What is the college strategic planning process like?

I'm curious about how colleges go through their strategic planning process. Does anyone understand how decisions are made regarding future plans and objectives? I'm really interested in how students can get involved or learn from these processes.

Sure! College strategic planning is a comprehensive and mindful process undertaken by colleges to align their resources and actions toward achieving specific, long-term goals. It involves establishing a direction for the institution and formulating a plan to achieve the desired results. This process typically includes numerous stakeholders, and yes, at many institutions, students often have opportunities to be involved!

In the first step of strategic planning, a broad group of stakeholders including students, faculty, staff, and administrators typically come together, often under the leadership of the college president or a designated strategic planning committee. They will first have a review and introspection about the college's mission, core values, and vision statement--the foundation on which any strategic plan is built.

Next, they assess the current state of the college, its strengths and weaknesses, as well as the opportunities and threats the college may face. This is done through a SWOT analysis. For example, the committee may explore how well the college's current programs are meeting the needs of students and the community or examine upcoming challenges like potential changes in demographics, funding, or technology.

Based on these analyses, the committee establishes strategic goals for the college. These goals are typically broad, long-term, and aspirational, and serve to guide the direction the college should take.

After the strategic goals are set, action plans are developed for each goal. These action plans specify the timeline, resource allocation, responsibilities, and measures of success for each goal. The plans usually include a variety of smaller objectives and initiatives that contribute to the larger strategic goals--and these can range from developing a new academic program, enhancing student support services, to expanding community partnerships.

Finally, once the plan is in place, there's the implementation and monitoring stage. Here, progress on each goal and initiative is continually monitored and the plan is revised as necessary. This might involve data collection and analysis, report writing, and regular communication with the various stakeholders involved in implementing the plan.

Regarding student involvement, there are indeed opportunities. Students might serve on strategic planning committees, attend forums or town hall meetings related to strategic planning, or participate in surveys or focus groups that collect data for the plan. It's a great way to get a behind-the-scenes look at how colleges are run and to make a lasting impact on the college's future. The best way to get involved would typically be to express your interest to student affairs staff or your student government representatives, as they are often involved in the process as well.