This Strategic Plan is the culmination of a process begun in January 2000. The planning process was open to input via the Internet, regular mail, campus and off campus forums; and it was informed, ultimately, by the work of more than a thousand faculty, staff, students, alumni and others. The heavy lifting was done by the 30-plus members of the University Planning and Budget Committee with help from a 40-member external liaison group that included members of the North Dakota Legislature, the State Board of Higher Education, the North Dakota University System Office staff, and others.

The plan began, as it had to, with an affirmation of core values of the University and a clear articulation of its mission. The plan then moved through a review of the opportunities and challenges to be addressed. The plan is ambitious, as it should be. Why wake up in the morning to small plans? Also, those who support and love this institution expect a lot from us. The plan, in essence, is about fulfilling our historic mission in the core areas of teaching, research and service. It is about working to ensure we have a campus climate enabling large numbers of people to work effectively together. It is about ensuring that we have the technology necessary to enrich and expand learning opportunities. It is about ensuring that we manage our enrollment effectively. Finally, it is about making sure we have the people and the resources needed to make it all happen.

The reader will note that the plan is described in measurable terms. We recognize that we are accountable to those who give the University support, but first and foremost we must be accountable to ourselves. Those of us in positions of responsibility must have a clear, ongoing picture of how we are, in fact, doing. Systematic assessment is built in.

I wish to thank everyone who has taken the time to help shape this plan: the members of the University Planning and Budget Committee, the Liaison Group, the Alumni Association's National Alumni Leadership Council, and the faculty, staff and students who helped develop plans at the departmental, college and support-unit levels. I also wish to thank everyone in advance for the hard work that lies ahead. We will need the help of all of the University's stakeholders; implementation of the plan will require resources we do not yet have. The University Planning and Budget Committee and I believe, however, that it is possible to carry out this plan, given sufficient time and the requisite support from our alumni, the State Board of Higher Education, the North Dakota Legislature, our Congressional delegation and the general public. With this, plus a little "UNDaunted courage," we will succeed in continuing to shape the University of North Dakota as one of America's leading doctoral research institutions.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Kupchella
President