UIS NorthStar Initiative

NorthStar is our guide to operationalizing the UIS Strategic Compass through the reshaping of our university for operational efficiency and academic excellence to ensure long-term sustainability and relevance.

UIS seeks to be a resilient, adaptable and market-aligned academic institution. To achieve this, we must maintain our student-centered approach and focus on action items that will position UIS to be fiscally sustainable, market-relevant and growth-minded.

UIS' Three NorthStar Priorities

Priority 1: Academic Portfolio Review & Prioritization: Evaluate academic programs based on factors such as workforce demand, enrollment trends and community impact to ensure UIS continues to offer high-quality, mission-aligned programs that support student success.

The Academic Portfolio Review Task Force was announced in September 2024 with a charge to conduct a holistic academic program portfolio review by developing metrics, criteria and process recommendations for a market-relevant and mission-aligned program portfolio evaluation. Findings from the Academic Portfolio Review were shared with the university on Sept. 12, 2025. Programs are required to submit a structured response to their scorecard and classification reflecting on their performance across key criteria and a forward-looking plan aligned with institutional priorities. Read more in Provost Schwab's letter (UIS log-in required).

The timeline for the portfolio review is:

• Program list verification to UEOs - sent March 6, due March 17
• Program questionnaires to UEOs - After spring recess, due late April
• UEOs receive data for validation - Mid-May to early June
• Finalize program review data - Mid-June
• Dashboard/reports finalized - Summer 2025
• Prioritization review - Summer 2025
• Reports to UEOs/admins - September 2025
• Responses from programs - Due Jan. 9

On Dec. 4, the provost shared the following update on the APR in his monthly e-newsletter:

Structured responses to programs' Academic Portfolio Review and Prioritization classifications are currently being accepted, and the deadline has been extended to Friday, January 9 to allow additional time for thoughtful responses. These responses should address the expectations that were communicated in the APR prioritization results. Responses for related programs that received the same prioritization classification and expectation may be combined, if desired. Responses must be submitted to the APR Response webform. 

In addition, all programs have been asked to submit degree plans by Friday, May 1st. A sample 4-year degree plan and a template can be found in a Degree Plans Box Folder. The template is provided as a resource but is not the required form to follow if programs already have current plans. Academic Unit UEOs and Leads should upload completed plans to the same folder.

Questions may be directed to Michele Gribbins.

Priority 2: Deficit Reduction: Achieve an annual budget balance of zero.

Over the past several years, the university's budget has accumulated a deficit that must be reduced. There are two primary ways to improve our fiscal outlook: grow revenue through increased enrollment and reduce and/or better control expenses. With enrollment growth a continued challenge nationally for public regional universities, UIS cannot rely solely on enrollment and retention improvements to effectively balance the budget.

Tactics to help achieve this strategy include:

• Hiring Slowdown: In place as of September 2024, all requested positions and salary increases must first be reviewed by the Strategic Staffing Committee, comprised of the chancellor and vice chancellors, before being approved to post. Hiring managers are encouraged to think creatively and carefully about how to approach vacancies before requesting a position be filled.
• FY 2025 mid-cycle budget cuts: Proposals for 2-, 3- and 4-percent cuts were presented in November 2024 to the University Budget and Planning Committee. The Chancellor's Cabinet received the committee's recommendations and voted in early January 2025. The outcome of this budget-cut exercise was announced to division leaders soon after and implemented immediately.
• 2025 Voluntary Separation Plan: This initiative was announced in January 2025 and is complete. There were 18 participants in the program.
• Enrollment growth: UIS continues to focus on growing enrollment each term. We are currently focusing on Spring and Fall 2026.
• Space Utilization: The university has an opportunity to optimize the use of space throughout campus to achieve cost-savings and operational synergies. A space utilization study occurred in early 2025, and recommendations for action steps were presented to the Cabinet during the Spring 2025 semester. Several opportunities are under consideration or in planning stages for execution. During Summer 2025, the former chancellor's house, the "Spencer House," was demolished to reduce both liability risk and maintenance costs.
• Other initiatives: Develop a strategy for use and distribution of the remaining Strategic Investment Fund dollars (approximately $1.1 million); explore funding model changes in areas that generate non-state dollars; identify opportunities to reduce contract expenditures; and continue to review our scholarship distribution.

Priority 3: Student Retention: Improve student persistence, reduce dropout rates and increase graduate rates.

UIS wants students who attend our university to complete their degree or achieve their non-degree academic goals. A number of initiatives are under way to better understand why some UIS students may "stop out" and use that data to build programs and initiatives to better retain them.

Tactics in place to work toward this priority include:

• A Retention Plan Steering Committee has been established and is led by individuals representing the divisions of Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Enrollment and Retention Management. The purpose of this group is to develop a comprehensive, institution-wide retention plan that supports the UIS mission, enhances student success and improves retention rates across all demographics, academic programs and modalities. View the Retention Plan Steering Committee Charge.
• Athletics redesigned its student support roles to enhance the facilitation of student-athlete success.
• Student Affairs reimagined New Student Orientation to provide a stronger initial start for incoming students.
• UIS staff has ramped up outreach to students who have stopped out but are close to earning a degree. Additionally, we are working to identify ways to better re-engage with stop-out students. 
• GPA information has been added in AdviseU for reference by advisors when talking about student’s best course of study.
• Internal dashboards have been created for use in analyzing retention-related data.
• Retention efforts have been aligned across campus to support HLC Quality Initiative work.

To view data on retention rates, the following reports are available through Institutional Research:

• First-Time (Freshmen) Student Retention & Graduation Rates
• First-Time Transfer Student Retention & Graduation Rates
• First-Time Graduate Student Retention & Graduation Rates

Feedback and Questions

Have questions, concerns or ideas? Share them via the NorthStar Strategic Priorities Feedback Form. Submitted questions may be used to develop an FAQ in the future.

Have a success story to share related to one of our three NorthStar priorities? Send it to chancellor@uis.edu.

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