Strategic Planning

Strategic Planning Committee
Minutes/Notes - Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Teague Library

Present: Rick Foreman, Wes Miller, Paul Ogren, Sara Penhale, Bob Southard, Monteze Snyder, Margaret Hampton, Tamara Clark, Newell Pledger-Shinn, Doug Bennett, Kirsten Bohl

Timeline for committee's work

We confirmed that we wanted to preview our work for the faculty yet this semester. We discussed the relation of the strategic planning process to the self-study for accreditation. What guidance can we provide to academic units so they can begin their planning on schedule, i.e., very early in the fall?

Setting priorities

We talked about ways to set priorities among the list of commitments/priorities we brainstormed last week. Some items should be included in the operating budget, while others will require fund raising. We talked about the importance of developing our priorities in light of the value matrix (through the lens of importance to prospective students). We may also want to think about other kinds of budget-relieving and/or programmatic money we'd like to raise. What is our timeline for resolving our enrollment/budget issues? For having new resources in hand, in light of an upcoming capital campaign? How will we, as a community, shift to embrace new priorities?

We agreed on a draft framework for considering priorities:
I. Priorities requiring time and energy - but no new financial resources
II. Priorities within the operating budget
III. Priorities for fund raising
a. Budget relieving
b. Beyond a sustaining 1200 enrollment
c. If donor interest (and donor is not persuaded by III a & b)

Presentation to the faculty

Later in the strategic planning process, we will ask the faculty to approve the strategic plan broadly and in principle. In the meantime, we should use next week's Strategic Planning Committee meeting to finalize materials for a presentation to the faculty yet this semester:

-Bob will draft a preface, outlining our process and timetable. Where have we been so far? What does the road ahead look like? (The charge may provide useful context for this.)
- Monteze and Paul will draft a one-page summary of key learnings/conclusions we've reached. These will be set in the context of needing to resolve our enrollment issues, and will be keyed to the white papers.
- Bob and Sara will draft a "first glimpse of commitments and priorities" organized according to the schema above.
- Kirsten will write up notes from our brainstormed list of commitments and priorities.
- Doug will contact Tom Kirk to see if we can be added to the Faculty Meeting agenda for May 1.

Next Meeting

Next meeting will be Wed., April 24 from 3:30 till 6:00 p.m. in Teague Library.