Environmental Issues & Strategies

1. Students are expecting a broader variety of course delivery methods (including interactive and on-line education). Examples: pedagogy, technology, infrastructure 2. The population in Nebraska is shifting from rural to urban and is growing older. By 2030 there will be a 61% increase in the number of people over the age of 65. Examples: senior programming (elder hostels), housing, enrollment 3. The workforce shortage will be a national, regional and local problem by Examples: enrollment, outreach, employment opportunities. 4. UNO faces growing competition from local, regional, and distance learning-based institutions in the recruitment of students. 5. There are over 40,000 UNO alumni in the Omaha area. Examples: communication with stakeholders, engagement.. 6. Affordability of a UNO education is affected by increases in tuition, decreasing financial aid, and inflation. Examples: Financial Aid, Diversity, Enrollment 7. Demand for and timing of classes exceeds the University’s space, faculty, and staff resources, which affect class scheduling, enrollment, and timely graduation. 8. Enrollment of underrepresented students will likely increase in the future due to population increases, eligibility for in-state tuition, etc. 9. Government, business, and community organizations are increasingly seeking partnerships with UNO. 10. The acquisition of land on the South Campus will affect campus growth, academic programming, and student services. 11. The university’s ability to recruit and retain quality faculty and staff is affected by limitations in funding. 12. Employers expect college graduates to have both higher level technical skills and soft skills (critical thinking, communication, problem solving). 13. There is increased competition for external funding from both the private and government sectors for research, outreach and capital improvements. 14. Freshman students indicate they are seeking experiential learning opportunities involving the community, business and university. 15. Current projections indicate that the cost of entitlements will consume the entire Nebraska state budget by Over 40% of incoming freshmen work over 20 hours per week, almost four times more than those at other Carnegie masters level institutions.

1.Students are expecting a broader variety of course delivery methods (including interactive and on-line education). Examples: pedagogy, technology, infrastructure Dot Ranking: 4 Responses: 40 Matrix: Heavily concentrated in the upper left-hand quadrant (high in importance, high in tractability) Green = Students Yellow = Community Blue = Staff Red = Faculty

How to Make Brainstorming Work Turn off your brain’s editor/censor Say each idea out loud Encourage piggybacking on ideas Suspend judgment (good or bad) Encourage a free/uninterrupted idea flow Expect ideas to be outrageous/humorous Record all ideas Respect the ideas of others