Abstract:

Strategic planning is undertaken by many Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to focus their energy and resources on projects that are critical for their survival and growth. The strategic plan is intended to provide a roadmap to identify and reach the future directions based on institution’s strengths and potential opportunities. The strategic planning is also an important element of accreditation requirements for all HEIs. From time to time, the university administrators hire consultants, put together a planning group, and spend considerable resources on coming up with a strategic plan. Unfortunately, there is generally a lack of understanding about the fundamentals of strategic planning among university employees. For this reason, most of the elements of the strategic plan are operational/tactical rather than strategic. Also, most of the consultants hired to aid in strategic planning process have background in assisting corporations and they have little knowledge of how universities operate. The complex structure and operations of the institutions of higher education require active participation by key stakeholders, especially faculty and staff, in strategic plan development. Faculty participation is core to the university and true change can only be accomplished with the support and commitment of faculty. In this mega competitive higher education environment, the focus of faculty is primarily on teaching and research which leaves them with little to no time to devote to strategic planning. The lack of faculty participation in the strategic planning development and implementation may be a prime reason that so many strategic plans end up on the shelves. In this presentation, we will discuss the challenges faced by HEIs in strategic planning and a need to design a strategic planning process that takes into account the unique characteristics of HEIs.

Keywords:

Strategic planning, higher education institutions, accreditation.