Chancellor Joe Steinmetz released this week the first of 10 action items he wants the university to focus on moving forward with a detailed summary of steps and expectations needed to exceed expected retention and graduation rates.

Steinmetz set the goal of exceeding expected student retention and graduation rates by at least 5 percent through continued efforts to enhance student success programs.

Steinmetz announced the 10 action items he wanted the university to focus on moving forward in October at his State of the University address. As he explained then "The point of this exercise isn't to develop another plan or set of priorities — we have that already and these priorities continue to steer our planning. The purpose here is to shift our focus to 2020 and beyond and to reframe our continual planning efforts at every level."

In the coming months, Steinmetz will release expanded explanations of all 10 action items, under the series title 2020: Focus on the Future. Each item targets specific actions the university needs to take to position itself for continued and future success.

"Not too long ago, we updated our university vision statement to articulate as simply as possible what kind of a university we should be. It reads: The University of Arkansas represents the best of public higher education, advancing Arkansas while building a better world," Steinmetz said.

Steinmetz went on to say he'd been thinking a lot over the last year or so about what this vision statement meant to him in concrete, actionable terms. He went onto list 10 items he would like to see the university move on in the coming years that would help distinguish U of A as a university.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among fewer than 3 percent of colleges and universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.