PLANT
a healthy foundation
NOURISH
an inclusive environment
CULTIVATE
organizational change
In August 2022, UNC School of Social Work began a strategic plan(t)ing process in order to define our School’s future. Our success is dependent upon the involvement of everyone in our community, so we’ve designed the process to be collaborative and transparent.
The goal of strategic plan(t)ing is to collectively decide the direction of our school. As we work toward this goal, Dean Ramona Denby-Brinson has offered a framework for the shared visioning process: one where our three pillars of excellence — teaching, research and community engagement — demonstrate an authentic embrace of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA). What does it look like when DEIA is at the heart of everything that we do?
Let’s imagine a future UNC School of Social Work that is leading by preparing diverse practitioners, partnering with diverse communities, and implementing research discoveries that improve life and change systems on behalf of diverse individuals, children, families and communities.
The School of Social Work is currently in the Strategic Planning stage of the process (the third of four stages). This page will be updated regularly as we move through the 18-month strategic planning process. (Flip the leaves to reveal more information.)
Organizational Assessment
The organizational assessment strategy is multi-pronged, providing a 360 view of the School of Social Work. The goal is to carry the insights from the assessment into the strategic planning, execution and organizational development efforts.
Strategic Leadership
The leadership team members will walk through a development process to assess how they think, act, and influence together for the sake of achieving the school’s strategic priorities across the system and in the community.
Strategic Planning
The refresh will lead us into identifying strategic priorities for the School of Social Work and associated milestones, as well as identifying who is accountable, responsible and connected to the execution of the priorities and associated plans of action.
Organizational Development
Organizational development recommendations will flow from the organizational assessment. The areas of focus are not yet defined. However the initial direction is to offer development in three targeted areas over a 9-month period for all staff and faculty to support a healthy culture in the School of Social Work.
Our progress continues in March 2023. Teams of SAC and other faculty and staff leaders — led by Evi Taylor (teaching & learning), Gary Bowen (community engagement & impact), Sheryl Zimmerman (research advancement & impact), Robin Sansing (people & culture) and Kandace Farrar and Barbara Wiedemann (advancement & marketing/communications) are working together to help finalize goals, outcomes and metrics for a Monday, March 20, Executive Edge session in Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building guided by Kairos’ Tony Gambill and Kristy Farewell.
The School of Social Work Communications team will continue to populate this section with questions submitted by the SSW community. You can view the current FAQ document here. Do you have your own question about the Strategic Plan(t)ing process? Chances are, someone else is wondering the same thing. Please submit your questions with the form below.
