Strategic Doing: Turning Ideas into Action

Tired of strategic plans that gather dust? Frustrated by endless committee meetings that never translate to real change?

In an era of declining enrollment, budget constraints, and rapid technological change, higher education institutions can’t afford to wait for perfect plans or navigate through endless approval cycles. It’s time to move from planning paralysis to collaborative action.

Begin shifting from top-down, rigid planning to agile, collaborative solutions that actually get implemented. Instead of starting with what’s missing, we begin with what you already have: shared assets, existing relationships, and untapped opportunities right around your table. In this workshop, we will introduce you to the principles of Strategic Doing that can help you transform how your campus approaches change.

What You’ll Gain

Immediate Tools:

• Analyze team dynamics to identify existing assets and collaborative strengths.
• The 4-question framework that transforms any planning meeting into an action session.
• Create small, measurable action plans that foster trust, accountability, and progress.

Real-World Applications:

• Begin to apply the principles of Strategic Doing to begin designing agile, network-based solutions.
• Transform that stalled curriculum reform into testable pilot programs.
• Convert interdisciplinary tensions into collaborative opportunities.

Sustainable Change Process:

• Evaluate potential opportunities by linking and leveraging available resources.
• Learn to ask better questions that uncover hidden campus assets.
• Build trust-based networks that span departments and divisions.

Why This Matters Now:

Higher education is facing unprecedented challenges that require new approaches. While others debate and deliberate, you’ll be equipped to act—doing more with what you have while building the collaborative capacity your institution needs to thrive.

Stop talking about change. Start creating it.

Join us to begin the shift from planning to doing, from silos to networks, and from endless discussions to measurable action that serves your students and advances your mission.

Facilitator

Mary-Marshall VanSant

Director of the Center for Learning and Professional DevelopmentUniversity of North Alabama (UNA)

Registration

Please contact registration@scup.org to make any changes to your order. Thank you!

Deadlines

*Cancellations must be made in writing and may be submitted by email to your registration team registration@scup.org by 01/30/2026. Refunds are subject to a processing fee – 10% of the total purchase. No-shows are not eligible for a refund, and funds committed by purchase order must be paid in full by the first day of the event. Refunds will be issued within 30 days of received written notification.