As we celebrate the final months of our Centennial, North Carolina Central University (NCCU) is at a critical juncture of our trajectory. We can take pride in numerous accomplishments such as enrolling the largest freshman class ever, being named among the top ten rated HBCUs in the country according to U.S. News & World Report, having the Best Value Law School according to National Jurist Magazine, having over 40,000 alumni and current student enrollment of 8500, moving into Division 1, and many other notable achievements.

As we reflect on our past and the opportunities for the future, more specifically, the next 5-10 years, we do so in the context of an uncertain economic climate. There are increasing expectations from our alumni, University of North Carolina (UNC) General Administration, UNC Board of Governors, and our Board of Trustees to increase retention and graduation rates, enroll better-prepared students, conduct innovative research, and stimulate the state's economic capacity.

I would like you to participate in the building of the NCCU 2020 Strategic Plan by sharing your opinions on seven priority areas: Retention and Graduation, Community Engagement, Quality Service Initiative, Teaching, Learning, Research, and Academic Distinction and Distinctiveness of NCCU.

The development of the NCCU 2020 Strategic Plan will happen in increments of five years, which will include an outline of specific objectives for 2010-2015 and broad goals for 2015-2020. Please take time to complete this survey and provide us with your feedback. It should take 10-15 minutes to complete. A summary of the findings will be available on NCCU's Intranet at the closure of the survey.