Learning Resources

By: Edward Inch, PhD, Minnesota State University – Mankato | Lynn Akey, PhD, Minnesota State University – Mankato | Linda Baer, PhD, Strategic Initiatives and Minnesota State University – Mankato

Institutions Mentioned: Minnesota State University-Mankato
Planning Types: Academic Planning, Strategic Planning, Resource Planning
Tags: Adaptable Plans, Alignment, Assessment / Analytics, Data, Disruptive Change, Enrollment Management, Environmental Scanning, Higher Ed Trends, Organizational Change, Planning Processes, Presidential Leadership, Student Demographics, Student Success

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Example Plans

Published
May 17, 2023

Strategic Plan

Public Master’s College or University (Colorado, United States)

The institution’s 2020–2030 strategic plan.

Planning Types: Strategic Planning
Resource Types: Strategic Plan
Tags: Budget Planning, Enrollment Management, Goals, Metrics, Strategies and Tactics, System of Colleges or Universities

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Teetering on the Demographic Cliff, Part 3

Different Conditions Require a Different Kind of Planning

By: Bryan C. Harvey, EdD

Higher education has faced major changes for some time—COVID-19 accelerated that volatility—and now we’re anticipating the demographic downslope in student enrollment. How and when should institutions mobilize for the difficult work of planning in the face of wrenching change?

From Volume 50 Number 2 | January–March 2022

Abstract: Part 1 of this series described a major contraction in the pool of college-going 18-year-olds that will reverse decades of growth and stability for higher education. Part 2 explored how we can shape a planning context that supports success in the coming 10 or 20 years. Part 3 suggests how our approach to planning must shift to prepare for abrupt change.

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Example Plans

Published
February 2, 2022

Example Plan

Private Baccalaureate College (Wisconsin, United States)

This short-duration strategic framework describes goals and very specific action steps to guide the institution through the current, globally tumultuous era.

Planning Types: Strategic Planning
Tags: Attracting and Retaining Underrepresented Students, Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Enrollment Management, Goals, Racial Equity, Strategies and Tactics, Student Recruitment

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Example Plans

Published
March 5, 2021

Strategic Plan

Private Master’s College or University (Alabama, United States)

The university’s strategic plan details five broad goals with supporting strategies and measures for success. Focus centers on student success and leveraging technology for the 21st-century learning experience.

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Is Higher Education Ready for Its Learners?

Impact Student Success Using the Three-Box Solution

By: Janel Bloch, Ryan D. Padgett, Shawn Rainey, Holly Riffe, Kimberly Scranage, Lois Schultz, and Gannon Tagher

With sweeping shifts in recruitment and retention of students throughout higher education, Northern Kentucky University committed to a pivot. Its new student framework emphasizes student support and academic delivery driven by strategic decisions and data rather than by impulsivity. Their Success by Design framework encouraged innovations that focused the university on meeting learners where they were.

From Volume 48 Number 3 | April–June 2020

Abstract: Northern Kentucky University (NKU) used an expedited and focused strategic planning process by applying Govindarajan’s (2016) Three-Box Solution to simultaneously manage the past, present, and future. A Core Team, supported by multiple resource teams consisting of representatives from all NKU constituencies, gathered input from nearly 2,000 stakeholders. The resulting Success by Design strategic framework concentrated solely on student success. This article describes the ongoing, iterative approach and offers recommendations for those seeking to develop widespread buy-in and unleash the innovative spirit needed to make their institutions more student-ready.

Institutions Mentioned: Northern Kentucky University
Planning Types: Strategic Planning
Tags: Attracting and Retaining Underrepresented Students, Planning Processes, Student Success

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Example Plans

Published
February 26, 2020

Unit Plan

Private Doctoral/Research University (Massachusetts, United States)

The ten-year goals and strategic unit plan for the chemistry department at the university.

Planning Types: Academic Planning, Strategic Enrollment Management Planning, Strategic Planning
Resource Types: Unit Plan
Tags: Enrollment Management, Goals, Metrics, Science / Engineering, Strategies and Tactics, Unit Planning

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