About: The Framework

NKU will expand programs, services, and delivery options to increase access and become a preferred destination for learners across the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the nation, and the world.

• Reduce barriers and simplify processes so diverse learners can successfully apply, be admitted, and enrolled for NKU educational opportunities. 
• Implement innovations to improve affordability of an NKU education.
• Expand outreach and partnerships with P-12 schools, community colleges, non-profits, and business and industry to increase educational opportunities that serve the needs of both students and the community.
• Increase the number of first-generation, post-traditional, international, and underrepresented students at NKU, particularly in fields where their underrepresentation is most significant.
• Design a welcoming and desirable NKU experience to create a sense of belonging for all students.

NKU will align the institution so more learners, particularly first-generation, post-traditional, low-income, and underrepresented individuals, earn highly-valued degrees, certificates, and credentials.

• Enhance the culture of service-orientation that respects the realities of our students’ lives and provides consistent, responsive care, and support across all areas with special emphasis on wellness, advising, financial aid, and career preparation. 
• Increase flexible, experiential, and modular learning pathways that allow students to earn credentials along the way to their degree, and implement components of competency-based education in majors where possible.
• Implement innovative instructional and curricular approaches to reduce time-to-degree. 
• Significantly improve retention, persistence, and graduation rates with special emphasis on closing the achievement gap through meaningful use of predictive analytics and technology-based student success tools.
• Align the institution’s policies, procedures, resources, rewards, and incentives to encourage scholarship, creativity, collaboration, and innovations that advance student success
  

NKU will increase its contributions to the economic, social, and civic prosperity of the region through talent development, research and innovation, and the stewardship of place.

• Build experiential and co-curricular learning into all majors at NKU to enhance students’ career readiness and lifelong learning.
• Ensure that creativity, global awareness, cultural competence, and literacy in technology and data are hallmarks of NKU’s undergraduate education.
• Expand public-private partnerships to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship across the university.
• Strengthen engagement among alumni, business, and other external organizations with NKU students, faculty and staff. 
• Improve post-graduation outcomes to enhance graduates’ economic and social mobility.