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Your Higher Education Planning Library

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Blog Post

Published
September 2, 2025

How Strategic Is Your Strategic Plan?

Identify Its Shortcomings and Ask Key Questions

By: Sarah L Collie, PhD, Associate Vice President for Organizational Excellence, University of Virginia

Today, strategic planning in colleges and universities is more crucial than ever. Yet many strategic plans in higher education lack a clear strategy, instead resembling a long-range plan.

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Planning for Higher Education Journal

Published
October 31, 2024

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Leveraging Data to Engage Our Community

Data Play Dual Roles in Facilitating Inclusive and Evidence-Based Strategic Planning

By: Su Swarat, PhD, and Gina Park, PhD

Success in strategic planning requires decision-making that reflects the collective vision of diverse constituents.

From Volume 52 Number 4 | July–September 2024

Abstract: Success in strategic planning requires decision-making that reflects the collective vision of diverse constituents. At California State University, Fullerton we leveraged data as the essential thread in engaging our community in an inclusive strategic planning process. Data played dual roles, serving as input and output, to provide a common framework through which the ideas and wisdom of our community are reflected and shared, anchoring the strategic plan firmly in the campus voices. Our engagement through data embodied our commitment to evidence-based decision-making and contributed to the success of our strategic planning process.

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Planning for Higher Education Journal

Published
August 8, 2024

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From Awareness to Acceptance to Action

Build a Neuroinclusive Campus Community

By: Hilary Meyer, MBA, MLIS

Through its strategic plan, Triton College built support for and overcame barriers to institution-wide neurodiversity efforts.

From Volume 52 Number 4 | July–September 2024

Abstract: Triton College’s strategic plan focuses on short- and mid-term institution-wide neurodiversity efforts to create a neuroinclusive campus culture. Key aspects of success include a multi-year administrative commitment; connecting the work to the open-access mission; including committee members from across the college; and focusing on programming, space, and partnerships. Triton College built support and overcame barriers by amplifying advocates and identifying champions, tying the work to campus-wide initiatives, ensuring strategic and operational leadership, securing seed funding, including stakeholders, starting small, reducing risk, allowing for development time, defining the work, building on wins, and adhering to an open-access mission.

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Example Plans

Published
January 5, 2024

Strategic Plan, Strategic Planning Website

Public Doctoral/Research University (Georgia, United States)

Strategic plan for the university, which is beginning its second decade after consolidation.

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Planning for Higher Education Journal

Published
November 21, 2023

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Overcoming a $90M Budget Overage in Vanderbilt University’s Residential Colleges

A Multifaceted Team Worked Collaboratively to Stem Overruns

By: David Bailey, BA, AIA, LEED AP, and Walt Massey, BA

The University, architects, engineers, strategic planning consultants, and contractor teams worked hand in hand to peel back the onion to stem the overruns.

From Volume 52 Number 1 | October–December 2023

Abstract: When Vanderbilt University began seeing signs that cost escalation, scope additions, campus requirements, and authentic Collegiate Gothic architecture for their proposed new residence halls were all pressuring the budget, a multifaceted team worked collaboratively and arduously to stem the overruns.

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Planning for Higher Education Journal

Published
June 29, 2023

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What Is Your Crisis ‘What If’?

Create a Sustainable Approach to Emergency Response Planning

By: Jessica A. Luedtke, PhD, and Mary M. Reinke, MBA, MS

The Medical College of Wisconsin planned strategically, engaged executive leadership, and operationalized an Administrative Response Team to navigate critical incidents impacting the university.

From Volume 51 Number 3 | April–June 2023

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Webinar Recordings

Published
May 24, 2023

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Destination 2030

The Need for Transformation Architects

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

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Planning for Higher Education Journal

Published
May 23, 2023

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Quickly Building a Bridge

Use an Institutional Effectiveness Planning Model to Drive Strategic Planning

By: Jason Nicholas, MS, Daniel Cullen, PhD, and Ellen Koski, MPH

Executive leadership changes at Northern Michigan University led the interim president, interim provost, and Board of Trustees to call for a bridge plan to clearly articulate strategic work happening throughout campus. This article describes how the university was able to develop an interim strategic plan with broad campus engagement in less than half a year.

From Volume 51 Number 3 | April–June 2023

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Planning for Higher Education Journal

Published
December 12, 2022

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Social Mobility and the Graduation Rate Paradox

Can You Advance One and Avoid the Other?

By: Roy Mathew, PhD, Elsa Bonilla-Martin, PhD, Luis A Aguirre, MS, and Naoko Tsuboi, MA

By using a metric-based planning framework, researchers at the University of Texas at El Paso identified areas for institutional intervention to enhance social mobility outcomes.

From Volume 51 Number 1 | October–December 2022

Abstract: Social mobility is an emerging area of focus for higher education institutions. In recent years, we have seen a proliferation of measures related to social mobility produced by publishers, scholars, think tanks, and foundations. However, it is still unclear which social mobility measures to advance, or when to intervene to improve social mobility outcomes. We rely on a century of literature from economics, sociology, and policy analysis to identify an appropriate framework to understand higher education’s contribution to social mobility. Using the metric-based planning framework, we identify areas for institutional intervention to enhance social mobility outcomes.

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