Five-year Goals and Associated Interim Benchmarks
In January 2017, the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina unanimously approved Higher Expectations, a five-year Strategic Plan for the UNC System. The Plan calls on the UNC System to achieve ambitious goals in access, student success, affordability and efficiency, economic impact and community engagement, and institutional excellence and diversity.
Progress on these goals and metrics will be achieved through the hard work and commitment of institutional leaders, faculty, and staff. In that spirit, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics has identified these contributions that North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics aspires to make to the UNC Strategic Plan over the next five years.
Prioritize
Low-income Enrollments
NCSSM will increase the number of students from rural and low-income communities enrolled in its Interactive Videoconference courses (IVC) and its IVC Enrichment courses. NCSSM’s focus is to increase the total number of students enrolled from Tier 1, Tier 2, and rural and low-income schools in Tier 3.
From the North Carolina School of Science and Math: By fall 2021, NCSSM will increase the number of students from low income schools enrolled in NCSSM’s interactive videoconference courses (IVC) courses and enrichments by 50% over fall 2016 levels. The school will increase the number of partnerships with these schools and school districts; increase course offerings in engineering, computer science, and computational science; and expand course offerings to middle and early high school students.
Enrollment of Underrepresented Minority Students
NCSSM will increase enrollment of underrepresented minority (URM) students in its residential and virtual learning programs.
From the North Carolina School of Science and Math: By fall 2021, the number of underrepresented minority (URM) students will increase by 50 percent over fall 2016 levels. The school will expand targeted recruiting efforts for URM students and hire a new admissions counselor, who will focus on recruiting these students. We will increase summer program opportunities for URM students on NCSSM’s campus and engage minority alumni in recruiting planning and efforts.
NCSSM Graduates Earning Undergraduate and/or Graduate Degrees in STEM Fields
NCSSM is a national leader in preparing graduates to pursue and earn undergraduate and/or graduate degrees in STEM, health sciences, and STEM education fields. Some 68% of NCSSM graduates earn degrees in these fields, which is more than three times greater than the national average for high school students earning their degrees in STEM fields. NCSSM’s focus is to increase the number of NCSSM graduates earning undergraduate and/or graduate degrees in STEM, health sciences, or STEM education.
From the North Carolina School of Science and Math: Recognizing its obligation to energize economic development in North Carolina, NCSSM will increase the proportion of graduates who earn STEM, health sciences, or STEM education degrees to 70 percent. The school will increase opportunities for students to engage in research, mentorships, and internships; will increase computer science and interdisciplinary STEM course offerings; and will expand its STEM career-focused speaker series.
Partnerships with School Districts in Rural and Low-income Counties
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is committed to equity of access for high school students statewide, working in partnership with public schools and school systems to ensure that students, no matter their zip code, have the opportunity to reach their full potential. NCSSM builds school partnerships strategically to develop pathways for students to participate in the state’s established and fastest-growing economic sectors. NCSSM’s focus is to increase the number of school districts with which it partners by delivering direct services to students, teacher professional development, and educational content development. Using technology to extend NCSSM’s reach to students in rural and small schools, NCSSM’s faculty develop courses that inspire and challenge, preparing students for success in school, work, and life.
From the North Carolina School of Science and Math: By 2022, NCSSM will increase by 23 the number of schools or school systems with which it has an affiliated, cooperative, or engaged partnership. At least two-thirds of these partnerships will be with Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties and with rural, low-wealth schools in Tier 3. We will increase course offerings in engineering and computer science; expand interactive videoconference course offerings and enrichments to middle and early high school students; seek enrollment growth funding to hire additional teachers to support expanded student course enrollments; and use teacher release time to provide professional development and educational content development opportunities.
Opportunities for Students to Participate in Real-World/Applied Learning through Research, Mentorship, Internship, Entrepreneurial, and Other Learning Opportunities
From the North Carolina School of Science and Math: By 2022, NCSSM will increase student participation in research, mentorship, internship, entrepreneurial, service learning, and other real-world learning opportunities by 20 percent over 2016 levels. The school will expand research, mentorship, internship, entrepreneurial, service learning opportunities to students enrolled in our distance education and summer programs. We will also provide support to allow for effective relationship building with mentors in the field and identify high leverage real-world learning opportunities for students on and off campus.
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