Browsing by Subject "Strategic plan"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Creating a Business Plan for Assateague Island National Seashore and The Startup of a Nonprofit Friends Group
    (2008-04-25T03:39:35Z) Warner, Brandon
    Assateague Island National Seashore (Seashore) is faced with significant financial challenges. As a management consultant over an eleven week period, I worked with park staff to produce a business plan that clearly outlined operational requirements, identified financial resources currently available, and analyzed funding gaps. In addition, I worked with the Seashore to identify operational and investment priorities and develop strategies for meeting them. The purpose of the business plan is to improve the Seashore’s ability to more clearly communicate its financial status with principal stakeholders. It is also intended to accomplish three main tasks. First, it provides the Seashore with a synopsis of its funding history. Second, it presents a clear, detailed picture of the state of current Seashore operations and funding. Finally, it outlines Seashore priorities and funding strategies. This document will assist management with financial and operational baseline knowledge for future decision making. Of the six strategies recommended in the business plan, one was the creation of an independent organization to partner with the Seashore. This was the recommendation I implemented for the second part of my masters project. There were two important goals for this initiative. First, creating a nonprofit with a plan to become financially sustainable and second, ensuring the organization supports the mission of the Seashore. Assateague Island Alliance (Alliance) was incorporated on January 1, 2008 and has submitted its nonprofit application to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as of April 25, 2008. The Alliance is focused on supporting the mission of the Seashore and improving its financial flexibility. As Executive Director, I’ve worked on the organization’s startup, board of directors recruitment, development of a mission, vision, and strategic plan, and engagement of the Seashore and community to build support for this new organization. Details on each of these initiatives are included in this master’s project.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Enrollment Growth and Equity of Access: A Critical Analysis of the University of North Carolina's Strategic Plan
    (2019-03-25) Levitt, Jessica
    The University of North Carolina System’s strategic plan contains initiatives to increase access for low-income and rural students, improve student outcomes, and close achievement gaps. A complete assessment of UNC’s strategic plan will consider increased enrollment against the demand of the state’s economy, the cost of education, and institutional resources. Enrollment growth carries the risks of lowering academic standard or oversaturating North Carolina’s economy with college-educated workers. However, the low educational attainment of the state’s underserved populations supports expanding access. A more detailed investigation of demographics at each of the campuses is necessary to understand the scope of underrepresentation within the system. The resulting calculations show that in addition to underrepresentation, there is also unequal distribution of minority, low-income, and rural students across UNC institutions. While the system has identified a number of programs and methods for achieving its priorities, it is also worth examining other models that may have application in North Carolina. In its current form, UNC’s strategic plan is insufficient to drive state-wide improvements. The aims produce only minimal gains, overlook important gaps, and lack the coordination between campuses necessary to best utilize system resources. There is unmet need and significant opportunity for innovation in North Carolina’s public institutions, but more ambitious goals will have to be implemented to result in any meaningful impact.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    The Pieces Add Up: Marine Debris Outreach and Education Program for Sea Turtle Conservation in Volusia County, Florida
    (2022-04-19) Cherry, Jennifer
    In the past several years, the negative effects of marine debris on wildlife have been increasing. The growing negative impact is evident at veterinarian clinics, wildlife hospitals, and in reports of turtles stranded on beaches. Even in small amounts, marine debris can severely injure or kill marine species. To increase awareness of this issue, I imported data from sea turtle stranding reports and treatment documents compiled by the Marine Science Center Sea Turtle Hospital from the years 2015-2020 into a database, and then analyzed the trends and relationships in the data. The top three trends revealed that most marine debris issues are from monofilament line entanglement, green turtles (Chelonia mydas) are the most impacted species, and there is growth in the threats from marine debris. I used these analyses to create a strategic plan for a marine debris education and outreach program, along with educational materials featuring an interactive simulation activity, in which the participant becomes a conservation team member who evaluates and collects data on stranded sea turtles impacted by marine debris.