INTRODUCTION

CU-Boulder is a strong research university with a deep commitment to teaching, learning, and service. To enhance the University's quality, Vice Chancellor Wallace Loh has initiated and implemented a process of strategic planning. (The Vision Statement and the Planning Assumptions for this effort are presented in Appendix 1 of this report.) Eight Working Groups were formed and charged to analyze key issues that merited special administrative consideration. The reports from these Working Groups have been considered by an Academic Planning Committee (APC) that was asked to review the resulting plans, evaluate the issues that they raised, elicit suggestions from faculty, students, and staff, and then develop a small set of strategic goals for prioritized implementation over the next 3 - 5 years. (The roles and memberships of these committees are provided in Appendix 2 of this report.)

In response to its charge, the APC has developed recommendations in five important areas. These recommendations are made with full recognition of the existing quality of the Boulder Campus. Our suggestions are designed to nurture existing strengths and to correct some institutional weaknesses, not to reshape the University. We recommend attention to:

• (I) Undergraduate Education. The educational experience that we offer to our students, with particular attention to those in their first year of study.
• (II) Community Interactions. The interactions between CU-Boulder and the communities that it serves.
• (III) University Support. The University's support for teaching, research and creative work.
• (IV) Campus Climate. The climate on the Boulder Campus, with particular attention to the definitions of faculty responsibilities and the criteria by which faculty are assessed and rewarded.
• (V) Budget Process. The process by which the campus allocates its resources.