The University’s faculty executive committee has voiced concerns about the UNC system’s five-year plan.
As the UNC system’s Advisory Committee on Strategic Directions drafts the plan, members need to take these faculty critiques into account.
While the advisory committee has yet to reach out for faculty input, University faculty met to identify concerns specific to the institution.
One of the main concerns lies in the advisory committee’s goal to tailor degrees to the needs of the future state workforce.
The University’s liberal arts curriculum is already catered toward success in students’ future careers by fostering critical thinking and problem solving.
If this goal is realized by teaching students only the technical skills their future jobs might require, these degrees lose the ethos of a higher education.
Additionally, the executive committee is concerned about the lack of diversity on the advisory committee.
Of the 31 advisory committee members, only seven are female. Since the committee represents all people connected to the UNC system, it is important to have a diversity of opinions.
The best plan will be created when the concerns of people from all backgrounds are voiced. When all of these opinions are taken into account, a compromise can be reached that benefits the largest group of people.
