Learning Resources

Abstract: In learning-centered community colleges, planning, like all processes, must measurably improve learning and learner performance. This article shares Valencia Community College's approach to revising its strategic planning process based on the Organizational Elements Model to: 1) focus strategic planning on learning results that add value for learners and the communities the college serves; 2) ensure that the process of planning is a learning opportunity for the institution and its stakeholders; and 3) ensure that college plans are integrated by aligning them according to their contribution to meeting societal needs, defined as gaps in results.

Abstract: Creating a campus master plan is the first step in the process of managing enrollment growth; however, the plan is not just a document about buildings and parking spaces and classrooms and square footage. The plan should be viewed as an investment in the future of the institution and a way to link the college's mission and vision statements to the physical learning environment. This article examines the planning process, with special emphasis on community and consensus building, using case studies from two rapidly growing community college districts in Texas and California.

Abstract: In 2004, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education published Ensuring Access with Quality to California's Community Colleges, funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. That report called attention to the considerable challenges facing the community colleges and the importance of addressing these problems. A central critique included in the report's findings was that current community college finance mechanisms "serve to provide barriers to progress rather than promoting it." The "essential first step" in aligning resource allocation mechanisms to programmatic priorities was to perform a policy audit of the system's finance infrastructure, the Ensuring Access report concluded. The Institute for Higher Education Leadership & Policy at Sacramento State University was subsequently funded by the Hewlett Foundation to perform the policy audit. This paper summarizes the methodology and the findings of the research and discusses the prospects of using the policy audit to influence public policy regarding the financing of California's community colleges.

Abstract: The student demographics of community colleges have necessitated that districts offer a variety of programs in different learning environments. Many of today's community college students aspire to earn career-related certificates or improve employment skills and want close proximity to home or work to maintain their schedules while advancing their education. The study described in this article reviews two community college districts in proximity to one another to evaluate their student demographics and identify the trends in student movement. Both districts offer associate's degrees and certificate programs and use Internet components to serve their students, but differ in their facilities approach to providing services.

Abstract: European higher education does not have a uniform record of sustained planning. The Bologna Declaration, originally signed by 29 countries (and now 45), calls for major reforms to higher education throughout the continent. The European higher education community is diverse and heterogeneous. This article clarifies these myriad cultures in the context of developing a unified strategic planning process. Positions will be grounded in scholarship generated over a period of years at the Center for Research in Higher Education Policies and elsewhere. The relationship between U.S. planning models and European reality are examined.

Abstract: The Division of Student Affairs at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor engaged in an iterative strategic process to create and implement a set of long-range goals. This strategic journey continues to evolve, uniting a guiding framework of strategic planning steps, a reflective process with an assessment component within each step, and a group process approach to support both individual growth and organizational change.

Abstract: In the current highly competitive higher education market in North America, many colleges have identified the importance of upgrading their existing residential housing facilities as part of their strategy to attract and retain students. The case study discussed in this article describes the successful planning process used by Perkins+Will and Simmons College to develop a comprehensive housing strategy and plan for the college for the next 10 to 15 years. The process involves five steps, which will yield a realistic and consensus-driven housing strategy for any institution.

Abstract: This article examines trends in university planning and management concerning interdisciplinary research. The analysis of institutional documents of 99 research universities reveals regularities in the types of approaches employed. In addition to the traditional approach of creating centers and institutes, universities have taken actions to nurture interdisciplinary research teams, to invest in campus-wide interdisciplinary initiatives, and to build new models of research facilities. Illustrative examples are provided and implications for planning and management are discussed.