Reaching a goal requires planning and, in its quest to become a world-renowned health sciences center, UNMC has adopted a strategic plan to guide those efforts.
“By enacting this plan, we will move UNMC even closer to becoming a major academic, research and health care center in the community, state, nation and world,” said UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D.
Adopted by the Chancellor’s Council on June 1, the 2004-2007 strategic plan consists of six critical success factors, or overarching goals:
- Enhance and expand the educational environment,
- Increase UNMC’s prominence as a health research science center,
- Advance community/campus partnerships for health,
- Create a culturally competent organization,
- Develop selected new technologies, and
- Create a culture that builds employee loyalty and satisfaction.
“The plan is not a shelf document,” said John Adams, Ph.D., assistant vice chancellor for budget and strategic planning. “The critical success factors are really tied to the vision of the medical center and denote the steps we’re taking to reach that vision.”
UNMC’s vision is to deliver state-of-the-art health care, prepare the best-educated health professionals and scientists, rank among the leading research centers, advance its historic commitment to community health and embrace the richness of diversity to build unity.
Similar to past plans, campus leaders have been assigned accountability for each goal within the plan. Beginning Thursday, leaders and their teams will begin working on action items designed to achieve each of the plan’s 22 individual goals. Those items include recognizing ‘master teachers’ in each of the health science disciplines, increasing total research funding at a rate that predicts $200 million in funding by 2009, and expanding the UNMC cardiovascular research center.
Other action items include establishing a community-based behavioral health program in Omaha, addressing the widening gap in health status among select populations, measuring employee satisfaction via a survey, improving the midtown area’s health and advancing a community-based geriatrics program.
The first campus-wide update of the plan is expected in late October and will outline progress made on specific action items. Another update is due in late February 2005.
“Through the strategic plan document, we are constantly working to improve services and benefits for all our customers, clients and student populations,” Dr. Adams said.