2005-2010

The School of Forestry’s strategic plan is designed to support the Northern Arizona University Strategic Plan for 2005-2010. Our goals are organized under the seven goals stated in that plan. Implementation of our plan will require an expansion of our budget to hire more faculty and staff, and to build and equip more classrooms, offices, and research facilities.

GOALS

1. Provide undergraduate educational excellence in a residential learning community

• Be the leading undergraduate forestry education school in North America.
• Continue to provide excellent academic advising for undergraduate students by making our Student Service Coordinator a full-time permanent position funded via a state budget line.

2. Strengthen graduate and professional education, economic development, and research

• Be the leading academic research organization on forests in the southwestern U.S. and the leading forestry research program in North America in the areas of forest health, ecological restoration, and ecosystem science and management.
• Strengthen graduate and research programs in forest management, economics, social science, and forest products industry development.
• Develop a masters degree with emphasis on international forestry and environmental studies in collaboration with the School for Field Studies.
• Increase funded teaching opportunities for graduate students.
• Remove constraints that currently limit recruitment of the most qualified graduate students; work with the University and ABOR to institutionalize the waiver of all tuition for graduate students with research and teaching assistantships.
• Increase the number of faculty with expertise in Fire Science, and develop new educational and research programs in Fire Science/Ecology.
• Increase the number of offices, classrooms, and research labs available to our programs in the Southwest Forest Science Complex.

3. Increase enrollment and retention

• Increase the number of students applying for and graduating from our undergraduate and graduate degree programs, and increase the number of faculty and classrooms to accommodate more students.
• Continue to provide excellent academic advising for undergraduate students by making our Student Service Coordinator a full-time permanent position funded via a state budget line.
• Expand forestry educational opportunities for non-traditional students and forestry professionals through distance learning courses and workshops.
• Develop a masters degree with emphasis on international forestry and environmental studies in collaboration with the School for Field Studies.

4. Provide leadership in the development, use, and assessment of technologies in administrative systems and educational programs

• Expand forestry educational opportunities for non-traditional students, forestry professionals, and tribal resource managers through distance learning courses and workshops.
• Develop distance and continuing educational programs in Fire Science/Ecology.

5. Foster a culture of diversity, community, and citizenship

• Develop programs in ethnic and cultural diversity in Forestry to include Native Americans, Hispanics, other US minorities, and international students.
• Increase numbers of international students and faculty in our education and research programs.

6. Become the nation’s leading university serving Native Americans

• Develop consistent funding for the Native American Forestry Program.
• Increase recruitment of Native American students by strengthening links to key two-year institutions that serve Native Americans.

7. Ensure financial stability and growth

• Increase funding for education and research programs.
• Fully staff the Centennial Forest, and develop funding to implement the Centennial Forest Master Plan.
• Create an effective external advisory board and enhance ties to alumni.

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 09 July 2008 )