Museum Strategic Plan announced for 2021-2023
For immediate release ‐ February 25, 2021
Contact: Jon Pishney, 919.707.8083. Images available upon request
It gives me great pleasure to present the 2021–2023 Strategic Plan for the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (NCMNS). Despite the challenges of being closed to the public during much of the year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have achieved many important outcomes.
- The Friends of NCMNS announced the acquisition of “Dueling Dinosaurs,” one of the most important paleontological finds of our time.
- The Museum has successfully pivoted to being a virtual museum during the period we have been closed, one of our Education teams even winning a statewide award for their efforts.
- Our scientists have received more than $10M in grant funding to support original research, up 260% from 2019.
- We concluded negotiations with A Time for Science in Greenville, welcoming them as the newest member of our Museum family.
- The bonds we have with our university partners have strengthened and have progressed to new academic relationships.
- With the support of DNCR and in collaboration with our funding partners, we acquired the exhibition Race: Are We So Different? This will give new impetus to our efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in our institution and community.
- We launched Love Nature: the Biophilia Podcast, which kicked off with a two-part interview with the iconic biologist Professor E. O. Wilson.
These accomplishments demonstrate the even greater potential of the Museum as we adopt a cohesive vision and supporting process to strengthen our collaborations with stakeholder communities. In 2021–2023, we aim to reinforce our foundation, on the way to becoming more nimble, empowered and productive, setting a positive example for our industry nationwide. Our objectives are aligned with the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) strategic plan 2019–2021. The goals of that plan are Accountability, Innovation & Creativity, Quality, Customer Service, Diversity & Inclusion, Safety & Health, Teamwork & Collaboration. All of these we interpret and translate in the context of our Museum’s operations.
The plan outlined in the pages that follow includes work on infrastructure, building strong teams and, above all, embedding best practice into our institutional culture. Throughout this process, we will continue learning about our guests, keeping their needs and drivers front of mind. We will continue to engage in outstanding scientific scholarship and set an example to other educators in our field. We will engage North Carolina’s underserved communities as a priority in our pursuit of winning minds through unlocking hearts.
Many people contributed to the production of this plan. We are grateful to the NCMNS Strategic Planning Steering Group, which led the process and drafting of this document, and to the many who participated in our strategic planning charettes. We are also deeply indebted to the many members of our community who make this work possible.
Finally, we wish to acknowledge and thank Governor Roy Cooper and DNCR, especially Secretary D. Reid Wilson and former Secretary Susi Hamilton, for their leadership and unstinting support of the Museum and its aspirations.
Eric Dorfman, PhD
Director & CEO
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Read the Museum’s 2021-2023 Strategic Plan online. Or download the Strategic Plan PDF.