The UNT System Board of Regents will consider several items, including a new campus master plan for UNT Denton and the first campus plan for UNT at Dallas at its Aug. 18-19 meeting in Fort Worth.

According to UNT System Chancellor Lee Jackson, the Denton plan includes an emphasis on re-enforcing the beauty and liveability of the UNT campus, improving traffic flow and supporting pedestrian amenities to make the campus more walk-able. Sites are suggested for academic buildings, housing, parking garages and more centralized routes for the growing bus system. To view the plan for the Denton campus online, visit www.unt.edu/untmasterplan. To see the Dallas plan, visit www.unt.edu/dallas/plan.

Regents also are expected to consider the tenure appeals of Edward Lopez, assistant professor of economics, Dan Peak, associate professor of information technology and decision sciences, and Ken Loomis, assistant professor of radio, television and film.

The board will hear an update from UNT President Norval Pohl about UNT's comprehensive five-year Strategic Plan, which many staff and faculty members worked to draft during the summer.

Creation of the plan began in April 2004 at the direction of the board, and after the regents preview the plan, it will be posted on the UNT web site for campus community feedback. A final version of the plan with goals and guidelines for planning at the unit level is expected to be in place by late September, according to Pohl. In early October, all departments, colleges and schools will begin a four-month effort to translate the university-level statements into unit-level strategic plans with specific goals, objectives, strategies, performance measures and action plans to support achievement of the university's goals by 2011.

Work on the Strategic Plan began by gathering extensive input from the university community to help define the type of institution UNT wishes to become by 2011. The university leadership posted a series of questions online and gathered responses from faculty, staff, students and alumni.

At the same time, work began on the university's Academic Plan. More than 200 faculty members provided input for the plan, which was finished last spring and is now being implemented. The Academic Plan defines the type of institution UNT will become academically and serves as the Strategic Plan's cornerstone.

Since the Academic Plan's completion in April, four subcommittees have been working to draft the university Strategic Plan with objectives and guidelines that will identify the university's specific goals, actions and measurable outcomes based on the Academic Plan.

Though Pohl announced on July 19 that he does not intend to stay at UNT beyond the end of the 2005-06 academic year, Chair Bobby Ray says that the planning process has full board support and work will continue. Regents are expected to consider issues related to a presidential search during the upcoming meeting.

BY KELLEY REESE kreese@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• New InHouse@UNT format to launch in September
• Administrators to propose 2 percent merit raise pools for UNT faculty and staff
• UNT to use multimillion-dollar bequest to fund unique research of behavior analysis
• UNT opens Honors College for Fall 2005
• Exhibit about UNT's branding process opens this month
• UNT summer commencement is Saturday
• About the commencement speaker
• UNT's First Flight Week, Howdy Week traditions continue this month
• Win a trip to Baton Rouge on UNT's Regal Eagle bus

homepage