Strategic Plan Refresh

When the Shaping What’s Next 2021-2031 (SWN) strategic plan was launched, we set a bold, long-term vision to become an emerging top-tier research university. The SWN was designed as a ten-year roadmap, with a scheduled refresh at the five-year mark.

We have now reached that milestone — and together we have made tremendous progress. UNC Charlotte has achieved Carnegie Research 1 status ahead of projections and has met or exceeded four of our ten-year goals, including improvements in national and public university rankings by U.S. News & World Report, reductions in average student debt at graduation, and increases in community service hours.

Chancellor Gaber has appointed a new Strategic Planning Committee to guide the midpoint refresh process. The Committee is charged with gathering feedback from the UNC Charlotte community to inform its work in updating the strategic plan, with the goal of addressing areas where the University has exceeded original goals and integrating new priorities and developments that have emerged since 2021. 

The Committee’s work will be supported by a consultant who will facilitate the planning process, and staff from the Chancellor’s Office will provide logistical support. The refreshed plan will be submitted to the UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees for consideration and approval at its April 2026 meeting.

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Strategic Plan Refresh Committee

Kevin Bailey, vice chancellor for student affairs

Kim Bradley, chief of staff

Madison Brown, political science and criminal justice undergraduate student; vice president, Student Government Association

Harish Cherukuri, professor and chair, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science, W.S. Lee College of Engineering

Steve Coppola, associate provost, Office of Institutional Research and Decision Support

Bernadette Donovan-Merkert, dean, Klein College of Science

José Gamez, dean, College of Arts + Architecture

Tehia Starker Glass, professor of reading and elementary education; interim executive director of the Center for Advancing Faculty Success

Ahmed Helmy, CO-CHAIR, associate dean for research and professor of computer science, College of Computing and Informatics

Angelica Martins, assistant vice chancellor and research integrity officer, Division of Research

Elizabeth Moll, senior budget analyst for non-general fund, Budget Office

Natasha Randle, CO-CHAIR, associate dean for undergraduate programs and clinical professor of management, Belk College of Business

Debra Smith, associate professor and associate chair, Africana studies, College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences;  faculty council president

Jen Ames Stuart, associate vice chancellor and chief communications and marketing officer; clinical professor of marketing

Andrew Truman, associate chair of research and professor of biological sciences, Klein College of Science

Naz Tumpa, chemistry doctoral student; secretary of international student affairs, Graduate & Professional Student Government 

Michael Turner, associate professor of kinesiology, College of Health and Human Services; faculty athletics representative

Jessica Waldman, graduate academic advisor; staff council chair

Mark West, professor of English, College of Humanities & Earth and Social Science

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Committee Meetings & Agendas

Oct. 31, 2025	Agenda
Nov. 14, 2025	Agenda

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Timeline

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