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CALS Strategic Plan: Growing Our Future
Spring 2023

CALS Strategic Plan: Growing Our Future

 A new strategic plan will guide CALS efforts through 2030. 

by:  2-min. read
Breathtaking view of grassy lush farmland with contemporary barn under light pink sky in early evening with city skyline in background.

People, programs and innovation take center stage in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ new strategic plan, “Growing Our Future.” Created by a team of over 30 faculty and staff members, the plan sets 10 priorities for ensuring the college’s success over the next seven years. 

CALS’ previous strategic plan, “Our Envisioned Future,” spurred significant progress between 2013 and 2022. Before former Dean Richard Linton departed in early 2022 to become president of Kansas State University, he set the bar even higher, calling for a plan to make CALS the best land-grant college in the country and the best place to learn and work. 

Interim Dean John Dole and Assistant Dean for Human Resources Rebecca Zuvich served as committee co-chairs. The committee designed the plan to dovetail with Wolfpack 2030: Powering the Extraordinary, North Carolina State University’s latest strategic plan. Surveys, focus groups and interviews tapped the insight of thousands of CALS stakeholders in industry, government and academia. 

Soon after the plan’s completion, CALS’ administration began assessing related personnel and funding needs. Dole said the college’s next dean will have the opportunity to make a big impact on the college through the plan. 

In the end, everything revolves
around people.

“To be successful, we need to increase the level of support we get every year,” Dole said. “We have many innovative initiatives as well as facilities that need to be evaluated and upgraded.” 

Dole believes one of the plan’s strengths is its emphasis on problem-solving interdisciplinary initiatives across research, academics and extension. The plan also calls for increased internal and external communications, more progress in diversifying the college community and additional programs to ensure faculty, staff and student well-being. 

The CALS plan emphasizes sustainability through the lens of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. These 17 goals address such broad topics as poverty, inequity, hunger, education, the environment and health and well-being. “In concert with these goals, the college wants to ensure the long-term viability of the industries with whom it partners,” Dole added. 

College departments and units have been encouraged to set program goals that build on CALS’ plan. 

“We are going to rely on departments and units to guide the specific topics we focus on,” Dole said. “As a committee, we focused on creating an efficient and connected CALS— one with a robust infrastructure to support the college’s people, programs and innovation. In the end, everything revolves around people.” 

What the CALS
Community is Saying

Quote from Zachary Brown, assistant professor of agricultural and resource economics at the Genetic Engineering and Society Cluster: "Land use in North Carolina is projected to change significantly over the next couple of decades, and that, along with climate change, is going to be an increasingly important topic. Addressing these challenges requires a combination of disciplines and people who can work at the interface of those disciplines. Creating more interdisciplinary majors for undergraduate students and creating more formal linkages between CALS and the other colleges for interdisciplinary research and education are among the most important aspects of the plan. Improving support to students—and specifically graduate students who are on stipends—is also critical if we want to stay competitive."
Quote from John Garner, the Castle Hayne Horticultural Crops Research Station superintendent: "Hopefully the plan reminds employees they are part of a much bigger effort than just what they do from 8 to 5. The things we do here at Castle Hayne do affect people on the other side of the state we have never met before, not just the strawberry and blueberry growers we serve, but everyone from 4-H kids to farmers to urban home gardeners, to students, to Fortune 500 research companies in the Research Triangle Park and everybody in between. So let’s continue to do quality work in the best and most efficient way we can, and our rising tide will lift all boats across the state. —John Garner, Castle Hayne Horticultural Crops Research Station superintendentHopefully the plan reminds employees they are part of a much bigger effort than just what they do from 8 to 5. The things we do here at Castle Hayne do affect people on the other side of the state we have never met before, not just the strawberry and blueberry growers we serve, but everyone from 4-H kids to farmers to urban home gardeners, to students, to Fortune 500 research companies in the Research Triangle Park and everybody in between. So let’s continue to do quality work in the best and most efficient way we can, and our rising tide will lift all boats across the state."
Quote from Rebecca Zuvich, CALS assistant dean for human resources: "When you read the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals as well as our mission as a land-grant university, the work of this college is uniquely poised for impact. Regardless of your role in the college, you can see yourself contributing to the greater good. We truly hope this plan positions CALS as the best place to learn and work for everyone, and through our collective efforts CALS continues to be a source of tremendous positive impact for North Carolina and beyond."
Quote from Alyssa DeGreenia, the Agricultural Institute assistant director: "Because the plan emphasizes the land-grant mission of education, research and extension, I hope more students come to really understand what a land-grant university is and all that it has to offer. Another important element is that people are a big part of the plan. When you hear about CALS, you hear a lot about the science aspect. You hear about the research that we’re doing. You hear about animals. You hear about plants. But the main thing that we’re doing is working with people. The plan is people-centered because that's what our college is all about—the business of people."
Quote from Jose Cisneros, CALS international programs director: "The last strategic plan provided us with the roadmap to build the foundation for CALS internationalization, and the new plan provides us with the tools to become a global player. Already, we're working with major research institutions in Europe, Asia and the Americas, and we're exploring new agreements that will bring funded Ph.D. students to NC State. Meanwhile, we are partnering with governments in Kenya and Malawi in their efforts for the revitalization of the rural economies and the well-being of their communities. This is only the beginning. Climate change, food and nutrition security, infectious diseases and water and soil preservation are all global problems that need to be solved collaboratively, and the new strategic plan provides CALS the opportunity to help tackle them all."
Quote from Amy Grunden, North Carolina Agricultural Research Service assistant director: "CALS needs to position itself to be a leader in sustainable agriculture. Understanding how we can have better-integrated agricultural production is key, and because North Carolina has so much animal production and a variety of crop production systems, we’re a good testbed for integrated agriculture solutions. Another key is our need to diversify. The diversity of our state has changed, and we need to make sure that we're developing agricultural and life sciences solutions based on a diversity of thought and being as inclusive as possible."
Quote from Lisa Prince, North Carolina Egg Association executive director: "One of the top strategies that stood out to me was creating a stronger and more capable career-ready workforce by growing partnerships to expand pathways for students to get into CALS. These initiatives will help fill a need and impact the industry directly, creating a stronger and more capable career-ready workforce for the world of agriculture."

Stakeholder Engagement 

70+ 
One-on-One Interviews 

9 
Focus Groups with CALS Faculty, Staff and Students 

14 
Listening Sessions with Stakeholders Throughout N.C. 


11,000+ 
Total Points of Stakeholder Input 


700+ 
Faculty, Staff and Student Survey Responses 


9,000+ 
NC State Extension Survey Responses 

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