ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The University of North Carolina Asheville on Aug. 26 announced Asheville 2030: Rising to the Challenge, a plan to ensure the University achieves a sustainable enrollment of 3,200 students by the year 2030, while strengthening its commitment to student-centered focus, hands-on learning, human- and technology-driven solutions, and career-ready emphasis.

"Asheville 2030 aligns academic priorities, enrollment strategy, financial planning, and campus development around a shared vision for a sustainable and innovative public liberal arts and sciences university," a UNCA news release noted.

"It serves as a roadmap for the university as it enters a period of focused planning to strengthen its foundation for the future and respond to the challenges facing higher education and its rapidly changing landscape," the release noted.

What's more, UNCA Chancellor Kimberly van Noort stated in the release, "UNCA is pursuing a bold new model calibrated to the demands of today’s and tomorrow’s economies and information platforms,

“Built upon a strong applied liberal arts and sciences foundation, our programs prepare students to understand, master, and shape the technologies that increasingly define and inform every discipline and career path.

"We take a human-first approach that promotes the ethical, responsible, and flexible use of these tools — preparing them not just for today’s careers, but for those that are yet to come,” the chancellor stated.