Big Ideas are transformational, build upon the university’s strengths, and could come from any corner of campus. They are future-focused and forward thinking and they positively impact the world. More specifically, big ideas:
Are inter-disciplinary, with a focus on areas where the University has a unique capacity to lead
Incorporate four or more key characteristics of a great university, developed through the University of Nebraska Visioning Day:
Learner-focused and experientially infused
Relentlessly focused on student success
Research relevance
Diversity: promoted and encouraged
Talent leveraged throughout the system
Local and global relevance
Purposefully and creatively changing the world
Are bold and build on existing programs to dramatically change an approach or create new levels of collaboration. Big Ideas are not about incremental improvements.
Can come from any area of the University, not just STEM or research fields.
Big Ideas are not:
Simply bundling related ideas
Capital projects that are not critical to deliver on the core initiative