University of North Carolina Wilmington INSTITUTIONAL PROFILE FALL 2005

INTRODUCTION The purpose of this institutional profile is to present a concise overview of UNC Wilmington’s most distinctive characteristics, placed in the context of the University of North Carolina system. Founded by the taxpayers of New Hanover County as Wilmington College in 1947, UNCW is the youngest member of the UNC family, yet has matured rapidly into a premier comprehensive university while maintaining its focus on quality undergraduate teaching and learning. Students consistently praise the quality of their interactions with faculty and express their satisfaction with their overall educational experience. The faculty culture emphasizes teaching and mentoring, incorporating research as an important component of the student learning experience and a service to the state.

UNCW embodies quality despite under-funding UNCW has the fourth highest freshman SAT average, the third highest freshman retention rate, and the third highest six-year graduation rate in the UNC system. UNCW was recently ranked seventh among the top public master’s universities in the South by US News and World Report, America’s Best Colleges The most recent 26th edition (2004) of Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges lists UNCW at the “very competitive” level. Only four UNC institutions are rated “very competitive”: NC State, Appalachian State, UNC Asheville, and UNCW. UNC Chapel Hill is the only institution rated at the higher “most competitive” level. These quality indicators are remarkable, given UNCW’s severe resource constraints. The severity of faculty and staff shortages is illustrated by UNCW’s next to last ranking in the UNC system in both categories. UNCW’s state appropriation per FTE was last in the UNC system in UNCW ranks next to last in available space per student. Even after all the bond construction is completed in 2009, expected enrollment increases will leave the assignable square footage of academic space per student at the 2003 level.

UNCW AVERAGE SAT OF THE ENTERING FRESHMEN CLASS: FALL 2005 SAT AVERAGE RECORD HIGH FOR UNCW

UNC SYSTEM COMPARISON OF SAT OF ENTERING FRESHMEN CLASS: 2004 In 2004, UNCW ranked 4 th in the UNC System in freshmen SAT behind Chapel Hill, NC State, and UNC Asheville UNC Avg. = 1079 Source: All data in this graph were obtained from the University of North Carolina web site.

UNC SYSTEM COMPARISON OF RETENTION TO 2 nd YEAR RATES: % of ENTERING CLASS OF FALL 2003 RETURNED IN FALL 2004 In 2004, UNCW ranked 3rd in the UNC System in freshmen retention rates behind Chapel Hill and NC State UNC Avg. = 81.8% Source: All data in this graph were obtained from the University of North Carolina web site.

UNC SYSTEM COMPARISON OF 6 YEAR GRADUATION RATES: % of ENTERING CLASS OF FALL 1998 WHO GRADUATED BY In 2004, UNCW ranked 3rd in the UNC System in 6 year graduation rates behind Chapel Hill and NC State UNC Avg. = 57.8% Source: All data in this graph were obtained from the University of North Carolina web site.

UNC SYSTEM COMPARISON*: STATE APPROPRIATION PER FTE At $6,476, UNCW ranked last in state appropriation per FTE in *NCSA not applicable. UNC Avg. = $9,089 $6,476

UNC SYSTEM COMPARISON: ASSIGNABLE SQ.FT. PER FTE IN 2003 At 70 sq. ft., UNCW ranked next to last in assignable sq. ft. per FTE. UNC Avg. =

UNCW meets state needs through education The university is meeting the needs of the state by providing a quality education for many of North Carolina’s brightest young minds, especially for those who seek a mid-sized alternative to larger institutions. The planning and establishment of academic degree programs at UNCW has been guided by the needs of the state, student demand, and our coastal location, among other factors. UNCW’s strength in the natural sciences, especially biological sciences, chemistry, and other disciplines that form the core of our internationally respected niche in the marine sciences, is the result of decades of intentional focus and investment. In the area of arts and literature, UNCW’s highest profile programs are in film studies and creative writing. The department of film studies has evolved in just a few short years from a few film-related courses in various departments to the fourth-largest major on campus. The Master of Fine Arts in creative writing in a short time has become one of the most respected on the east coast. The most recent addition to degree programs in the School of Nursing was designed to specifically meet the workforce needs of the pharmaceutical contract research organizations in our region.

MT WY ID WA OR NV UT CA AZ ND SD NE CO NM TX OK KS AR LA MO IA MN WI IL IN KY TN MS AL GA FL SC NC VA WV OH MI NY PA MD DE NJ CT RI MA ME VT NH AK HI NONE or More HEADCOUNT ENROLLMENT BY STATE FALL 2005 Fast Fact: Of the total number of students enrolled at UNCW in 2005, 87% are from North Carolina. Source: UNCW Fact 1 Report.

Alamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln McDowell Macon Madison Martin Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey HEADCOUNT ENROLLMENT BY COUNTY FALL 2005 NONE Fast Fact: In fall 2005, UNCW served students from 96 out of 100 North Carolina counties. Source: UNCW Fact 1 Report.

Alamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln McDowell Macon Madison Martin Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey NEW FRESHMEN ENROLLMENT BY COUNTY FALL 2005 NONE > Top 5 feeder counties for the entering class of 2005 are: Wake, New Hanover, Mecklenburg, Guilford, and Forsyth. Source: UNCW Fact 1 Report. Cabarrus

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS FALL 2005 Approximately 85% of students are full-time Around 60% are women A little more than 10% are minority Almost 80% are under the age of 25 87% represent North Carolina Average High School GPA for entering freshmen was 3.62 Almost 40% of new undergraduates are transfer students Source: UNCW FACT2 File.

POPULAR UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS* FALL 2005 Accounting Biology Business Administration Chemistry Communication Studies Criminal Justice Elementary Education English Exercise Science Film Studies History Nursing Political Science Psychology *Not listed in rank order.

ENROLLMENTS AND PROJECTIONS UNCW intends to maintain moderate growth in overall enrollment through 2015, but will intentionally grow undergraduate populations in the Watson School of Education and in the School of Nursing. The Graduate School will grow in all areas, at significantly faster rates, to serve the needs of the state.

UNCW UNDERGRADUATE HEADCOUNT ENROLLMENT: Source: Comparative Enrollment Report. UNCW has seen a 59% increase in undergraduate enrollment since 1990.

UNCW GRADUATE HEADCOUNT ENROLLMENT: UNCW has seen a 201% increase in graduate enrollment since Source: Comparative Enrollment Report.

UNCW ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONS THROUGH 2015

UNCW is committed to strategic planning Strategic planning drives continuous improvement at UNCW. The planning process leading to UNCW’s current strategic plan involved a comprehensive benchmark study that compared UNCW to 33 other institutions with more than 100 performance indicators, and a series of forums engaging the entire university community in a focused discussion of our institutional identity and future. Successful implementation of the strategic plan depends on measuring its progress and making adjustments as necessary. The university has adopted ten priority progress measures to track achievement of the goals of the strategic plan. The strategic plan has already had a central impact on annual budget allocations, the recent MALSA adjustment to state appropriations, crucial assumptions for development of the UNCW Campus Master Plan, and establishing the foundation for our upcoming comprehensive campaign.

RESOURCE AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION

UNCW REVENUES AND ADDITIONS: 2005 The percentage of revenues from state appropriations continues to decline, while the percentage of revenues from other sources (especially tuition and fees and federal gifts and grants) continues to increase.

UNCW EXPENDITURES BY FUNCTION: 2005 The university’s total salaries and benefits for were approximately $99 million (60.9% of operating expenses, down from 62.5% in ).

UNCW is distinctive in combining teaching with research UNCW is unique among public comprehensive universities in its combination of educational quality and research activity. UNCW is the only public master’s comprehensive university in the United States with both a graduation rate of at least 55% and at least 8% of total expenditures for research. In the 2005 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), the proportion of UNCW seniors who reported that they had “worked on a research project with a faculty member outside of course or program requirements” was significantly higher than seniors in the nationwide master’s institution comparison group. During its recent strategic planning process, the university captured its unique distinction among public comprehensive universities in this identity statement: At UNCW, passionate and engaged teaching, learning and research matter. UNCW is unique in its dedication to combining a small-college commitment to excellence in teaching with a research university’s opportunities for student involvement in significant faculty scholarship.

UNC SYSTEM COMPARISON INSTRUCTIONAL EXPENDITURES AS % OF TOTAL: FY 2004 UNC Avg. = 32.9% Source: All data in this graph were obtained from the IPEDS Peer Analysis System.

UNCW meets state needs through research and outreach The Center for Marine Science is home to one of six federal NOAA National Undersea Research Centers, which has responsibility from the Virginia-North Carolina coast to the Texas-Mexico coast and operates the world’s only undersea laboratory, Aquarius. Significant federal funding sustains the Coastal Ocean Research and Monitoring Program, a collaborative program with other universities and states. Locally, UNCW’s marine biotechnology program has many exciting components with economic development implications, including the discovery of pharmaceuticals from the sea and the breeding of high-value marine species such as flounder and black sea bass. UNCW’s professional schools are deeply involved in service through research and outreach. The School of Nursing was central to the founding of the Bolton Health Center, in rural Columbus County, an area with inadequate health care facilities and the highest rates of several serious health problems in the state. The research and outreach programs in the Watson School of Education are simply too numerous to summarize here and can be reviewed online at: The Cameron School of Business is engaged with the local community for the benefit of both students and businesses through the Cameron Executive Network, the MBA Learning Alliance, on-site programs for businesses, annual Economic Outlook Conferences, the Center for Business and Economics Services, SBTDC, and the Marine Trades Program. With the exception of NC State and NCAT, UNCW supports the only cabinet- level unit in the UNC system, the Division for Public Service and Continuing Studies, dedicated solely to managing sustained programs of regional engagement.

PERSPECTIVES ON RESEARCH FUNDING As a part of UNCW’s diversification of revenue sources, the university’s endowment has shown dramatic growth, yet the fastest growing area has been sponsored program awards. Sponsored programs awards $20.3 million (FY 2004) Research expenditures and federal research dollars are the standard indicators of institutional research activity by the National Science Foundation and other national organizations that measure research activity in higher education. It is erroneous and misleading to call sponsored program award data “research dollars,” although this has been done by the media and even occasionally by the UNC Office of the President. Research expenditures are funds from any source expended during a fiscal year specifically for the purpose of research and development. Sponsored program awards are grant and contract receipts from any source for any purpose, including not only research but also instruction, educational training, academic support, student services, public service, technology enhancement, and even Title III funds (for the purpose of strengthening historically black colleges and universities). Federal research dollars refers to research expenditures funded by federal grants.

UNC SYSTEM COMPARISON RESEARCH EXPENDITURES AS % OF TOTAL: FY 2004 UNC Avg. = 5.1% Source: All data in this graph were obtained from the IPEDS Peer Analysis System.

UNC SYSTEM COMPARISON PUBLIC SERVICE EXPENDITURES AS % OF TOTAL: FY 2004 Does not reflect significant outreach initiatives such as the Onslow County/Camp Lejeune extension programs, various K-12 and community college partnerships, or the Center for Business and Economic Services. UNC Avg. = 5.9% Source: All data in this graph were obtained from the IPEDS Peer Analysis System.

FACULTY AND STAFF HIGHLIGHTS Of 686 faculty, 68% are full-time, and of those, 84% have the terminal degree. Two of the last four Carnegie Foundation North Carolina Professors of the Year were UNCW faculty. Both faculty and the dedicated, student-centered staff have seriously inadequate salaries and benefits.  Faculty salaries are 8.8% below the CUPA average for public universities, are 15% below the Board of Governors target, and become less competitive each year.  Changes in the health care plan (increased premiums, deductibles, and co-payments) have exceeded salary increases in most recent years.

UNC SYSTEM COMPARISON OF STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: FY 2003 Consistent with the first goal of the strategic plan, UNCW is using the majority of the MALSA funding, in addition to enrollment increase funding, to improve the student-faculty ratio. UNC Avg. =

UNC SYSTEM COMPARISON OF STUDENT-STAFF RATIO: FY 2003 Student to staff ratios reflect the historic underfunding of ASU, UNCC, and UNCW. UNC Avg. =

UNCW has a vision for the future UNCW aspires to build on its role as the quality, mid-sized alternative to larger, yet very selective institutions, like UNC Chapel Hill, for the residents of North Carolina. In the area of enrollment planning, UNCW intends to maintain moderate growth in overall enrollment through 2015, but intentionally to grow undergraduate populations in the Watson School of Education and in the School of Nursing, and the population of the Graduate School in all areas, at significantly faster rates to serve the needs of the state. The physical vision of the UNCW campus (future building sites, parking capacity, traffic flow, housing availability, recreation fields, millennial campus, etc.) has been the intense focus of the university for the past year through the development of a master plan now nearing final form. Initial planning is underway, with the assistance of a financial campaign consultant, for a comprehensive campaign to help fund many of the components of the university’s vision. The goals of this campaign are also firmly grounded in the university’s strategic plan.

FURTHER RESOURCES Strategic Plan – Priority Progress Measures – ures.pdfhttp:// ures.pdf Benchmark Study 2004 – Master Plan (Draft) –