Learning Resources

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

Institutions Mentioned: Northern Michigan University
Planning Types: Strategic Planning, Institutional Effectiveness Planning
Tags: Alignment, Assessment / Analytics, Bridge Planning, Engaging Stakeholders, Institutional Effectiveness, Institutional Planning, Institutional Research, Metrics, Planning Processes, Presidential Leadership, Response Planning, Selecting Metrics, Student Engagement

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Example Plans

Published
May 17, 2023

Bridge Plan

Public Associate’s College (Arizona, United States)

From April 2020, the institution’s president led faculty and staff in a rigorous planning and exploration process to ensure that the college remained accessible and thriving through the pandemic and beyond. This bridge plan document details the action steps resulting from that process.

Planning Types: Continuity Planning
Resource Types: Bridge Plan
Tags: Bridge Planning, Community College, COVID-19, Goals, Hybrid Learning, Leadership Attitude Toward Planning, Online Learning, Operational Planning, Organizational Culture, Response Planning, Scenario Planning, Strategies and Tactics, Student Experience, Teaching and Learning

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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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Example Plans

Published
April 20, 2023

Master Plan

Public Doctoral/Research University (Michigan, United States)

Campus master plan document for a STEM-focused institution, deeply aligned with its strategic plan.

Planning Types: Campus Planning
Resource Types: Master Plan
Tags: Academic Facility, Alignment, Goals, Laboratory Facility, Master Plan, Placemaking, Science / Engineering Facility, Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM), Strategies and Tactics, Student Housing

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Book Review: Implementing Sustainable Change in Higher Education

Principles and Practices of Collaborative Leadership

By: Marianna Kepka, MS

From Volume 51 Number 2 | January–March 2023

Abstract: Implementing Sustainable Change in Higher Education: Principles and Practices of Collaborative Leadership
by Brent D. Ruben
Stylus Publishing: Sterling, Virginia: 2022
229 pages
ISBN: 978-1642674415

How should higher education leaders take on the challenges of change? In Brent Ruben’s Implementing Sustainable Change in Higher Education: Principles and Practices of Collaborative Leadership, the author says there’s no simple approach. Instead, he encourages leaders to “understand and leverage the dynamics of change; lead collaboratively and meaningfully; engage one’s colleagues; and adopt and pursue a shared vision of organizational purpose and aspirations.”

Planning Types: Strategic Planning
Tags: Change Management, Engaging Stakeholders, Leadership, Organizational Change, Organizational Culture, Theory

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Managing Change from the Murky Middle

Offering Role Structure and Support Helps Middle Managers Effectively Lead Change

By: Nicole H. Gahagan, MEd

Middle managers are often blamed for change failure and portrayed as change resisters or saboteurs. However, what looks like obstructionist behavior could actually be the observable effects of role ambiguity.

From Volume 51 Number 2 | January–March 2023

Abstract: Middle managers are often blamed for change failure and portrayed as change resisters or saboteurs. However, what looks like obstructionist behavior could actually be the observable effects of role ambiguity. Absent clear expectations, middle managers might assume their own unsanctioned change leadership path or take on no role at all because they lack understanding about their responsibilities. This article explores the complexity of middle managers’ experience, examines how middle managers at a two-year college navigated the uncertainty of their role within the context of institutional change, and provides readers with suggestions for equipping middle managers to become effective change agents.

Institutions Mentioned: Waukesha County Technical College, Madison Area Technical College
Tags: Alignment, Analyzing Stakeholders, Change Management, Community College, Engaging Stakeholders, Human Resources, Implementation, Organizational Change, Organizational Culture, Student Services, Student Success

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