This document outlines the steps to develop a strategic plan, including gathering information through a self-study and external review, holding a retreat to discuss the organization's mission, values, and priorities, getting feedback from stakeholders on draft plans, and continually revising the plan and monitoring progress annually. It emphasizes the importance of an open and collaborative process with commitment from leadership and stakeholders. The strategic planning process for a campus center is described as a case study, going through each stage from forming a task force to conducting stakeholder reviews and finalizing the plan.

2. • What’s Strategic Planning?
• Do we need a strategic plan?
• Why?
• What do we need
to develop one?
• How do we do it?
• What does it look like?
• What do we do with it?

3. A process that can help:
• Set priorities
• Strengthen operations
• Establish values
• Allocate resources
• Plan implementation of the above
• “the process is the product”
• It is not:
• A panacea
• Easy
• Non-controversial

4. Are you…
• Not sure which projects to pursue?
• Taking advantage of opportunities, rather than
seeking them out?
• Lacking a long-term plan to guide short-term
decisions?
• Experiencing mission creep?
• Undergoing leadership transition?
• Facing external performance pressures
(assessment, outcomes, etc.)?

5. • Clarity of purpose
• Framework and values to guide decisions
• Guidance on what to/not to pursue
• Process: get buy-in
• Process: tell your story
• Bigger impact through longer-term plan

6. • Information!
• Lots of it.
• Self-study
• External review
• Assessment
information
• Concerns/issues/complaints

7. • Commitment to the process
• Trust that everyone shares that
commitment
• Willingness to confront long-term issues
• Openness to fundamental change
• Ability to commit to planning process
(resources, time)
• Planning process leadership

8. Preliminary:
• Determine team and roles
• Determine needs and process
• Talk to people in your networks
• Discuss what major issues you anticipate and how
to address them
• Talk to supervisors about what ‘needs’ to be done
• Find external facilitator (?)
• Inventory stakeholders and programs

9. Go!
• Gather information. Lots. (Self Study)
• Get feedback. (External Review)
• Process, analyze, respond to information and
feedback.
• Based on the above, and in relation to institutional
mission and priorities: Create/revise mission,
vision, values

10. Keep going…
• Retreat!
• SWOT
• Feedback on mission,
vision, values
• Goals/Priorities
• Summary
• Analyze retreat data
• Draft goals and priorities

11. Keep going…
• More Feedback
• Focus groups with different constituencies (original
participants, staff, faculty, partners, students, admin)
• Key players
• Supervisors/board
• Revise
• Still More Feedback (select group of stakeholders)
• Revise

12. Keep going…
• Align with Institutional Mission and
Priorities
• Develop metrics
• Finalize!
• Get approval, whatever that looks like
• Go! For real, this time.

13. Fall 2014:
• Campus-wide Task Force on Community Engaged Learning
Spring 2015:
• Task Force Report
• Self Study (January-April)
• External Review (April)
Fall 2015
• Talk with colleagues
• Interview Consultants
• Talk with staff
• Work with Institutional Effectiveness/Assessment
• Work with Supervisors/Administration
• Draft Mission,Vision,Values
January 5-21:
• Development of draft mission, vision, values with CELR Center staff,
consultant
January 22: CELR Center strategic planning retreat
• 35 participants:TCNJ faculty, staff, administration
• Situational/SWOT Analysis of CELR Center
• Discussion and feedback on draft mission, vision, values statements
• Preliminary goals and priorities developed
January 23-February 15:
• Draft goals developed from retreat input, mission, vision, values revised
• Retreat participants review, comment on, and confirm draft document
• Draft strategic plan developed by CELR Center staff and consultant
February 15-March 15: stakeholder review and feedback of draft strategic plan
• February 17: Faculty and Staff conversation; 20-25 participants
• February 18: CELR Center staff conversation
• March 2: Student conversation; 14 participants
• March 3: Community Partner conversation; 11 participants
• One-on-one conversations with 10 community partners
• March 4-15: Revision of draft plan by strategic planning team
March 15-April 15: review of revised draft plan
• March 17: CELR Center staff conversation
• March 18:Associate Provost conversation
• March 21: Review draft plan with consultant
• March 23: Student conversation; 5 participants
• April 12: Bonner Community Scholar conversation; 90 participants
• April 12-15: Revision of draft plan by strategic planning team
April 15-April 27:
• Electronic review of draft plan to all participants to-date
• Development of metrics with consultant,Associate Provost
April 27-May 31:
• May 2: review of draft plan and metrics with consultant
• Final revision of plan
• Development of final document
June 2016: Done?

15. • Prioritized objectives
and actions
• Continued to work on
them
• Return to them at
leadership and staff
meetings

16. • Monitor goals and objectives
• Reevaluate progress and priorities annually
• Reevaluate metrics
and their significance
• I’ll let you know
next year…

17. • Have the process reflect your values
• Do what’s useful for you
• You have most of what you need already
• It’s an opportunity; use it
• Balance of what you are and what you could/
want to be
• Participation is key
• Only a plan!