Learning Resources

Abstract: Very few, if any, organizations operate with anything remotely resembling clockwork precision. As for stability, many organizations need to regularly adapt new practices just to maintain their status quo. Higher education institutions, perhaps more than other organizations, need to consistently practice adaptability to remain competitive and relevant. SCUP Planning Institute faculty trainer, Robert P. Delprino, has drawn on his education, professional life, and experience as an institute faculty member to write a book every planner should read.

“Change is a people process; the strategic planning process is not a solitary activity but one that involves a number of players. Its success depends on the individuals and groups who participate in the plan’s development, application, and evaluation.”

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Abstract: This report synthesizes the trends observed by more than 90 members of SCUP’s planning academies through the 2012 fall concurrent session proposal review process for SCUP’s 2013 annual, international conference (SCUP–48). This document is a flash report of the continuing and emerging issues of interest to SCUP. It’s a reflection of what was in the minds of the academy members who participated as reviewers for the SCUP–48 concurrent proposal selection process, and of those desiring to contribute to SCUP’s body of knowledge through their program submission.

Abstract: Learn the things you need to do to get ready and stay ready! Numerous recent campus disruptions, outages, and disasters have highlighted the importance of investing in the proactive risk management solution known as academic continuity planning. Go beyond theory and concepts to the actual integrated mechanics and step-by-step methodology for developing and maintaining operational-level continuity plans. Cultivate integration with a service designed specifically to support the need for higher education institutions to be prepared. Is your campus ready?

Abstract: “A look at what the future looked like in 1995, and what happened in higher education as we moved through seventeen years to 2013? Then, a look ahead . . . Remember: Just because we are changing a great deal does not mean we are transforming.”

Another SCUP title, Transforming Higher Education—A Vision for Learning in the 21st Century, was once a higher education bestseller. In this monograph, co-author and SCUP Distinguished Service Award recipient Donald M. Norris and his team review what the Academy was doing and thinking in 1995, and what has happened since. They take stock of the present and look back at it from the perspective of 2020. Pragmatically, they suggest dual paths forward. Which will your institution take? Path A, reposition the core? Path B, leap into the future? Or perhaps, as the authors suggest, both?

Abstract: “[This] is a complete guide on strategic planning, presenting step by step the 5 major components of an integrated planning process. It is also a most useful, exhaustive, and updated list of definitions; presentation of all components and subcomponents; suggestions of strategies; and well-chosen examples . . . As I continue my work with Francophone universities, some in Africa, it will be my honor and pleasure to be inspired and accompanied by the Fountains’ guide.”
—Roland Proulx, Consultant, Institutional Planning & Strategic Intelligence, University of Montreal

With a heavy use of SCUP resource materials, SCUPers Doug and JoEllyn Fountain have written the book they wish someone had handed them when they began working for eight years with a rapidly growing university in Uganda. “While North American universities are developing LEED certified buildings, we were trying to pave roads and get stable electricity. We looked long and hard for materials and advisors who could help us with basic issues.”

Abstract: To meet enrollment management and accountability needs, Maryland’s 16 community colleges monitor the degree progress of their students through the Maryland Model of Community College Student Degree Progress. Implemented in 2005, the model addressed many of the flaws in the completion metrics in use at that time and incorporated developmental education status as a key variable. Using a behavioral definition of degree-seeking, the model also included interim measures of success to account for the slower pace dictated by the life circumstances of many community college students. Findings for seven cohorts are analyzed, and results are compared to graduation rates at four-year institutions. Reform efforts in developmental education prompted by the findings of the model are described.

Abstract: Building an institutional strategic plan for transfer students requires a systematic, holistic, integrated, and comprehensive approach rooted in institutional commitment and mission. This article discusses how to prepare and build support for transfer student success in both the administrative and academic “silos” of the institution. Readers will learn how to build campuswide support for their efforts as well as how to foster and sustain critical top leadership support across campus as they proactively address the significant informational, cultural, and economic barriers that stand in the way of community college transfer students.