Society for College and University Planning

2009 SCUP Institutional Innovation and Integration Award Recipient

Planners at the University of the Pacific were intentional about creating change and renewal, and used a variety of well-known planning tools to help them implement a long-term innovation process for planning. The process tapped the communities on all three campuses to identify the values that mattered to them— innovation, a tradition at Pacific, rose to the top. With this value translated to a strategic commitment, the utilization of cross-industry innovation processes created significant momentum. This combination of sound planning and potent innovation tools allowed new approaches and ideas to be unleashed throughout the university community.

Pacific’s strategic plan, Pacific Rising, is more than as a recurring document; it is an active, dynamic lever for innovation. Pacific Rising contains six core values, eleven aspirations, and six commitments – the first commitment states, “Pacific is committed to innovation and creativity across the University”. These six commitments are accomplished through twenty Strategic Direction statements and 85 actions outlined in the Strategic Action Plan. This living document specifies lead partners as individuals responsible for each action as well as important other partners that contribute to the action’s success. Lead indicators show short-term progress toward the action as well as long-range outcomes that are expected when the actions are complete. The status of each action is updated at least once each year. While the commitments were designed to be stable through 2015 when the planning period ends, each of the strategies and actions are tested annually for attainment and relevance.

Pacific created a collaborative long-term innovation process for campus planning. The President established a general innovation fund of $1,500,000 in 2006 to support the development of collaborative academic programs. Initiatives had to be linked directly to the University’s mission, values, and planning criteria; increase distinctiveness; build on current strengths; involve two or more schools and engage a range of stakeholder inside and outside the University; and generate new revenue. Activities were focused on curriculum, research, and service in new and collaborative ways. Large planning sessions involving 200 or more faculty, staff, and students were held using collaborative planning and group process techniques to generate new ideas at the intersections of existing disciplines. The initiatives that emerged, ranging from planning grants of as little as $10,000 to major investments in new programs and centers of nearly $400,000, were lead by multidisciplinary faculty collaborative vision teams, or CVTs. Eighteen clusters emerged from the planning retreats of 2005 and 2006. Sixteen original CVTs with conveners existed in January of 2006. Twelve original proposals were submitted through 2006, seven added through 2009. Five initiatives are in operation, and now out of the innovation process and ongoing, and five have ended. Nine are active, with four in piloting phases and five in planning.

Pacific uses a mini-grant fund to help innovation spread widely at all levels. A $50,000 Innovation Grant Fund was established in 2008 to support innovation among staff, faculty, and students. Mini-innovation grants of up to $10,000 are awarded annually to impact student learning, service, or organizational performance. These one-time grants are support innovation in all divisions on all three campuses based on a simple yet competitive proposal and application process. A critical component has been a formal, intensive training program on innovation for all grantees, conducted in partnership with OVO, a consulting firm specializing in innovation.

Pacific is building an Innovation Learning Community through a community of practice technique to create culture change. The growing Innovation Learning Community, established through a formal training program in innovation and based on community of practice principles, is using the incentives of the Innovation Grant Fund to bring innovation processes to all levels of the institution, accessible broadly across the community.