In early January 2012, Western Carolina University Chancellor David Belcher formed a select committee for the purpose of thinking strategically about the university’s Millennial Initiative.
Chancellor's Charge to the Committee
At its initial meeting January 18, 2012, Chancellor Belcher charged the committee
with three overarching tasks.
- Evaluate and propose strategic uses and objectives of the Millennial Initiative. Explore the points of intersection between the institution's mission on the one hand, and opportunities, challenges and strengths on the other in the Western North Carolina area.
- Recommend an institutional process that will engage both the institution and the external constituents in considering and evaluating the possibilities of the Millennial Initiative.
- Propose both short-and long-term goals with appropriate plans and metrics for the Millennial Initiative.
Why Now
Chancellor Belcher stated there are several reasons why this is the right moment to
revisit the Western Carolina University Millennial Initiative. First, the university
is undergoing a comprehensive strategic planning process. It is in that setting that
it is important we take a fresh look at the Millennial Initiative and where it has
come from, where it is today, and where it should go in the next six to eight years.
Another issue deals with the limitations of the current economy. Chancellor Belcher
indicated it is understood that we must invest money in the Millennial Initiative
for it to become what we all believe it can be. We must invest wisely and strategically
and target those investments at the fundamental points of intersection between Western
Carolina University and its mission and regional economic and community development
needs. Finally, we need an external perspective on this undertaking. Chancellor Belcher
noted there are members of the committee who bring an internal perspective to the
issues considered by the committee, and also, a distinguished group of external constituents
who have the best interest of Western Carolina at heart, and who are broad thinkers
and think holistically about collaborative solutions to the problems and challenges
facing Western North Carolina and the region.