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North Carolina

UNC athletic department goals: Education, top 10 in nation

Jan 9, 2013

Chapel Hill, N.C. — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Wednesday announced a four-year strategic plan designed to help its athletic department maintain high rankings in the ACC and nationally both on the field and off. 

The plan includes four priorities and 14 objectives to help move UNC athletics toward its goals, and also generated a new mission statement for the department: "We educate and inspire through athletics."

"We must structure our program so that what we do compliments and helps to fulfill the true mission of the University of North Carolina," Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham said in a statement. "We will strive to succeed at the highest levels in the classroom and competitively; and our administrative staff will be accountable for supporting the goals and aspirations of our 28 sports and 700-plus students." More Info     More UNC Stories

The four priorities devised by the strategic planning committee are: Alignment with the university's mission of educating students, finishing in the top three in the ACC and top 10 nationally academically in each sport, finish in the top three in the ACC and top 10 nationally athletically in each sport and engaging administratively with internal and external constituents to pursue the resources and structures to achieve those benchmarks of success.

Cunningham also expressed a desire to have UNC positioned to have a voice in the ongoing conversations about the future of college athletics both inside the ACC and out, saying that the department's vision is to lead in all it does.

"The only way to do that is to have a program that people can look to with pride in how we are recruiting and educating our student-athletes, how we are faring competitively at the ACC and national level and how we are growing and developing our professional staff," he said. 

UNC said its academic success will be measured by factors like the NCAA's Academic Progress Rates, graduation rates, ACC honor roll and dean's list. Athletically, Cunningham's staff will rely on the NACDA Directors Cup, postseason appearances, national rankings and NCAA and ACC finishes in regular-season and post-season play. 

In attempting to align with the university's overall goal of education, the athletic department will aim to build stronger relationships with the university community and actively "shape the future of college athletics." 

Academically, UNC will aim to improve the academic profile of its incoming student-athletes while offering its athletes support in their efforts to graduate. Athletically, UNC will look to attract, develop and retain the best coaches in an effort to win championships.

"The objectives give us a starting point where we can really make an impact on the University community on a daily basis," Cunningham said. "These are the basic building blocks for continuing the many years of success that Carolina has been known for an respected throughout college athletics."

• Web Editor: Derek Medlin