2021 Hand-Off Celebration

On May 12, 2021 the Project Management Team completed Phase 1 of Academic Positioning and handed their final report to President Nook and Provost Wohlpart. In a spirit of celebration, the team marked the milestone with campus via a Zoom forum where they summarized their work, gave highlights from the report, and explained how to read the recommendations presented. The PMT then had an informal Q&A with the President and Provost to reflect on the journey, what they learned, and where campus will go next. The event was capped off by a sneak-peak at how Phase 2 will role out to campus in the coming month.

 AP Launch Event, November 2019

AP Kickoff Information

Academic Positioning for the Future had its official launch on November 20th, 2019. An event was held at 3:30 pm in the Great Reading Room to present the final plan to the campus community. Over 150 members of the UNI community turned out to hear about AP, how they could be part of the process, and how it will unfold over the coming months.

The work leading up to this event spanned a 7 month period of presenting information, receiving feedback, and adjusting ideas to eventually create and finalize the AP Charge document, the underlying structure for conducting the work, and the guiding principles. Over this time, we facilitated 3 retreats with people from across campus. We consulted with Faculty Leadership, Academic Affairs Council, Faculty Senate, and the President’s Cabinet. At each time point, the structure of AP was refined.

The kick-off event was a way to recognize this collaborative engagement and to celebrate the investment and commitment to create a University that will thrive in the future.

Click for details on the AP Kickoff

2019 Planning Retreats

Report on the results of "Academic Positioning for the Future” retreats

Through spring and summer of 2019, we held three workshops with various campus groups to gather input on the concept of Academic Positioning. The initial retreat held on March 26 with Deans' Council, Vice Presidents, and Directors from various offices discussed the possibilities of Academic Positioning and how to engage the campus. The second retreat on April 24 was held with faculty leadership from across campus and other stakeholders. Building on the first retreat, individuals discussed processes and parameters by which Academic Positioning could move forward. The third retreat was held with department heads on June 12 and, building on the previous retreats focused on goals, processes and structures needed to proceed. 

Following each retreat, a report was drafted that shared the emerging themes that from the retreat. A draft of that report, along with all notes takes during the retreats, was shared back with the attendees to ensure it correctly captured the outcomes of the retreat. The vetted and approved final version of those reports are linked to the side.

Executive Advisory Committee, Orientation Retreat

Report on the results of the first Executive Advisory Committee meeting, January 2020

On January 9th, 2020, the Executive Advisory Committee (EAC) met in Cedar Falls for their first gathering. The retreat provided an orientation to Academic Positioning and allowed the group to engage in an initial discussion regarding focus and direction for the work. The EAC is a group of most external campus partners that will provide guidance and advice on the future directions of the university. They act in a consultative role, providing an external perspective. They are not a decision-making body, but will be well-positioned to help us achieve our goals.