Chancellor Releases Third Installment of 2020: Focus on the Future Series

Chancellor Joe Steinmetz has released the third of ten action items focusing on the future needs of the University of Arkansas.

Last October, Chancellor Joe Steinmetz announced at his State of the University address 10 action items he wanted the university to focus on moving forward. This week he released an expanded explanation of his third action item, detailing how the university should be the graduate school of choice for students seeking to diversify and amplify their educational outcomes. Steinmetz believes, "we need to expand and reframe our understanding of what graduate education is, who it serves, and what it prepares our students to do." The third action item can be found here.

As Chancellor Steinmetz explained at his annual address, "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.

"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."

In the coming months, he 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. Chancellor encourages all supervisors to share with their staff.

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 2.7 percent of 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.