Strategic Plan Progress Report and 2019 Faculty Academic Forums

Strategic Plan Progress Report and 2019 Faculty Academic Forums

We are pleased to report UCI’s progress toward the aspirations outlined in the strategic plan, progress made possible by the dedication and contributions from our world-class faculty and staff. We are grateful for the efforts of all campus participants who helped UCI prosper and to the Academic Planning group for coordination and support of the strategic plan progress report. To continue the momentum, our vice provost team will host faculty academic forums over the next few months to explore strategic topics and hear your concerns and ideas on how we can best manage change and advance our strategic plan. We sincerely hope you will join us to discuss these important campus issues.

Strategic Plan Progress Report Highlights

• In 2017-18, tenured and tenure-track faculty grew by 45 and UCI honorific awards increased by 6%
• Number of degrees granted are up 4.3% in 2017-18 — 7,684 undergraduate and 2,117 graduate
• In 2018, UCI received 116,192 applications for undergraduate admission, the third-highest in the UC system and an 11% increase from the previous year
• Private support for UCI more than doubled to $320 million in 2016-17
• For the first six months of FY 2018-19, total research grants and contracts came in at $212M, representing a 28% increase over first six months of FY 2017-18; of these Federal grants and contracts came in at $141M, a 36% increase over FY 2017-18

Key Developments and Achievements

• UCI ranked first for doing the most for the American dream in the latest New York Times College Access Index, which is based on a combination of the number of lower- and middle-income students that a college enrolls and the price it charges them. UCI also was ranked fourth in the nation for “best value” by Forbes in 2018.
• UCI opened the Anteater Learning Pavilion to improve student learning by implementing innovative teaching practices. UCI also broke ground on the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building and announced plans for the Student Success Building, which will house academic support and wellness services in one central location.
• UCI was cited as the leader in using the community college pipeline to expand socioeconomic diversity in the 2018 American Talent Initiative Impact Report.

2019 Faculty Academic Forums – Register Here

• Jan. 30: Mental Health – Focused on identifying gaps in information and ways to increase faculty awareness and involvement related to student mental health (3:30-4:30 p.m., Humanities Gateway 1030)
• Feb. 27: Interdisciplinarity – Discuss the structure required to successfully facilitate interdisciplinary, problem-based scholarship and teaching (2-3 p.m., 2430 Engineering Hall)
• April 10: Faculty Diversity – Consider ways to advance the campus mission in support of inclusive excellence in school culture, faculty hiring and leadership (2-3 p.m., Humanities Gateway 1030)

Please access the strategic plan website for metrics detailing actual and targeted performance. The full metrics are available on the ZotPortal for individuals with UCInetIDs. Please send any questions, observations or comments about the strategic plan to strategicplan@uci.edu.

Sincerely,

Enrique J. Lavernia, Ph.D.
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
Distinguished Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Judith Stepan-Norris
Vice Provost for Academic Planning
Professor of Sociology