
 Reallocate a set percentage each year from all units to support University strategic priorities (i.e., grow by substitution as well as addition of resources);
Review curricular, procedural, and policy requirements that impede progress to degree, and consider innovations that would help students complete their degrees faster;
 Offer alternative educational delivery models that maintain quality and lower costs;
 Incentivize units to increase enrollment, retention, and extramural and clinical revenues;
 Reallocate a set percentage each year from all units to support University strategic priorities (i.e., grow by substitution as well as addition of resources);
 Reorganize programs and activities for increased excellence and synergies;
 Continually evaluate programs to guide investment in those that are or have the potential to be of the highest quality, and/or are most central to the University’s missions;
 Ensure that all building and space planning takes into account the need to accommodate enrollment growth.