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The mission of the Museum of Northern Arizona is to inspire a sense of love and responsibility for the beauty and diversity of the Colorado Plateau through collecting, studying, interpreting, and preserving the region’s natural and cultural heritage.

I. Build A Sustainable Financial Base
• Build and maintain a sustainable financial base, growing our unrestricted operating endowment from 2 million to 10 million dollars. Complete funding of other key endowment funds.
• Improve earned income by 5% a year.
• Build the inventory, capacity and sales effectiveness of MNA Shops; develop on-line sales capabilities; significantly reduce consignment inventory.
• Develop business plans for the Colton Complex and Homestead, and investigate the feasibility of food service at the museum.
• Refine the membership and development functions; build a planned giving and major gifts program and a grants program.

II. Protect and Enhance the Collections
• Build the new Collections Center and implement other collections management improvements.
• Assess and improve the environment of remaining collections storage and exhibit installations.
• Draft expanded Collections Management Policy and complete written collections procedures.
• Improve collections documentation; complete collections inventories; NAGPRA compliance; computerization of natural science and archive collections.
• Develop an institutional Collections Plan by analyzing collections strengths and weaknesses and developing strategies for future additions to the collections. Rebuild the art collection and add ethnography and art curator positions.

III. Foster Excellence in Research
• Fully fund existing research endowments in Anthropology and Paleontology. Begin building endowments in Biology/Ecology and Art. Improve research support staff and equipment infrastructure.
• Improve research support staff and equipment infrastructure.
• Develop an emphasis in past and present regional biological and cultural diversity.
• Encourage and support research publications and dissemination of research results in Plateau Magazine.

IV. Build Exciting Exhibits and Educational Programs
• Develop an Interpretative Master Plan, including plans for the reinstallation of “permanent” exhibits, the addition of children’s exhibits and continuation of intermediate, short term and temporary exhibits. (This plan is to be based on the institutional interpretative philosophy.)
• Open Therizinosaur exhibit (2007)
• Complete the Hopi Iconography Project.

V. Improve the Stewardship of our Grounds, Assets and Facilities
• Implement deferred maintenance improvement plan; bring existing facilities up to museum standards.
• Develop and implement new security, safety and emergency plans. Immediate attention to wildfire emergency planning.
• Complete the facilities Master Plan

VI. Invest in our Staff
• Secure adequate compensation for the museum staff; restore needed positions, e.g. Development positions, Exhibits Director, etc.
• Explore developing affordable housing for staff on museum property

VII. Develop Strong Partnerships
• Complete Memorandums of Understandings (MOUs) with Colorado Plateau Tribes (An MOU with the Hopi Tribe was completed in 2005)
• Develop additional Strategic Partnerships with Federal Agencies, Local Governments, regional colleges and universities and other non-profits

VIII. Restore Our Good Name
• Develop comprehensive MNA marketing campaign and “rebranding” initiative to be launched with the opening of the Collections Center and/or Therizinosaur exhibit.
• Make significant improvements to our website.
• Develop a marketing plan for Plateau Magazine and other MNA publications.

IX. Operate at the Highest Standards
• Secure AAM Accreditation
• Ensure effective governance through board orientation, training and recruitment
• Adhere to our Mission
• Understand and operate according to the “best practices” of the museum field