Appalachian State University Strategic Planning November 2, 2012 A look at the Higher Education landscape

Strategic Challenges for Higher Education

Strategic Challenges Removing boundaries Establishing Interdisciplinary Programs Supporting Entrepreneurial Efforts & Technology Redesigning & Personalizing Student Support Services Emphasizing Connected & Lifelong Learning Investing in Technologically Competent Faculty Hanna, D.E. (July/August 2003). Building a leadership vision: Eleven strategic challenges for Higher Education. Educause. 3 Academic Affairs

Strategic Challenges Building Strategic Alliances with Others Incorporating Learning Technologies into Strategic Thinking Measuring Program Quality Achieving Institutional Advantage Transforming Bureaucracy, Culture & Assumptions 4 Academic Affairs Hanna, D.E. (July/August 2003). Building a leadership vision: Eleven strategic challenges for Higher Education. Educause.

Appreciative Inquiry For significant change to happen, three conditions must be present: Enormous external pressures People inside who are dissatisfied Coherent alternative plan, model or vision Appreciative inquiry is a process that involves discovering institutional strengths through creative conversations that focus on what people within the organization are doing well and on how they are achieving excellence. 5 Academic Affairs Hanna, D.E. (July/August 2003). Building a leadership vision: Eleven strategic challenges for Higher Education. Educause.

National & State Level Trends, Opportunities & Threats

Political/Legal/Governmental Increasing demand for accountability & effectiveness Further shifting toward political conservatism Increasing micromanaging by General Assembly & the Board of Governors Growing public demand for tax reductions Increasing use of performance funding for state agencies Tightening of student loan policies & availability 7 Academic Affairs

Economic/Occupational Further resistance to increasing public funding levels to universities Continuing shift of educational costs to students as tuition & fees Growing competition for private & federal dollars Continuing availability of jobs in health and business services 8 Academic Affairs

Economic/Occupational Increasing demand for job preparedness by university graduates Increasing global interdependence Increasing demand for workers to function in multi-lingual, multi-cultural business & social environments Increasing pressure on universities to facilitate economic development Declining support for public liberal arts education 9 Academic Affairs

Social/Demographic/Cultural Growing disillusionment of higher education by the general public Increasing cultural & ethnic diversity in the population Increasing aging of student and general populations ?? High School grads Substantial grown in central piedmont and coastal regions of North Carolina 10 Academic Affairs

Technological/Scientific Expanding demand for & capabilities for alternative instructional delivery systems Increasing use of distance and on-line learning Increasing demands for increased productivity, through technology, in education Increasing availability of vast amounts of information Increasing emphasis on knowledge of how to reach available information Continuing job displacement due to technological advances 11 Academic Affairs

Campus Level Strengths & Weaknesses

Internal Strengths Tradition of teaching excellence and strong faculty Location in the mountains within 3 hours of metropolitan areas Excellent educational value Excellent cultural opportunities & programs Strong academic reputation 13 Academic Affairs

Internal Weaknesses Relatively low public funding levels Discipline & organizational territorialization Lack of ethnic diversity Diminished concern for students’ interests Incentive programs that emphasize the individual rather than department of college Excessive decentralization resulting in inefficiency 14 Academic Affairs

15 Academic Affairs Potential Topics for Working Groups Resources Technology & E-Learning Graduate Education Undergraduate Education ResearchAccountabilityEfficiency Outreach & Engagement GlobalizationDiversityWork-LifeStudent Life

Next Steps UPPC members self-select a working group Identify a team leader for the group Invite other members of the campus community to participate in the working group Identify areas of strength for the topic Develop innovative ideas to further strength threads within the topic Create 3 to 5 strategies for possible inclusion in the plan 16 Academic Affairs

Conducting Strategic Planning in a Low Trust Environment Low institutional trust is a significant issue on campuses Every decision can become a debate People tend to focus on day-to-day events and issues Rumor mill is very active and often the most trusted mode of communication Recommendation that UPPC develop guiding principles Sanaghan, P. (June 2102) Strategic Planning: 5 tough question, 5 proven answers. Academic Impressions 17 Academic Affairs

Suggested Guiding Principles We are committed to make the meaningful engagement of institutional stakeholders the heart of the strategic planning process We are committed to transparency We will actively seek an external perspective We are committed to dealing with the tough issues within our institution Sanaghan, P. (June 2102) Strategic Planning: 5 tough question, 5 proven answers. Academic Impressions. 18 Academic Affairs