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Strategic Plan 2025-2035

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Growing Stronger, Rooted in Tradition

Goal 1: Pinnacle of Student Experience

We will deliver the best student-centered experiences in the nation by enhancing educational opportunities, engagement, and student success by providing rigorous academic programs, expanding experiential learning, and fostering a campus culture where every student feels welcomed, valued, respected, and engaged.

Blog post title: Subgoal 1.1: Enhance Student Education and Engagement

Enhance student education and engagement by increasing opportunities for students to gain specialized credentials that will broaden their academic profiles, enhance career readiness, and equip students with practical, job-ready skills. (3, 6, 10)

1.1.1 Increase undergraduate and graduate certificates (3, 6, 10)

IMPLEMENTATION TASKS:

  • Create undergraduate minor/certificate in Restoration Ecology.
  • Convert some minors to certificates.
  • Create graduate certificate in Environmental Law.

KPIs:

  • Certificates available in college
  • Students earning certificates

1.1.2 Create certifications and workshops (3, 6, 10)

IMPLEMENTATION TASKS:

  • Achieve accreditation/certification of PARK and ENVC undergraduate programs.
  • Facilitate workshops/trainings such as FAA drone license, NEPA/EIS, and wetland delineation.

KPIs:

  • Workshops/certifications available to students
  • Students registered for workshops and certifications

Blog post title: Subgoal 1.2: Increase Experiential Learning Opportunities (3, 6, 10)

Cultivate holistic student experiences that will expand access to hands-on learning, including study abroad programs, undergraduate research, internships, and extracurricular engagement, to build a foundation for lifelong learning and societal contribution.

1.2.1 Increase study abroad/away programs/courses (3, 6, 10)

IMPLEMENTATION TASKS:

  • Integrate experiential learning courses into degree pathways and reduce
    structural barriers to participation.
  • Provide targeted advising, early exposure, and financial support mechanisms
    that encourage students to participate.

KPIs:

  • Courses/program offerings for study abroad
  • Students registered for study abroad
  • Courses/programs offered for study away
  • Support Forestry, Environment and Wildlife Leadership
    (FEWL) Academy through an endowment
  • Hire Wildlife Enterprise Management (WLEM) Shooting Sports Coordinator

1.2.2 Improve and enhance undergraduate research (3, 6, 10)

IMPLEMENTATION TASKS:

  • Establish a 0-credit undergraduate research course option that formally
    recognizes student participation within transcripts and reduces cost and
    credit hour barriers for some students.
  • Implement structured faculty incentives (recognition).
  • Leverage Tiger Giving Day and targeted development campaigns to create
    sustainable funding for faculty and students participating.

KPIs:

  • Students engaged in undergraduate research
  • Faculty engaged in undergraduate research

1.2.3 Improve CFWE internship opportunities and use (3, 6, 10)

IMPLEMENTATION TASKS:

  • Promote academic credit enrollment for internships.
  • Expand employer partnerships and structured placement pipelines.

KPIs:

  • Students securing internships
  • Internship credit hours

1.2.4 Create more engagement opportunities for online students (3, 6, 10)

IMPLEMENTATION TASKS:

  • Create citizen science assignments.
  • Offer in-person field trips, workshops, and events.
  • Provide opportunities to conduct meetings at conferences.

KPIs:

  • Online students involved in experiential learning opportunities
  • Experiential learning opportunities for online students
  • Online students engaging in CFWE activities outside of class

Blog post title: Subgoal 1.3: Expand Course Offerings (3, 6, 10)

Expand course offerings through high-interest electives, expanded labs, acquired minors and certificates, and improved online/hybrid courses to generate additional revenue and support strategic growth initiatives.

1.3.1 Increase courses taken by non-CFWE students (3, 6, 10)

IMPLEMENTATION TASKS:

  • Create core humanities class.
  • Offer increased lab sections of FORY 1020/1030.
  • Offer high-interest electives.
  • Absorb sustainability minor into college.
  • Consult with Philosophy about teaching Core Environmental Ethics courses.

KPIs:

  • Non-CFWE students registered for CFWE courses
  • Total credit hour production

1.3.2 Improve and expand online course offerings (3, 6, 10)

IMPLEMENTATION TASKS:

  • Convert some classes to hybrid (in-person/online) modality.
  • Offer online sections of some classes.
  • Hire more instructors to teach online (and in-person offerings).

KPIs:

  • Online credit hour production
  • Online courses available

Blog post title: Subgoal 1.4: Grow Undergraduate and Graduate Enrollment (3, 6, 10)

Grow undergraduate and graduate student enrollment by modernizing curricula, enhancing experiential learning, and maintaining the quality of online graduate programs to strengthen the college’s student body and ensure a vibrant and engaging academic community.

1.4.1 Improve curricula of college programs to increase attractiveness to students while enhancing graduate quality (3)

IMPLEMENTATION TASKS:

  • Modernize undergraduate curricula to increase flexibility and attractiveness. (3)
  • Increase opportunities and requirements for experiential learning in undergraduate programs. (3)
  • Expand scholarship and financial support opportunities for online graduate students.
  • Strengthen recruitment pipelines and industry partnerships for online graduate students.

KPIs:

  • Undergraduate enrollment
  • Graduate enrollment
  • Scholarships for new degree programs

1.4.2 Continue to develop the ‘Environmental Consortium’ of college/unit student recruiters to attract students to the university that ‘want to work with the environment’

Blog post title: Subgoal 1.5: Strengthen Student and Faculty Professionalism (3, 6)

Improve student and faculty technical skills and professional competencies by offering dedicated classes, workshops, and career service opportunities to better prepare students for the workforce and enhance faculty capabilities.

IMPLEMENTATION TASKS:

  • Develop one credit classes on use of Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Copilot.
  • Increase workshops to develop soft skills, leadership, and teamwork.
  • Improve use of ‘career services’ (workshops).

KPI:

  • Courses/workshops pertaining to professionalism

Blog post title: Subgoal 1.6: Improve Student Cohesiveness (3, 6)

Foster a sense of belonging and community among students by increasing cohort-building exercises within graduate online programs and supporting student groups, while creating virtual networking opportunities for remote students that will enhance student engagement and the campus climate.

IMPLEMENTATION TASKS:

  • Increase cohort-building exercises in graduate online programs, PARK, WLEM, GSIS, and ENVC.
  • Increase support for student groups.
  • Create virtual networking opportunities for online and remote students.

Blog post title: Subgoal 1.7: Enhance Student Success (3,6)

Enhance student success by strengthening retention, graduation, and post‑graduation outcomes through an enriched academic and professional experience. This includes expanding experiential learning opportunities, internships, and structured academic support systems to improve student persistence and completion. Additionally, the college will increase career readiness and placement rates by deepening industry engagement and delivering robust professional development programs, employer engagement events, and other initiatives that connect students with meaningful career pathways.

IMPLEMENTATION TASKS:

  • Improve retention and graduation rates through enhanced student experience (experiential learning opportunities, internships, etc.) and structured academic support systems.
  • Increase post-graduation placement rates through strengthened industry
    engagement and enhanced career preparation (employer engagement
    events, professional development programs, etc.).

KPIs:

  • Year-to-year retention rate
  • 4-year and 6-year graduation rates
  • Graduate placement within 6 months

Goal 2: Pioneering Research

We will increase our extramural research, scholarship, and creative works, and their impact by building leadership in focused areas of distinction and advancing Auburn’s national and international reputation.

Blog post title: Subgoal 2.1: Increase Research Outputs and Reputation

Increase research outputs and reputation by publishing in high-quality journals, expanding patents and applied research, ensuring full professors achieve national and international recognition, supporting junior faculty in securing career awards, promoting collaborative team science to address societal challenges, and fostering engagement with global leaders in science, technology, and policy.

2.1.1 Publish more scholarly works in high-quality journals or through highly reputable publishers

IMPLEMENTATION TASK:

  • Build faculty capacity for high‑quality publishing by incentivizing strong research output.

KPIs:

  • Articles published in Q1 categories of journals
  • Books published
  • Book chapters published
  • Publications winning awards or garnering accolades

2.1.2 Maintain and increase patents and the application of research results

IMPLEMENTATION TASK:

  • Encourage faculty and graduate students to explore patentable ideas and work closely with the university’s patent office to move their innovations toward real‑world use.

KPI:

  • Patents filed

2.1.3  Have half or more CFWE full professors at the top of their respective fields nationally and/or internationally after 5-10 years of full professorship

IMPLEMENTATION TASK:

  • Raise the national and international profile of full professors by promoting their work, nominating them for major awards, and supporting leadership opportunities.

KPI:

  • Top scientific achievement awards issued by scientific or professional societies to our faculty

2.1.4 Have all junior professors submit proposals for career awards or equivalent young investigator awards offered by federal agencies

IMPLEMENTATION TASK:

  • Support junior faculty in pursuing early‑career awards by equipping them with training, mentoring, and proposal‑development resources.

KPIs:

  • Young faculty applying for career awards or equivalent
  • Young faculty receiving career awards or equivalent

2.1.5 Encourage and increase collaborative and team science works that address important, complex, and difficult societal issues

IMPLEMENTATION TASK:

  • Promote and support faculty involvement in collaborative, interdisciplinary, and team‑science projects that address major societal challenges.

KPI:

  • Faculty participating in collaborative research teams to address issues of national and international importance

2.1.6 Increase interactions between faculty and national or international leaders of science, technology, and policy

IMPLEMENTATION TASK:

  • Build stronger ties with national and international leaders by inviting top experts to campus and supporting faculty travel to major centers.

KPIs:

  • Invited speakers of national prominence
  • Visits to prominent research/policy/technology centers

Blog post title: Subgoal 2.2: Enhance Grantsmanship and Research Support

Enhance grantsmanship and research support by strengthening research infrastructure and staffing, optimizing administrative models for efficiency, ensuring laboratory and field safety, expanding graduate student success in securing external awards, providing comprehensive faculty training, and implementing strategies to retain and reward high-performing faculty.

2.2.1 Double extramural research grant funding

IMPLEMENTATION TASK:

  • Increase the volume, competitiveness, and success rate of faculty grant submissions through targeted support, collaboration, and strategic planning.

KPI:

  • Amount of extramural grant funding received

2.2.2 Increase research support such as lab technicians, grant-proposal writing coordinator, research support staff, and infrastructure

IMPLEMENTATION TASK:

  • Linking extramural funding growth to research support expansion.

KPI:

  • Research associates/fellows and post-docs

2.2.3 Strengthen CFWE’s research infrastructure and administrative capacity

KPIs:

  • Create a dedicated AI in Forestry, Wildlife and Environment Hub by 2027
  • Construct a new 5,000-square-foot laboratory space on the southside of the CFWE building by 2029
  • Hire a research lab manager by 2027
  • Endowed graduate teaching and research assistantships
  • Center for Natural Resources Management on Military Lands project volume

2.2.4 Maintaining safety in laboratory and field work

IMPLEMENTATION TASK:

  • Reduce laboratory and field safety incidents by strengthening training, improving compliance monitoring, and creating a proactive culture of safety across CFWE research environments.

KPI:

  • Laboratory and field-related accidents and inspection infractions

2.2.5 Increase the number of graduate students seeking extramural research grants, awards, fellowships and total amount of funding acquired by graduate students

IMPLEMENTATION TASK:

  • Equip graduate students with the skills, mentorship, and institutional support needed to successfully compete for prestigious fellowships and research grants.

KPIs:

  • Graduate students receiving NSF Graduate Fellowships and other extramural financial support
  • Extramural financial support received by graduate students

2.2.6 Regularly train new faculty on research administrative matters, proposal writing, team science, and graduate mentorship

IMPLEMENTATION TASK:

  • Ensure new faculty gain administrative knowledge, proposal‑development skills, team‑science strategies, and mentorship competencies.

KPI:

  • Grant writing workshops or roundtable discussions offered

2.2.7 Reward and retain productive faculty

IMPLEMENTATION TASK:

  • Strengthen faculty retention by recognizing high performance, providing meaningful incentives, and creating an environment where productive faculty feel valued, supported, and motivated to remain at CFWE.

KPIs:

  • Established faculty retained until full retirement
  • Endowed professorships

Blog post title: Subgoal 2.3: Improve and Expand Non-Faculty Research Training

Increase graduate enrollment and quality by improving assistantship competitiveness and retention, expanding academic and social experiences, strengthening support and teaching opportunities for research associates and postdocs, fostering alumni engagement, and streamlining research communication to enhance success and satisfaction.

2.3.1 Gradually increase the number of graduate students while greatly improving graduate student quality

IMPLEMENTATION TASK:

  • Build a competitive recruitment, funding, and academic success pipeline.

KPIs:

  • Graduate student enrollment
  • Graduate students acquiring tenure-track positions at high-level institutions

2.3.2 Increase competitiveness of GRA stipends compared to other institutions in the region and country

IMPLEMENTATION TASK:

  • Conduct a comprehensive stipend benchmarking and adjustment plan.

KPIs:

  • Amount of graduate research assistantships
  • Assistantship amount relative to peer institutions

2.3.3 Increase graduate student retention, experiences, and success

IMPLEMENTATION TASK:

  • Increase the number and quality of academic and social experiences for graduate students.

KPIs:

  • Graduate student retention rates
  • Graduate students who attend and/or make oral and poster presentations at professional conferences or workshops
  • Publications with graduate students or former graduate students as the lead authors or co-authors
  • Student satisfaction rate as reflected in graduate student exit survey
  • Graduate students employed within 6 months after graduation

2.3.4 Increase support for and training of research associates and postdoctoral fellows

IMPLEMENTATION TASK:

  • Offer more opportunities for teaching experience to research associates and postdocs.

KPIs:

  • Postdoctoral fellows who have taught a course or part of a course
  • Postdoctoral fellows employed before or within 6 months after their position in CFWE is completed

2.3.5 Encourage CFWE graduate alumni to interact with CFWE graduate students and contribute to the CFWE mission

IMPLEMENTATION TASK:

  • Create recurring, meaningful opportunities for alumni to engage with current graduate students through mentoring, events, and mission‑aligned activities.

KPI:

  • CFWE graduate alumni who participate in at least one approved engagement activity

2.3.6 Streamline and enhance research communication

IMPLEMENTATION TASK:

  • Maintain a recurring CFWE Research Town Hall Series.

KPIs:

  • Town hall meetings
  • Attendees at town hall meetings

Goal 3: Igniting Engagement

We will be a premier resource for providing impactful solutions to social, technological, economic, and environmental challenges by increasing awareness, involvement, and partnerships in extension and outreach activities.

Blog post title: Subgoal 3.1: Increase Awareness and Involvement in Outreach and Extension

Promote extension and outreach by sharing opportunities through seminars, guest lectures, and reports; encouraging ACES internships and class-based assignments; and engaging student organizations to increase participation and utilization of college properties.

3.1.1 Communicate current extension/outreach work and opportunities on a regular basis to students and non-extension faculty through an extension/outreach day, seminars/guest lectures, and an annual report

IMPLEMENTATION TASKS:

  • Increase utilization of outreach-focused college properties, including Crooked Oaks, Mary Olive Thomas, Kreher Preserve and Nature Center, and Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center.
  • Increase applications by undergraduate students to summer ACES internships.
  • Increase incorporation of extension-related assignments (i.e. products aimed at the public) in class.
  • Increase extension personnel engagement with student organizations.

KPIs:

  • Annual usage of extension/outreach-focused college properties including Kreher Preserve and Nature Center, Mary Olive Thomas Demonstration Forest, Weagle Woods, Crooked Oaks, and Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center
  • Students who apply to and participate in summer ACES internships

3.1.2 Encourage greater involvement by students and non-extension faculty in producing extension products

IMPLEMENTATION TASKS:

  • Increase co-authorship of Extension media by students and non-extension faculty.
  • Increase involvement by undergraduate and graduate students in extension events.
  • Increase dissemination of current research via extension timely content pieces.
  • Create a graduate (and maybe undergraduate) level extension course.

KPIs:

  • Proportion of extension media with CFWE undergraduate students, graduate students, and non-extension faculty members
  • CFWE students who participate in extension programming
  • Extension publications containing new CFWE research findings

Blog post title: Subgoal 3.2: Become Alabama’s “go to” Resource for Addressing Natural Resource Issues

Drive Alabama’s economic development and stewardship by expanding online programs, strengthening partnerships with institutions, agencies, NGOs, and industry, collaborating with regional agents, and tracking volunteer contributions to create innovative, needs-driven educational and workforce initiatives.

3.2.1 Leverage CFWE academic expertise and the ACES network to enhance economic development and stewardship through education, innovative and convenient educational programming, and strengthen collaborations with other academic institutions, state and federal agencies, NGOs, and industry partners

IMPLEMENTATION TASKS:

  • Increase amount of CFWE online programming while maintaining current in-person programming levels.
  • Increase collaboration with regional agents.
  • Increase volunteer hours annually reported.

KPIs:

  • Extension publications and events that include both CFWE extension faculty and agent collaborators
  • Volunteer hours generated by CFWE extension and outreach activities

3.2.2 Strengthen partnerships with other land-grant institutions, including Alabama A&M and Tuskegee Universities, to develop new economic and educational programs

IMPLEMENTATION TASKS:

  • Increase collaborations with research faculty at other land-grant institutions.
  • Implement statewide and regional collaborative needs assessment to guide outreach and extension activities.
  • Increase workforce development opportunities.

KPIs:

  • Grants, publications, and extension events with faculty at land grant institutions
  • Economic developments, products, or programming that arise from collaborations between extension and research faculty

Blog post title: Subgoal 3.3: Achieve Self-Sustainment Through Program Revenue Generation and Increased Extramural Funding

Advance toward self-sustainment by integrating extension components into extramural funding proposals, improving collaboration between research and extension personnel, and developing financially sustainable programs through balanced cost-revenue models, CEU programming, and grant-writing training.

3.3.1 Better increase collaboration between research and extension faculty/agents/coordinators and incorporate extension components into extramural funding proposals and develop a database of extension faculty, agents, and natural-resource focused county coordinators to be distributed college wide

IMPLEMENTATION TASK:

  • Increase percentage of extension-affiliated personnel participating on successful extramural funding proposals.

KPI:

  • Grants that include extension-affiliated personnel

3.3.2 Develop financially self-sustaining extension programs by better balancing program costs and revenues while developing capacity to successfully obtain extramural support at all levels

IMPLEMENTATION TASKS:

  • Increase revenue generation through extension programming.
  • Increase amount of CEU programming.
  • Provide grant-writing training and RFPs to extension personnel at all levels.

KPIs:

  • Revenue generated through extension programming
  • Amount of CEU programming
  • Extension personnel (at all levels) that participate in grant-writing or other grant-related training

Goal 4: Trailblazing Operations

We will optimize administrative operations, facilities, and IT infrastructure to support the college’s growth and innovation, ensuring we remain at the forefront of academic and operational excellence.

Blog post title: Subgoal 4.1: Optimize Administrative Operations (3, 6, 10)

Hire and support well-trained staff with succession planning, implement cross-training and workflow improvements for efficiency, explore AI tools to reduce inefficiencies, and use increased credit-hour revenue to fund staffing, equipment, and vehicle needs.

4.1.1 Be proactive about hiring and supporting permanent and well-trained staff to meet expected needs (3, 6, 10)

IMPLEMENTATION TASKS:

  • Hiring additional HR and accounting staff is absolutely necessary.
  • Ensure that we have sufficient highly-trained staff to ensure redundancy of expertise at the highest level of administrative functions.

KPIs:

  • Staff to faculty ratios are increased slightly and maintained
  • Add a staff member to support growing research expenditures by 2030

4.1.2 Cross training of staff to ensure staff optimization (3, 6)

KPI:

  • Every staff member has a line of succession/replacement by 2027

4.1.3 Improve processes to increase efficiency and maximize effectiveness of administration (3, 6, 10)

KPI:

  • Generate forms and workflow processes for new hires, onboarding, and conference room reservations

4.1.4 Leverage increases in revenue from increased credit hour production to support staffing, equipment, and vehicle needs

IMPLEMENTATION TASK:

  • Proactively plan for increased needs as a function of growth in the college.

KPIs:

  • Create an endowment to cover some operational costs of Crooked Oaks
  • Create an endowment to cover some operational costs of KPNC

Blog post title: Subgoal 4.2: Ensure Sufficient Resources (3, 6, 10)

Facilitate quantitative and qualitative growth by expanding research lab space, improving space efficiency through annual reviews, building new dorms at the Solon Dixon Center and a Shooting Sports Facility, and maximizing CFWE land use for research, teaching, and extension through a coordinated shared-use plan.

4.2.1 Improve efficiency of space use in building (3, 6)

KPIs:

  • Convert large rooms/offices to multiple GRA office spaces
  • Upgrade classrooms and other infrastructure

4.2.2 Upgrade Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center facilities (3, 6)

KPI:

  • Build new dorms

4.2.3 Expand shooting sports capacities and infrastructure (3)

KPI:

  • Build new shooting sports facility south of campus

4.2.4 Increase use of CFWE lands for research/teaching/extension and create a shared-use plan to coordinate and oversee activities

Blog post title: Subgoal 4.3: Improve Communications and Marketing to Support Mission Areas (3, 6, 10)

Transition newsletters to digital formats, modernize the college website with advanced technology, and incentivize faculty collaboration with the Office of Communications and Marketing to strengthen program visibility and engagement.

IMPLEMENTATION TASKS:

  • Convert from print to digital newsletter.
  • Redesign website and keep up to date with newest technology and user preferences (AI).
  • Incentivize faculty to engage with CFWE’s OCM.

KPIs:

  • Online newsletter readership
  • Website page views
  • Faculty-focused stories and other content generated
  • Student-focused accomplishments within all communication outlets
  • Investments in digital media to promote all programmatic activities

Blog post title: Subgoal 4.4: Explore Potential to Create Three Departments

Continue to evaluate the organizational structure of the college to ensure that it best supports our teaching, research, and extension missions.

KPI:

  • Add three staff positions to support three departments by 2028

Blog post title: Subgoal 4.5: Strengthen IT Infrastructure and Services (3, 6, 10)

Support CFWE’s growth and innovation by upgrading IT infrastructure, implementing robust cybersecurity policies, exploring AI and creating automations to streamline tasks, enhancing IT support services, and providing faculty and staff with training to strengthen technology skills.

IMPLEMENTATION TASKS:

  • Upgrade and maintain the college’s IT infrastructure to support administrative, research, and teaching operations. (3, 6, 10)
  • Explore how AI and automation can be used to streamline administrative tasks. (3)
  • Develop and implement comprehensive cybersecurity policies and practices to protect data and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. (3, 6, 10)
  • Enhance IT support services to ensure smooth operation of administrative, research, and teaching functions. (3, 6, 10)
  • Provide training for faculty and staff to improve their IT skills. (3, 6, 10)

KPIs:

  • IT systems and other learning systems upgraded and maintained
  • Cybersecurity incidents reported and resolved
  • Reduction in time spent on manual administrative tasks
  • User satisfaction ratings for IT support services
  • Learning opportunities (Documentation, Online Trainings, and Workshops) to enhance faculty and staff IT skills

Distinctively Auburn

We will honor, preserve, and celebrate the values and rich traditions that distinguish Auburn University, strengthening the Auburn Family by sharing institutional pride and cultivating lifelong networks and connections.

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