Learning Resources

Abstract: The level of buy-in from key stakeholders determines the ultimate success of any strategic plan. This session explores two frameworks—design thinking and liberating structures—that help university leaders ensure the entire campus community feels engaged in the strategic planning process. Strategic planning should be transparent and inclusive—we will demonstrate how you can achieve this comprehensive buy-in through implementing specific structures during each phase of the plan. Come learn action-oriented strategies for engaging students, faculty, staff, alumni, and local community in all phases of strategic planning on your campus.

Abstract: A collaborative approach allows building projects to open faster, reduces redesign, increases staff satisfaction, and produces a higher utilization rate than the traditional design process. This session details the collaborative Lean process involving over 100 people that allowed the Lauritzen Outpatient Center on the Nebraska Medical Campus to be completed 1.5 years early with few design changes. Come learn from our unique approach in which actual users participate in designing the facility, allowing implementation of new processes and efficiencies known only to medical center staff.

Abstract: For an integrated planning effort to succeed—particularly in higher education—collective commitment from all of the institutional stakeholders is critical.

To get that collective commitment, you need to do two things: 1) Design your planning process so it leverages your institution’s internal and external cultures, and 2) Involve your critical stakeholder groups in the planning process. Tapping into the stakeholder groups in meaningful ways will increase engagement, transparency, and commitment to the process and the products of integrated planning. Remember, institutional stakeholders are the carriers of your mission and institutional culture. Mission and culture are the key drivers of institutional success. If you do not respect your stakeholders, mission, and culture, your planning efforts will not yield a plan to enhance student success and institutional thriving.

This toolkit includes recommendations and worksheets to help you analyze your stakeholders and determine how to meaningfully engage them in the planning process.

Abstract: Introverts constitute a large percentage of campus populations, especially in STEM institutions, yet the higher education climate is moving towards an extroverted pedagogy. Much of campus design today is centered on an extroverted conception of engagement and community. How do you design for both personalities? This session will explore the introvert’s voice in creating these shared living and learning environments. Come learn how to plan and design a campus environment that provides a sense of layering—from refuge to public engagement—to address the needs of all students.

Abstract: Working across boundaries is essential for student success, but also incredibly difficult to do. This session looks at the collaboration between enrollment management and departmental faculty—specifically the planning, monitoring, and communication of student progress in an online doctoral program. You will learn techniques to improve communication between departments that historically work independent of each other, along with opportunities for future interdepartmental partnerships that improve student success.

Abstract: Preparing graduates for the workforce requires higher ed to work more closely with industry and organize academic opportunities around real-world problems, not departments. We will detail how the University of Kansas (KU) strategically used new campus building developments to do both develop industry partnerships and interdisciplinary collaborations. You will learn how to design, build, and operate a new and transformative campus development with an integrated approach to facilities, courses, and management, including strategies to gain industry partnerships.

Abstract: Institutions usually spend more on providing courses for some academic programs than others. Stakeholders need to decide where and how to allocate resources to support instruction. This session introduces recent best practices using the Delaware Cost Study data to facilitate 1) the identification of under-resourced academic programs and 2) decision making in faculty budgeting and staffing. You will leave this session ready to re-evaluate the metrics you use to support instructional budgeting decisions so you can identify under-resourced programs and accurately understand faculty hiring needs.

Abstract: Many institutions are engaged in concurrent, overlapping institutional change initiatives. Being able to plan and align improvement efforts while including all stakeholders without duplicating effort requires new tools and skills. We will share how Olympic College used the planning for a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to design improvements in our student-facing systems. You will practice different techniques and tools to visualize institutional processes and identify alignment. We will discuss the use of traditional business management tools to map institutional structures, create cross-departmental capacities, and guide cross-functional teams.