Planning Process

Future Directions project goal

Facilitate process that builds from areas of strength, promise and opportunity to create a Future Directions Plan that will guide the future of ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ for the next five years.

The Future Directions process outline was presented to ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ communities the week of Sept. 20, 2021. 

Step 1: Preparation-Getting Started (August 2021)

  • Develop and Refine Process
    • Meet with Key Individuals and Groups
    • Create Subcommittees (as necessary)
    • Develop Guiding Statements
    • Conduct Research
  • Review Documents
  • Create communication plan for internal and external outreach    

Step 2: Bringing Everyone on Board (September 2021)

  • Town Halls and small group discussions 

Step 3: Research-Discovering the Dots (September 2021)

  • Internal conversations
  • External conversations
    • Community
    • Educational
    • Corporate leaders
  • Data
    • Demographics
    • Workforce needs
    • Student interests
    • Competition

Step 4: Refine Core Values, Vision, Mission, and Identify Potential Strategic Goals (Sept./Oct. 2021)

  • Future Directions committee works with the ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ community to discussion and review drafts of:
    • Core Values, Vision, Mission
    • Strengths
    • Needs/Opportunities
    • Major Forces
    • Planning Assumptions
    • Top Strategic Priorities/Goals
  • Future Directions creates a cross-departmental Task Force for each Strategic Priority/Goal

Step 5: Formulate Desired Outcomes-Charting the Course (Dec. 2021-Jan. 2022)

  • Task Force groups identify desired outcomes, share and receive feedback
  • Begin work on strategy development 

Step 6: Determine the Strategies (Feb./Mar. 2022) 

  • Task forces to select one-three strategies that are most important to achieve desired outcomes
  • The strategies selected will be:
    • Organized around goals
    • Work across organizational and campus lines
    • Emphasis on “big ideas”
    • Strategies are elaborated expressions of an idea
      • Intro and Background
      • Basic Elements and Description
      • Models

Step 7: Review, Announce, Celebrate-Beginning the Journey (April 2022)

  • Future Directions committee completes plan
    • Proofread
    • Name
    • Posts on-line 
    • Summary suitable for PR/Fundraising  
    • PowerPoint presentation 
  • University Communications & Marketing develops communications plan