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Tool

Published
September 20, 2023

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Integrated Planning Competencies

This toolkit details the competencies—knowledge, dispositions, and skills—an individual needs to perform integrated planning in higher education.
Abstract: Build Capacity for Integrated Planning

Whether you’re preparing a committee for an upcoming planning process or simply looking for directions for your own professional development, the Integrated Planning Competencies can help you determine the knowledge, skills, and dispositions your institution needs to advance integrated planning.

Integrated planning requires building capacity in the people who do planning so they have the necessary knowledge and skills for success. But higher education institutions that focus only on developing planning-related expertise often face hurdles when they attempt integrated planning. Why? Because colleges and universities are complex environments and using an integrated planning approach in those environments requires a wide range of knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Some of the required expertise might seem obvious (like writing goals or analyzing information). But some of it may be less so—particularly expertise related to “soft” skills or human skills, like communication or collaboration.

To provide more clear and specific guidance, SCUP identified competencies—knowledge, skills, and dispositions—that individuals need for successful integrated planning. We analyzed the experiences and viewpoints of around 300 planners and higher education administrators in order to surface the competencies—both obvious and inconspicuous—that underpin integrated planning success.

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Free

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Free

Webinar Recordings

Published
January 13, 2022

Higher Education Business Models Under Stress, Part 2

Graceful Business Model Transitions: Planning and Executing a College or Campus Closure

Join a panel discussion moderated by Rick Seltzer, senior editor of Higher Ed Dive, with guest panelists Melody Rose, author of AGB’s new book Higher Education Business Models Under Stress, and Lynn Priddy and James Lyons Sr., higher education leaders with experience closing financially distressed colleges and universities.
Abstract: Securing financial viability requires an engaged board that is monitoring the right trends and campus indicators, asking the right questions of campus leaders about the institution’s finances, and doing the scenario planning and stress testing necessary to transform a business model under stress.

The governing board’s fiduciary duty to steward the institution’s financial health requires that boards and leaders consider business model transformations, and plan for a range of scenarios like mergers, affiliations, strategic partnerships, and even—when all other options are exhausted—final transformations such as campus closures when continued mission fulfillment is impossible.

This is part two of a two-part webinar series delivered in partnership between SCUP and the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB), “Higher Education Business Models Under Stress: Planning for Successful Transitions”. This series will help build your fiduciary understanding of your institution’s business model as you prepare the campus for a range of possible business transformations, from mergers, strategic affiliations, corporate partnerships, or even the ultimate scenario of a campus closure. View the recording for part one, “Board Oversight of Finance and the Business Model: Key Indicators and Trends for Scenario Planning and Stress Testing”.

Member Price:
Free

Non-Member Price:
Free

Webinar Recordings

Published
November 15, 2021

Higher Education Business Models Under Stress, Part 1

Board Oversight of Finance and the Business Model: Key Indicators and Trends for Scenario Planning and Stress Testing

Join a panel discussion on business model transformation moderated by Verne Sedlacek, vice board chair of Valparaiso University with guest panelists Melody Rose, coauthor of AGB’s new book, Higher Education Business Models Under Stress, and AGB consultants Carlton Brown and Larry Ladd, experts in higher education budgeting, finance, and strategic planning.
Abstract: Securing financial viability requires an engaged board that is monitoring the right trends and campus indicators, asking the right questions of campus leaders about the institution’s finances, and doing the scenario planning and stress testing necessary to transform a business model under stress.

The governing board’s fiduciary duty to steward the institution’s financial health requires that boards and leaders consider business model transformations, and plan for a range of scenarios like mergers, affiliations, strategic partnerships, and even—when all other options are exhausted—final transformations such as campus closures when continued mission fulfillment is impossible.

This is part one of a two-part webinar series delivered in partnership between SCUP and the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB), “Higher Education Business Models Under Stress: Planning for Successful Transitions”. This series will help build your fiduciary understanding of your institution’s business model as you prepare the campus for a range of possible business transformations, from mergers, strategic affiliations, corporate partnerships, or even the ultimate scenario of a campus closure. View the recording for part two, “Graceful Business Model Transitions: Planning and Executing a College or Campus Closure”.

Member Price:
Free

Non-Member Price:
Free

Conference Presentations

Published
July 13, 2021

A Future Pathway

Leading in a Global Public Health Crisis and Social and Racial Injustice

This presentation will demonstrate how leaders can surmount 2021’s obstacles by aligning strategic priorities for the future.
Abstract: Higher education experienced extraordinary challenges in 2020 and tackled them head on with agility and creativity. Transformative leadership can help our institutions thrive even in the face of a world health disaster, its attendant fiscal challenges, and systemic racial and social injustice. This presentation will demonstrate how leaders can surmount these obstacles by aligning strategic priorities for the future. Come learn how to work across boundaries, differences, and beliefs while intentionally developing the essential skills and abilities you need to strengthen your institution and community.

Member Price:
Free

Non-Member Price:
Free

Conference Recordings

Published
October 20, 2020

2020 North Central Regional Conference | October 2020

Keynote: Amidst Converging Storms | Part Two

Planning and Strategy for Long-term Recovery and Resiliency

In the second of two keynotes focusing on higher education’s “perfect storm”—the confluence of a global pandemic, financial crisis, shifting demographics, and a changing culture—a cross-disciplinary panel will discuss their integrated planning strategies for moving from a state of triage to transformation.
Abstract: In the second of two keynotes focusing on higher education’s “perfect storm”—the confluence of a global pandemic, financial crisis, shifting demographics, and a changing culture—a cross-disciplinary panel will discuss their integrated planning strategies for moving from a state of triage to transformation. Integrated planning is the foundation upon which we confront higher education’s current turbulent landscape and make the changes necessary for bringing about the “new normal.” Come learn new planning methods and tools for creating future scenario models, achieving operational flexibility and long-term resiliency, and communicating the value of integrated planning at your institution.

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Tool

Published
October 2, 2020

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An Integrated Approach to Scenario Planning

Recovery Planning in a Volatile Environment

No one can predict the future. That doesn’t mean it needs to be a total surprise. This toolkit will walk you step-by-step through scenario planning with instructions, examples, and worksheets that you can use to start scenario planning at your institution immediately.
Abstract: The pace of change is getting faster, and it’s getting harder to anticipate what the future holds—and how your institution can prepare. Scenario planning can help your institution plan for a volatile and uncertain future. Scenario planning uses today’s forces and trends to imagine probable futures and what they could mean for your institution. It’s a flexible process that can inform your institution’s regular planning processes or be used as part of recovery planning in response to disruptions or catastrophic events.

An Integrated Approach to Scenario Planning is a toolkit that will walk you step-by-step through scenario planning. It includes instructions, examples, and blank worksheets that you can use to start scenario planning at your institution immediately. Don’t let your college or university get blindsided. Download your copy and prepare for the future.

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Non-Member Price:
$40

Planning for Higher Education Journal

Published
July 17, 2020

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Academic Deans Reveal Their Leadership Styles

Annual Budgeting Becomes an Exercise in How Authority is Enacted

Academic deans adopt one of three approaches when developing the annual budget report for their colleges: distributed authorship, delegated authorship, or dominated authorship. Depending on the approach they select, deans can include and collaborate with their senior teams—or exclude, ignore, and alienate them. Their choice demonstrates how they lead.

From Volume 48 Number 4 | July–September 2020

Abstract: Few studies have investigated how academic deans enact their authority in Responsibility Center Budgeting (RCB), despite its widespread adoption. In this article I explore findings from a study that investigated how deans crafted a confidential annual budget report at an American university. Ultimately, deans adopted one of three approaches to crafting the report: delegating, distributing, or dominating authorship. Deans who distributed authorship collaborated with their senior teams to establish a shared sense of priorities for their colleges. In contrast deans who delegated and dominated authorship ignored and alienated members of their senior team during the budget review, engendering confusion and frustration.

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Webinar Recordings

Published
July 15, 2020

Coffee Chat: Tracking the External Environment

The SCUP Spring Trends Report

Join Nick Santilli and Jim Downey for a conversation that will highlight the SCUP Spring Trends and SCUP Trends for Canada reports. Scanning the external environment is a key factor in keeping your institution nimble and change-ready—two facets necessary for effective institutional planning. These documents are essential tools for strategic planning, scenario planning, and contingency planning.
Abstract: Join Nick Santilli and Jim Downey for a conversation that will highlight the SCUP Spring Trends and SCUP Trends for Canada reports. Scanning the external environment is a key factor in keeping your institution nimble and change-ready—two facets necessary for effective institutional planning. These documents provide overviews of the important external forces that impact institutional operations. They are also essential tools for strategic planning, scenario planning, and contingency planning.

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Planning for Higher Education Journal

Published
January 1, 2018

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An Exploration of Administrative Bloat in American Higher Education

Administrative bloat, the ballooning growth of administrative functions and personnel in U.S. higher education, is the unintended consequence of several factors and can be mitigated to some extent through deliberate strategies.

From Volume 46 Number 2 | January–March 2018

Abstract: This article evaluates administrative bloat, the ballooning growth of administrative functions and personnel, in American higher education. This evaluation was undertaken through a review of the available literature describing administrative bloat. Though unintentional, increased spending and government requirements for accountability may have contributed to overall growth and cost in higher education. Similarly, the changing composition of faculty—in terms of tenure-track faculty, annual contracts, and adjunct faculty—may have also played a role in the increased influence that administration has over campus policy and curricular decisions. Strategies to mitigate the cost of administrative bloat and to balance campus decisions between faculty and administration are suggested.

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