Learning Resources

Promoting Engagement in Strategic Planning

Southeast Community College Used FAST Goals to Capture Stakeholder Interest

By: Paul Illich and Shawna Herwick

Creating a positive, reflective, inclusive, and transparent institutional climate facilitated improved engagement in and ownership of strategic and departmental planning. The process of using FAST goals (frequently discussed, ambitious, specifically measured, and transparent) produced constructive outcomes.

From Volume 48 Number 3 | April–June 2020

Abstract: Southeast Community College (SCC) transformed its departmental planning by embedding a cultural goal within its strategic plan. The goal focused on creating a positive, reflective, inclusive, and transparent institutional climate—through the implementation of departmental FAST goals. That goal type refers to those that are frequently discussed, ambitious, specifically measured, and transparent, which represents an alternative to the commonly used SMART goal-setting approach. This article describes how a change of climate at SCC set the stage for the conversion to FAST goals—and improved engagement in and ownership of strategic and departmental planning.

Institutions Mentioned: Southeast Community College
Planning Types: Strategic Planning
Tags: Community College, Organizational Culture, Planning Processes

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Fostering Innovation on Ohio’s Co-Located Campuses Through Collaborative Planning

By: Jeremy W. Webster, PhD, Ohio University-Zanesville

This is a SCUP Fellow Research Project Final Report for the 2018–2019 program. This research project investigates whether co-located institutions, specifically, and competing institutions of higher education, more generally, could use the concept of “collaborative planning” to achieve mutual success.

Abstract: This research project investigates whether co-located institutions, specifically, and competing institutions of higher education, more generally, could use the concept of “collaborative planning” to achieve mutual success. Collaborative planning is a conceptual framework from urban planning that emphasizes “partnership,stakeholder involvement, collaboration, and consensus-oriented decision-making” as core principles of planning (Vandenbussche, Edelenbos, and Eshuis 2017). It is an effective tool for transcending competition, negotiating disagreements, and achieving increased institutional collaboration and innovation.

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Conference Recordings

Published
March 16, 2020

2020 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference | March 2020

Make No Little Plans

Multi-Scale Transformative Planning Implementation

By: Cooper Melton, Associate Principal, Ayers Saint Gross | Terence McCann, Director of Planning, Energy & Sustainability, Towson University | Eric Zahn, Senior Associate, Ayers Saint Gross

Master plans are more than a campus-wide tool, and with thoughtful planning and execution, institutions can craft a vision tailored to student needs related to housing, dining, and the co-curricular student experience.

Abstract: An institution's success is intrinsically linked to that of its students. High-quality living/learning spaces play a critical role in supporting student achievement, building campus community, and bolstering recruitment and retention. Master plans are more than a campus-wide tool, and with thoughtful planning and execution, institutions can craft a vision tailored to student needs related to housing, dining, and the co-curricular student experience. Using concrete examples, this session will illustrate how student experience-driven planning and creative implementation strategies can bolster student success while using institutional resources more effectively.

Institutions Mentioned: Virginia Commonwealth University, Goucher College
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Campus Master Planning, Dining Facility, SCUP 2020 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference, Student Center / Union, Student Housing, Urban Campus

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Conference Presentations

Published
March 8, 2020

2020 North Atlantic Regional Conference | March 2020

Two Community Colleges With Differing but Similar Survival Paths

By: Robert Hicks, Senior Project Manager, Stantec | James Mabry, President, Middlesex Community College | Anthony Benoit, President, Benjamin Franklin Institute

This session will explore how two community colleges are making both similar and different strategic choices in order to thrive during a very uncertain period in higher education.

Abstract: In this period of declining enrollment, decreasing resources, increasing competition, changing demands, and changing technologies, colleges must be both entrepreneurial and careful in their strategic planning. This session will explore how two community colleges are making both similar and different strategic choices in order to thrive during a very uncertain period in higher education. We will explore how planning processes have produced divergent strategies for navigating the very uncertain waters facing all of higher education, particularly in this region.

Institutions Mentioned: Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, Middlesex Community College-Massachusetts
Planning Types: Strategic Planning
Tags: Community College, SCUP 2020 North Atlantic Regional Conference

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Conference Presentations

Published
March 8, 2020

2020 North Atlantic Regional Conference | March 2020

Leading with Culture and Community to Transform a University Building

By: Laura Pirie, Principal, Pirie Associates | Kristina Chmelar, Major Projects Planner, Yale University | Sara Lulo, Assistant Dean, Yale Law School

We will share the planning behind the transformation of Yale Law School's Baker Hall and demonstrate how deeply engaging the new occupant's culture can powerfully guide building transformation.

Abstract: How can a university building, intended for short-term use, be re-purposed to support over-all university planning, embody the culture of a new user, and enhance that user group's pedagogy? Reusing campus structures can be highly effective, but limitations and pre-conceptions can be challenging. We will share the planning behind the transformation of Yale Law School's Baker Hall and demonstrate how deeply engaging the new occupant's culture can powerfully guide building transformation.