higher education strategic plan template

5 Steps To Highly Effective Strategic Planning In Higher Education (FREE template)

A crystal clear strategic plan can be the big difference between becoming the leading university… VERSUS ending up at the bottom. You know - where you struggle to attract students, the right staff members or even funds to support your institution.

So, in order to achieve your university’s goals, you need to learn how to build an effective strategic plan. 

In this blog post, we will reveal:

• The #1 reason university strategies fail
• The overlooked role of a strategic plan for higher ed
• The 5-step process you can follow to build a plan with your team

What is strategic planning in higher education? 

Strategic planning is the process an institution follows to realize its vision of its ideal future state. It’s a roadmap for getting there. Your vision becomes a reality through the process that defines specific goals, needs, and actions. It helps you to structure and contextualize information leading to important decisions. 

Sounds obvious, right? 

So, the question is:

Why do so many universities fail at strategic planning?

Because they forgot what the main role of a strategic plan is.

Most universities and colleges work on some form of strategic planning, but they usually come out as a 28-page PDF. They create an impressive presentation with shiny headings, upload it to their website and consider themselves successful. 

The end result is a ‘strategic plan’ that serves more as a marketing brochure and less like a roadmap to success.

What’s wrong with this usual approach?

Most vice-chancellors and vice presidents are not even aware of what they are losing. Staff members and faculty members work in silos with no focus on the big picture. Departmental plans are unaligned with the overall strategic plan. This leads to inefficiency, wasted resources, and things getting missed.

Clearly, this approach lacks the organization and accountability necessary for success. As a result, some institutions are losing their reputation, while others are losing program accreditation, experiencing declining student success, or having fewer funds available.

Sometimes all of the above. 

Strategic planning goes beyond ambitious and attractive presentations that describe the organization’s state in the next 5, 10 or more years.

Now let's take a closer look...

What is the real purpose of the strategic plan in higher education?

Your first and foremost goal should be to stay true to the promises you made to your stakeholders.

Think of your strategic plan as the foundation to achieve your long-term goals.

It’s supposed to help you translate high-level ambitions into tangible actions at a departmental level. Furthermore, it organizes everyone so that they can do those actions and report on them in a systematic and transparent manner. 

It serves as a guiding light for your staff, allowing them to focus on the things that drive real progress towards the university's strategic goals. 

On top of that, it’s an important resource for planning your yearly budget allocation. Even in the most difficult financial times, integrating strategic planning and budgeting throughout the organization creates opportunities for success.

It's obvious, isn't it? You need to stop treating your strategic plan as merely a glorified marketing document.

What are the 5 steps in the strategic planning process?

This five-step process will help you to craft a strategic plan that goes beyond marketing and delivers on promised results.

1. Understand your current situation

An effective planning process starts with a thorough understanding of your current situation. 

You can start by asking these questions: 

• What are our core competencies?
• Which important KPIs are trending over the last few years upwards? 
• Where do we notice a drop in performance? What led to this drop?
• Where do we want to be in 5 or 10 years?
• Do we need to develop new programs?
• How do we get there? 
• What external factors can impact us in the future?

Search for answers and go deep into every department and aspect of your institution. From financial health and university rankings to student enrollment, retention rates, and placement rates.

Next, understand the expectations and needs of your internal and external stakeholders.

Remember, top-down approach doesn’t work for universities. Higher education institutions are highly interconnected with their community and shouldn’t neglect its interest when making strategic decisions.

Collect feedback from every stakeholder group whose expectations affect your performance:

• Alumni members
• Faculty members & campus community
• Community groups
• Senior administrators
• External partnerships

Include their input into planning and translate it into the institution’s major goals. Embrace this collaborative approach and prevent too many unexpected "buts" in the future.

Don’t forget that you’re only collecting information at this stage, not brainstorming solutions or action plans. 

‍ Cascade tip:

The SWOT analysis framework  is still one of the most effective methods for evaluating internal operations and the external environment. Be honest and thorough in your evaluation. You can use it numerous times through strategic planning but you should start early in the planning process.

2. Lead with vision and values

Your university's vision is a part of its identity and a powerful latent tool.

Higher ed institutions of any size can utilize it, but they usually don’t. They don’t believe that people care about the big picture or that it affects the university's daily operations.

However, a clear and unique vision statement will set you apart from the competition and make you more memorable to potential students. They will know exactly what to expect from studying at your university and why they should come. 

At the same time, it gives a strong sense of pride and belonging to current students, faculty, and alumni. It becomes an emblem that attracts the right students, staff members, and funding opportunities. 

Here’s  an example  of a vision statement for the university: 

We will work as one Oxford bringing together our staff, students and alumni, our colleges, faculties, departments and divisions to provide world-class research and education.

- University of Oxford

You can take it one step further and include your institutional mission statement. 

And don’t forget about the values. They define your university’s culture. They determine how people act, which behaviors are praised and which are condemned. 

When you build a culture intentionally, then everyone inside and outside your school knows what you stand for, reinforcing all the benefits of a harnessed vision.

Cascade tip:

One of the biggest blockers to the successful execution of a strategic plan is the attempt to accomplish too much at once.  Creating a Vision Statement  will help you to avoid that trap right from the start. It becomes your north star guiding your strategy. It will be easier for you to identify what is relevant and worthy of your attention versus what isn't.

3. Concentrate your strategic planning efforts on key areas

There's a problem most presidents and strategic planning committees face: they don't define the real focus of their plans. 

You see, you can’t achieve everything, everywhere, all at once.

Your resources are limited, and you should prioritize accordingly. 

I’m glad you followed the first two steps. Now you have all the information you need to identify the biggest and most urgent challenges your university faces.

Clarifying the obstacles ahead of time helps you prioritize your strategic goals and develop focused efforts to achieve them.

For example, let’s say you’re creating a 5-year strategic plan. Here are some key focus groups you might want to focus on: 

• Provide superb undergraduate experience 
• Ensure graduate education and lifetime learning 
• Increase community engagement 
• Increase research excellence 
• Optimize financial resources

Focus areas help you decide what falls outside the university's priorities and prioritize your strategic planning efforts. 

We usually suggest creating between 3 to 5 Focus Areas. Any fewer and they will probably be too vague. Any more, and well..... you lose your focus. Dive deeper into focus areas with this  guide . 

4. Translate plan into tangible actions

This is the part that turns your strategic plan into reality. 

If you ever want to achieve your goals, you need to break down the plan into smaller, granular pieces specific to each department. Start by adding strategic objectives to your focus areas. 

The secret to  writing great strategic objectives  is simplicity and specificity. Avoid jargon and use a verb to indicate action. Accompany it with a deadline and preferably an owner (or two).

Here is an example:

Increase citations per faculty by 5% by May 2024, owned by Jane Doe.

The next step is to migrate from goal-setting to action-planning with projects. Projects describe what you’ll do to accomplish your objectives.

Projects  articulate a set of actions within a certain timeline. They include specific tasks, milestones, dependencies and dates (deadlines). Every objective should include at least one project or action-like event. Otherwise, you’ll never achieve any progress towards it.

Of course, nothing is so linear, but this process forces you to come up with action plans to support every strategic initiative and allocate funds and your staff’s time appropriately.

One of the most important steps in the planning process is to take the high-level plan and break it down into tangible actions at the departmental level. 

Cascade  helps you to achieve that with  planning models completely customizable  to your strategic planning approach. 

You can create a university-wide strategic plan and then break it down into  portfolio or departmental plans.  Clarify their goals, projects and key metrics. Collaborate with your teams to build multiple inter-connected plans and tie them back to the overall plan.

You get complete  visibility into how different plans or projects are connected  and contribute to the overall strategic plan. 

5. Don’t forget to measure progress

There is no perfect strategic planning for higher education (or anywhere for that matter). 

Every plan can be derailed by events beyond our control (such as a pandemic, change in public policy, or an unstable economic environment on a global scale). There is, however, disciplined execution through regular reviewing habits. The secret lies in the way you measure your progress and the frequency of reviewing it.

Determine the indexes that you want to improve and then  set key performance indicators (KPIs)  to drive and measure your performance against set targets. 

Here are some examples of KPIs you might want to keep track of:

• University ranking
• Post-graduation placement rate
• Number of students involved in undergraduate research
• Fundraising ROI

Establish the KPIs you will be reporting on in advance, and always end your reviews with a "next steps" discussion.

Create dashboards to measure progress in real-time.  Cascade’s customizable dashboards  help you to quickly identify areas that are underperforming and act before it’s too late.

Zoom your screen in on the screenshot below to check out Cascade's beautiful dashboards!

Extra tip:  Use Cascade reports to help you demonstrate your success in a transparent way and attract more investments in the key areas of your university. 

What’s next for your university?

Most university’s failure to reach their strategic goals isn’t because of bad strategy, but because strategy is constrained by PowerPoint. Kept miles from those who can make it happen. The best in Advancement, the finest HR, the most profound ideas - they’re all framed in slides rather than shaping every day’s activities for everyone across the university.

Remember, a strategic plan isn’t just a glossy presentation to attract new students or to get that accreditation approval for your academic program. It’s a manifesto for every employee to embrace and enact in whatever they do at your university. 

So, the next step is to transform your strategy from an intellectual exercise to an executable plan. It’s just a matter of shifting your approach and using the right tools. 

And once you make that shift, you’ll be able to create  an organized and aligned approach  to make your strategic goals happen.

Do that and get your plan to everyone, and your competition will be choking in your dust.

Are you ready to create your plan and start executing it? Turn your strategic plan into a competitive advantage with our 100% free, battle-tested strategic plan template , built for teams in higher education. 

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Is Your Strategic Plan a List of Ideas or a True Change Engine?

Throughout any given year, I often meet with cabinets, presidents, and boards who are in the process of building/renewing their strategic plans. Strategic plans can be a fantastic way to create and propagate vision and—more importantly—progress toward needed changes at an institution. That being said, these initiatives often fall far short of being the catalyst of transformation at institutions and rather serve as a comprehensive list of ideas with little means of prioritization and filtering. Let’s discuss ways to shift this mentality and create a stronger pathway for plans to transform.

Find the real focus of your strategic plan

The power of a strategic plan is to create a focused vision for change (emphasis on focused ). One problem most presidents and planning committees face is that ideas largely tie to institutional missions and values. While these are extremely important ideals, missions and values tend to be extremely broad and therefore extremely poor filters to decide which plan initiatives to pursue—and perhaps more importantly, which ones not to pursue. 

One way that Carnegie gets through this conundrum is by using a different type of metric for filtering: institutional personality . The personality and culture of an institution is much more specific than its mission and values. This enables a committee to wrestle with the ideas that will enhance or confirm culture. As a successful university president once said to me, forming a strategic plan is like creating a 27-lane highway. Personality helps me figure out which cars to put in which lanes.

Avoid planning fatigue

A second problem facing many presidents is the fatigue that the planning process takes on the campus and the appetite for continuation. Most plans are huge consensus-driven projects with dozens to hundreds of campus constituents weighing in to the project. Consensus is a critical component of any shared governance culture, but using it in strategic planning is often misguided. 

The reality of most plans is that 10%–20% of the people involved create 80%–90% of the ideas that make it in the plan. As a result, consensus is wasted when it could be harnessed to enhance the understanding of culture, personality, or, even better, involvement in plan implementation. Considering the moment to call for consensus is very important to ongoing plan success and fatigue reduction on campus.

Maintain your momentum

A third and more problematic issue facing strategic plans is the fact that they often fail to produce momentum after competition. A plan will have a great website and fanfare only to fail to produce results in the outer years. 

One way we recommend harnessing your plan is through continuous planning processes (sometimes called “Evergreen”). In this philosophy, planning is never really complete and always in a state of implementation, evaluation, and renewal. Universities implementing such a model often republish their plans for the subsequent three-, four-, or five-year period annually and seek board adoption of the revision as well. 

As a result, institutions following this method often see much more focus and progress on critical initiatives, an increase in implementation activity, and the potential for a rise in institutional transformation. 

Whether your strategic plan is on its next iteration or you’re just initiating the first of many versions to come, it’s important to reflect on the way to filter ideas, the timing and use of consensus, and the process for plan renewal in order to realize the desired transformation at your institution.

Happy planning. 

If you are considering a strategic planning project and want to learn more about how institutional personality can help you create a plan that inspires authentic change, contact us to set up time to talk. 

Scott Ochander is a Partner and Chief Client Solutions Officer at Carnegie. As a former Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing, Scott is regarded as an expert in reputation and enrollment strategy in higher education. He pioneered a consensus-building reputation and change management research model in higher education that has empowered campus communities and enabled enrollment growth and reputation transformation. Scott has worked extensively in marketing and enrollment strategy, completing hundreds of strategy development projects across higher education at some of the largest and most influential institutions in the nation.

Follow and engage with Scott on Twitter and Linkedin , where he shares content and opinions on enrollment strategy, marketing, brand management, change management, and organizational operations.

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Free Ebook: 4 Essential Steps to Create Actionable Strategic Plans in Higher Education

Are you trying to find common ground with your university’s stakeholders during your strategic planning process? Or perhaps you aren’t sure how to focus your strategic planning priorities to realize your vision? Start to overcome consensus culture, build trust and credibility, and deliver an actionable strategic plan by downloading our ebook.  

In this free resource, we share how to approach higher ed strategic planning thoughtfully, strategically, and empathetically – you’ll learn how to:

• Facilitate a collaborative and open process from design to implementation
• Bring diverse stakeholders together to align on common goals
• Create a plan that balances energy and resources, drives organizational progress, and generates results
• Measure progress over time, knowing when it’s time to review, adjust, or update your strategic plan

Drive your university forward while making your people feel heard and understood.

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Templates and Resources

In developing and refining their strategic plans, units may find it helpful to use the templates created by the Office of Academic Affairs. While it is not required that units use these templates, close adherence to the templates allows for easier navigation as readers move between plans. All plans should at a minimum include the elements provided within the templates.

Resources for Background and Context

University System of Ohio Campus Maps

An interactive map of Ohio’s 14 public universities, 24 regional campuses, and 23 community colleges as well as profiles of those institutions

College, Campus and Support Unit Strategic Plans

A list of links to the strategic plan of each of Ohio State’s 15 colleges and the regional campuses

Office of Institutional Research and Planning

Empowers the Ohio State community to use data and analytics to make evidence-informed decisions that shape the university's future and become a national model for creating data-supported decision cultures.

The Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge

Positions Ohio State to expand curiosity-driven research and creative expression, further develop our research community, including promoting students, faculty and staff to be leaders both today and in the future, and grow the innovation ecosystem to address societal challenges and improve communities locally and globally.

Strategic Management Enrollment

Driven by a commitment to ensuring equitable opportunities for all students, regardless of their background or circumstances, Strategic Enrollment Management strives to remove barriers to access and create a welcoming and supportive environment where every student can thrive academically, socially and personally.

Innovative Approaches/Resources for Strategic Planning

The following resources may assist units in a more creative and innovative approach to strategic planning:

Key Contacts For Strategic Plan Content

Teaching and learning.

Curriculum and Programs

Randy Smith, Vice Provost for Academic Programs; responsible for curriculum development and review and student learning outcomes; convenes the college curricular associate deans (APAC)

Norman Jones, Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Education; oversees undergraduate academic issues, including co-curricular programs and ROTC

Mary Stromberger, Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate School; responsible for graduate programs and curriculum and the graduate student experience

Online Learning

Jason Lemon, Vice Provost and Dean for Online Learning; provides oversight and strategic leadership for the growth and expansion of Ohio State’s online learning programs.

Diversity Enhancement

Wendy Smooth, Senior Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence; responsible for Ohio State's diversity profile and its enhancement

Enrollment Planning

James Orr, Vice Provost for Strategic Enrollment Management; oversees enrollment issues university wide

International Engagement

Kaya Şahin, Vice Provost for Global Strategies and International Affairs; an international issues resource for the entire university.

Student Experience

Melissa Shivers, Senior Vice President for Student Life; responsible for the Ohio State student experience

Faculty Experience, Research, and International Engagement

Faculty Development

Patrick Louchouarn, Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Eminence; responsible for fostering a creative, contemporary, and quality faculty experience

Helen Malone, Vice Provost for Academic Policy and Faculty Resources; responsible for faculty affairs, including promotion and tenure, reviews, awards programs

Research and Innovation

Peter Mohler, Executive Vice President for Research, Innovation and Knowledges and Vice President for Research; leads the strategy and efforts to grow Ohio State’s research and creative expression enterprise; oversees research operations, sponsored programs and research compliance while providing strategic direction and oversight for large-scale, interdisciplinary research centers and institutes

Outreach and Engagement

University Outreach and Engagement

Ryan Schmiesing, Senior Vice Provost for External Engagement; leads Ohio State’s external engagement strategy that connects the university’s expertise, scholarship and service to local, statewide, national and international communities; provides leadership of regional campus strategy and operation in partnership with campus deans and directors

Kaya Şahin, Vice Provost for Global Strategies and International Affairs; an international issues resource for the entire university

Regional Campus Engagement

Ryan Schmiesing, Senior Vice Provost for External Engagement; provides leadership of regional campus strategy and operation in partnership with campus deans and directors

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A Practical Guide to Strategic Planning in Higher Education

Look inside. A Practical Guide to Strategic Planning in Higher Education is a resource for anyone engaged in college or university strategic planning; it is also an excellent primer for planning committees. Using clear definitions, practical tips, and examples drawn from actual situations, this short book acts as a manual for both experienced planners and those who are new to the process. This second edition also contains new strategies for using an institution’s strategic plan during times of institutional upheaval, and additional techniques for jump-starting various parts of the planning process.

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Strategic Planning in Higher Education

• Reference work entry
• First Online: 01 January 2020
• pp 2587–2592
• Cite this reference work entry

• Tatiana Fumasoli 3  

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Strategic planning is a formal and rational process through which universities (re-)define their mission (what and for whom they stand for), elaborate their vision (what ambitions they have) and their values (how they operate), define roles and allocate resources, design implementation, and indicate how achievements will be assessed, as well as mechanisms for adaptation. Strategic planning relates to a specific period of time.

Relevance of Strategic Planning

The policy reforms in higher education have started to consider universities as organizational actors. This means primarily that universities have been restructured in order to act autonomously and define their own objectives. This development can be explained from different perspectives. Since Coase’s work on firms (Coase 1937 ), economists have taken into consideration hierarchies (i.e., organizations) as efficient alternatives to pure market forces (supply and demand) tackling transaction costs. According to sociological...

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Fumasoli, T. (2020). Strategic Planning in Higher Education. In: Teixeira, P.N., Shin, J.C. (eds) The International Encyclopedia of Higher Education Systems and Institutions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8905-9_530

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University Strategic Plan

Academic master plan, read the booklet.

Academic Master Plan for Colorado State University 2023-2027: Overview & First-Year Implementation

Accessible PDF

Acknowledgment from the Provost

Dear Ram Community,

From its inception to its implementation, the goal of the Academic Master Plan process was to engage faculty, staff, students, and administrators across CSU to help chart a path forward for our academic enterprise as a land-grant university.

Former Provost Mary Pedersen identified the need to develop an Academic Master Plan to best position our institution for continued success as higher education faces new challenges in an everchanging world. She launched this initiative in Fall 2021 and led its critical planning phases.

Dr. Linda Dalton, a national expert in leading universities through strategic and academic planning processes, and former Professor Dr. Linda Nagel guided us through the challenges of peering into a crystal ball and answering the question, “How do we prepare students for success in a rapidly changing workforce?”

The Advisory Committee and the Planning and Implementation Teams were at the heart of our achievements in the 18-month-long planning process. They were dedicated and driven by a belief in the importance of this work. We had extraordinary participation by campus stakeholders who care deeply about our students and the future of higher education. Their passion and ideas are at the core of this plan.

Thank you for your contributions that culminated in the Academic Master Plan for Colorado State University 2023-2027.

With gratitude,

Janice Nerger, Ph.D. Interim Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs (July 2021 – December 2023)

About the Academic Master Plan:

Achieving strategic academic innovation.

The Academic Master Plan (AMP) focuses on identifying and articulating the distinctive knowledge and skills that Colorado State University students will need in the future and on projecting areas of academic growth for our programs, research, and engagement activities over the next five to 10 years. It is a roadmap for the future of our academic enterprise inspired by the brilliance of our faculty, staff, students, and alumni and deeply rooted in our Principles of Community.

Through the AMP Advisory Committee, Planning, and Implementation Teams and broad engagement with representatives from colleges, departments, centers and institutes, we have been working since Summer 2021 to identify campus-wide themes and strategies for Colorado State University’s academic innovation. This includes assessing how the results of research, engagement, and scholarship can prepare students for impactful careers across all disciplines, helping to solve society’s greatest challenges and advancing the well-being of the human community.

The AMP establishes a set of five aspirations and identifies a set of actions to realize those aspirations. The collaborative process included departmental and cross-college dialogue, campus fora, and Academic Master Plan Advisory Committee deliberations. The five AMP aspirations are:

Elevate Our Mission

Foster interdisciplinarity & collaboration, enhance applied learning, cultivate diversity & inclusion, advance academic themes, amp current work.

Interim Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs Janice Nerger and the AMP Implementation Team are preparing to begin implementation of the first-year priorities in Spring 2023. The Provost will issue a formal call for nominations in early spring for faculty, staff members, and students to serve on implementation teams.

Fall 2022 – Rolling out the AMP Framework

The Provost presented a draft overview of the AMP framework to more than 130 CSU leaders at the President’s Fall Forum on September 14, 2022. A four-page summary of the report was shared: AMP Draft Plan Overview – September 2022

The AMP Support Groups

Over the course of academic master planning, a lead Planning Team was established to work with an Advisory Committee that included broad representation from across the entire University. These groups met regularly during the 2021-2022 academic year to guide the AMP process. In Fall 2022 the Planning Team was replaced with an Implementation Team, which continued to work with members of the Advisory Committee and the Academic Deans to finalize the framework and identify first-year priorities.

Phase Four: Implementation - Beginning 2023

Implementation of first-year priorities will begin in Spring 2023. More information to come.

Phase One: Input - Fall 2021

• AMP Advisory Committee and Planning Team were convened.
• AMP Advisory Committee (comprised of academic leaders, faculty, administrators, students, and a Fort Collins community representative) worked with the AMP Planning Team to oversee the planning process.
• Provost’s Fall Forum in October focused on the AMP.
• Two community open fora were held in October.
• Provost presented updates to the Faculty Council.
• Extensive input was solicited from CSU Academic Departments, Programs, Centers, and Institutes (accomplished using a template to assemble each unit’s contributions regarding how they are affected by national and global trends and their aspirations for the future).
• Feedback was assessed in consultation with Deans.

Phase Two: Analysis - Spring 2022

Phase Two of the AMP focused on demographic trends and opportunities for education, research, creative artistry, and community engagement at a forum on February 11, 2022. More details are available in the AMP Phase Two Report under “Resources, Templates & Planning Documents.”

• A special AMP retreat was held in February with academic leadership.
• AMP Planning Team began drafting initial plan framework in consultation with Advisory Committee.
• More than 100 actions were suggested by the CSU community and academic leadership beginning in Phase II and carrying into Phase III during the Fall Leadership Forum (September), open fora, planning meetings, and via the AMP website.

Phase Three: Building the Framework - Summer & Fall 2022

• AMP framework was assessed in consultation with Deans.
• Provost presented updates to Faculty Council.
• Two community open fora were held in May.
• AMP Advisory Committee and Planning Team consolidated recommended actions from 100+ to 40.
• Planning Team worked with Deans at July AMP retreat to further consolidate to 18 actions.
• AMP Implementation Team was established.
• Implementation Team, with the Provost and Deans, identified six actions to target for first-year implementation.
• Provost Janice Nerger presented an AMP update at the Fall Leadership Forum in September 2022.
• AMP Implementation Team conducted a breakout session to introduce university leaders to first-year priorities at the Fall Leadership Forum.

Resources, Templates & Planning Documents

• AMP Phase Two Report
• AMP Phase One Report on Academic Direction with Executive Summary
• Appendix A – AMP Phase One Report – Phase One Template
• Spring Fora Slide Presentation – April 19-20, 2022
• Forum Slide Presentation – February 11, 2022
• Phase Two Briefing on Demographics
• Program Demographics for AMP (Spreadsheet for Forum Participants)

Phase One: Input

• AMP Phase One Report on Academic Direction
• Fora Slide Presentation – October 14 & 26, 2021
• Provost’s Fall Forum Slide Presentation
• Academic Direction Template for Planning
• Academic Direction – Preparation for Fall Forum
• Academic Direction Template – Example 

Recommended reading

• Accenture (2021). Serving all students: A survey of US learner mindsets from age 16 to 65+. Accenture Research Report, October.
• Harvey, BC (2021), ‘Teetering on the Demographic Cliff: Prepare Now for the Challenging Times Ahead.’ Society for College and University Planning or SCUP.org. 
• Moldoveanu, M (2020), ‘A Post-COVID Higher Ed: Which Programs Will Thrive, Which Won’t and Why.’   Harvard University Perspectives.
• Heick, T (2021), ’14 Examples of Innovation in Higher Education.’   TeachThought.com.
• Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities, Building a Future Workforce for All Learners: How Public and Land-grant Universities and Urban Serving Universities Drive Innovative Solutions

About Academic Master Planning

• Society for College and University Planning or SCUP.org, “What is academic planning?”
• Society for College and University Planning or SCUP.org, Robert Brodnick and Donald Norris (2016), “Integrated Planning as an Institutional Manifestation,”  Republished from 44:2, Planning for Higher Education Journal.

Data Resources

• CSU Student Learning Outcome Statements: https://www.ir.colostate.edu/data-reports/assessment-of-student-learning/learning-statements/ ; CSU has clearly stated general education, disciplinary specific and co-curricular student learning outcomes (SLOs) that support one or more of our  Institutional Learning Objectives (ILOs). Learning outcomes are reviewed regularly to ensure they are clearly stated and appropriate.
• Document with various links for:  Mining Information about your CSU Program, Colorado demographics/workforce, national high school and other data .

Societal Trends

• Winston, AS (2019), ‘ The World in 2030: Nine Megatrends to Watch,’  MIT Sloan Review .
• Wagner, CG (2011), ’70 Jobs for 2030: Emerging Careers and How to Create Them. ‘ World Future Society .
• Brown, R (2021), ‘ Top 10 Jobs of the Future – For 2030 and Beyond. ‘ World Economic Forum .

Future of Higher Education

• Laitinen, A (2012), ‘ Cracking the Credit Hour ‘ (moving from seat time to learning; thinking differently about awarding credits for learning). New America Foundation and Education Sector .
• Levine, A & Van Pelt, S (2021), ‘ 5 Ways Higher Ed Will Be Upended: Colleges will lose power, prices will go down, and credentials will multiply – among other jarring shifts. ‘ The Chronicle of Higher Education .
• The Post-Pandemic College and the Future of the Academic Enterprise, Teaching and Learning … Business Models, community Colleges ; 2020, 60-page brief,  The Chronicle of Higher Education (report for purchase).
• The Right Mix of Academic Programs: Making decisions to add, cut, grow, or shrink departments and degrees ; 2019, 36-page brief, The Chronicle of Higher Education (report for purchase).
• The Future of Teaching: How the classroom is being transformed ; 2021, 62-page brief,  The Chronicle of Higher Education  (report for purchas

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Strategic Planning

3 exceptional examples of strategic planning in higher education.

By Mary King

25 october 2023.

• 1 Strategic Plan Example 1: Data-Driven Strategy for Equity with Green River College, WA
• 2 Strategic Plan Example 2: Strategic Innovations in Accessibility with Gallaudet University, DC
• 3 Strategic Plan Example 3: Best Practices Measuring Performance with NEOMED University, OH
• 4 Get the Guide↓

The landscape of higher education is one of rapid change and innovation. Institutions are constantly challenged to adapt and plan strategically to ensure that they stay relevant, on-mission, and competitive. While current and prospective students are critical stakeholders for higher-education institutions, there is also a board of governors, a complex internal employee system of both educators and administrators, and the broader local community. All of these entities interact and form an ecosystem of needs, hopes, ambitions, and goals: balancing so many differing entities and groups (sometimes with competing interests) is where strategic planning in higher education comes in.

An educational institution’s strategic plan plays a pivotal role in guiding positive, sustainable, inclusive, and student-focused growth. From embracing strategic planning software for education and nuanced data to support ground-up change, to improving overall accessibility and work opportunities, let’s explore three examples of strategic planning in higher education that have set benchmarks and best practices for other higher education institutions—whether they are universities or colleges—to follow.

Strategic Plan Example 1: Data-Driven Strategy for Equity with Green River College, WA

In the spring of 2020, Green River College initiated an Equity-Centered Strategic Visioning and Planning process . The primary objective was to create a comprehensive equity-centered strategic plan that would serve as a guiding light for the college’s future endeavors. This plan aimed to articulate a vision, mission, and core values that would shape the college’s path, emphasizing the importance of building a more equitable community. To ensure the inclusivity of all stakeholders invested in the college’s success, a meticulous 10-month community engagement process was conducted. They collected data as part of an Environmental Scan initiative, which offered a thorough overview of both external and internal trends, and provided valuable insights, suggestions, and points of interest from both Green River College and community stakeholders. All of this input played a crucial role in shaping the college’s Equity-Centered Strategic Plan .

The resulting strategic plan stands as a blueprint guiding the entire college forward over the next five years. It delineates clear goals for this period, shows areas for improvement, and details the ways the strategic plan can remain agile and evolve in tandem with the college’s growth and aspirations.

The six strategic pillars of focus (and their success metrics) are:

1. Success for All Students: Green River College has specific KPIs and deadlines to measure the progress made towards this strategic pillar. By 2026, Green River College will have established an extensive student onboarding procedure, ensuring that all students develop educational, financial, and career transition plans within their first two quarters of enrollment. Green River also aims to diminish or eradicate opportunity gaps in students’ retention, progression, and completion by 2026. Finally, they’re aiming to raise the student completion rate from 38% to 43% in that same time period.

2. Excellence in Teaching and Learning: By 2026, every faculty and staff member will have undergone training in anti-racist, equity-focused, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion principles. The objective is to reduce or eradicate instructional opportunity gaps associated with race, gender, economic status, and other demographic factors.

3. Responsive Educational Programs and Support Services: There is a targeted goal to increase the percentage of students who experience a “sense of belonging” at Green River by five percentage points annually. The college is measuring this through student surveys, to help them determine whether or not this objective is being met.

4. Integrated and Effective Organizational Structure, Systems, and Processes: By 2026, Green River College is aiming to have established an equity-focused approach for employee recruitment, hiring, and onboarding. They’re also working towards implementing a comprehensive organizational framework, which employs equity-centered principles in shared governance, planning, resource allocation, assessment, and policy development. Included under this strategic pillar is also an effort to increase the representation of faculty and staff of color, aiming to match or surpass the levels in neighboring colleges by 2026.

5. Accessible and Responsive Facilities and Technology​​: One of the success metrics for this pillar is the goal that by 2026, they will have implemented a Facilities Master Plan and a Technology Plan designed to promote accessibility and equity-centered teaching and learning.

6. Impactful Community Connections : By 2026, Green River will be the foremost institution of higher education in the region; one of the ways they are doing this is by building strategic community connections. They are making inroads with the local food bank, strengthening connections with veteran services, visiting and volunteering at local high schools (in fact, all educational institutions—from K-12), establishing artist and speaker series’, and uplifting partnerships with the City of Kent, and South King County, Washington.

Strategic Plan Example 2: Strategic Innovations in Accessibility with Gallaudet University, DC

Located in Washington, D.C., Gallaudet is the world’s only university that specifically caters to Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, Deaf-Disabled, and Deaf Blind people, of all backgrounds and identities.

Gallaudet’s strategic plan spans an impressive 10 year vision that will situate them as a “beacon” for the community’s values and vision for their student community. This vision will offer improved opportunities for work, career advancement, and an accessible student experience that affirms the value of their diverse student body. In their “Gallaudet Promise,” they aim to uplift the “lives and experiences of all Deaf people of different intersectional identities, wherever they are.”

The “Gallaudet Promise” is the university’s strategic focus built around five action areas:

• 1. Transformational Accelerators
• 2. Anti-Racism
• 3. Bilingual Mission
• 4. Academic Reimagining
• 5. Creativity Way, Including the Memorial Project

Watch an explanation of Gallaudet’s new Envisio-powered public dashboard in ASL! Click “CC” on the video player for closed captioning.

Gallaudet’s strategic plan has made a particular effort to embrace innovation as a tool across all of their pillars. This makes sense: accessibility and innovation go hand in hand. Assistive technology, as well as improved online access and tools, are a component of the first action item, but relates to the other areas as well.

In general, when it comes to higher education strategy and accessibility, higher education institutions are a great place to implement changes around accessibility. They are (typically) moving to be more welcoming to assistive technology, and may even be involved in the development of innovative approaches to education, accessibility justice, and the role technology can play. All students with all sorts of access needs attend universities or colleges—ensuring accessibility to higher education is critical for those with disabilities to be prepared for the workforce and (ideally) achieve a better degree of upward economic mobility and access.

A strategic plan in higher education related to accessibility should include a comprehensive needs assessment. It should also work carefully to ensure a budget that allocates adequate resources to the students, while providing training and raising awareness among faculty and staff, ensuring physical and digital accessibility, offering tailored academic support services, collaborating with disability support organizations, and implementing a feedback mechanism, so they can evaluate and improve their services on an on-going basis.

Gallaudet University is working on all of these areas. They are measuring progress by establishing new customer service operating models, establishing an online platform to disseminate research, lectures, films, and other content produced by The Center for Black Deaf Studies , and restructuring entire sections of the university learning management systems that are able to accommodate a truly bilingual (ASL and English) experience, to better create opportunities for their students and help other sign language economies grow.

Strategic Plan Example 3: Best Practices Measuring Performance with NEOMED University, OH

Best practices for strategic planning in higher education include getting very clear on what objectives are being measured, and why. Understanding the definition of success and identifying priority areas for action are crucial. Without a clear understanding of the problems to be addressed, it’s challenging to initiate a strategic action plan in higher education. As we see across the public sector, higher education strategic objectives can often involve a mix of the more abstract, impact-oriented metrics (measuring a “sense of belonging”), and tangible, output-focused goals (“Increase number of mobile clinics in low-income areas by 15%”). As a best practice, it’s good to be granular and specific about what kind of performance measurement program you’re using, sharing how success is measured, and making sure your goals are all SMART : S pecific, M easurable, A chievable, R elevant, and T ime-Bound.

At Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) in Portage County, Ohio, they do exactly that!

At NEOMED, success is measured across six pillars through forty-two strategic initiatives. Their strategic plan emphasizes promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion among students, staff, and employees. Given NEOMED’s role as a leading medical research institution training future medical professionals, these values are also very practical metrics. For instance, the university tracks performance measures such as gender demographics and specific actions aimed at reducing disability stigma as outlined in their Strategic Plan: Creating Transformational Leaders Dashboard. Whether it’s a broad, impact-focused goal like fostering a more inclusive environment or a specific, output-oriented objective like establishing a low-cost tutoring center in the library, a well-structured strategic plan provides the necessary steps to initiate and maintain progress toward these goals.

For instance, we can see with regards to their financial aid banner optimization, they are measuring the performance of this project against data regarding financial aid and tuition. Financial aid is a pressing matter for NEOMED–they want to ensure people from diverse backgrounds, including economically disadvantaged backgrounds, are able to attend medical school. They want to become experts in financial aid content, utilizing their expertise to educate NEOMED faculty, staff, and students about the available student aid policies and possible funding opportunities. Tracking data over time—such as seeing how many scholarships have been awarded over time—demonstrates how often these resources are being used, and can indicate how accessible they are.

It’s important for higher education institutions to strategize effectively to maintain their relevance and competitiveness. Embracing progressive, innovative processes and being meticulous with data is a great way to lay down a strategic plan that also balances the complex network of relationships of internal educators, students, administrators, and the wider communities served. A higher education institution’s strategic plan plays a pivotal role in the growth of the institution and the wellbeing of students! We love to see these strategic plans that embrace data to drive equity, make changes around accessibility, and push for better, more meaningful performance measures.

“All of the metrics related to our strategic plan live in Envisio, and we have assigned the ownership and agency of those data points to certain people. It’s helped us develop a common lexicon, and it is the tool in which we demonstrate our progress. Oftentimes, the focus of it is really to celebrate all of the people who contribute to our strategic plan. All of those contributors, the 90 plus folks that are in Envisio, deserve to be recognized and congratulated and to see the impact of the work that they’re doing. It’s important to show the collective impact on driving the mission forward.” — Lacey Madison, VP Strategy and Transformation, NEOMED.

Get the Guide↓

So you’ve got your plan, but how can you go from strategy to operationalization? What about aligning your budget with your strategy? Our free, comprehensive guide From Strategy to Action: A Guide to Operational Planning for Local Governments & Public Sector Organizations , contains insights gathered from the experiences of over 150 public sector organizations, including higher education institutions.

Download now for practical guidance on operational planning now!

Mary King is a professional writer and researcher based in Toronto. She comes to Envisio with a Masters Degree, where she researched the relationship between the disappearance of urban public spaces, and high level decision-making processes in local governments. For nearly a decade, Mary has worked as a community organizer, promoter, and supportive researcher in a variety of nonprofits and think-tanks, and her favorite area of focus was in connecting local artists with marginalized youth. Since 2017, her writings and research on policy, local governance, and its relationship to public art and public space has been presented at conferences internationally. She has also served as both a conference chair and lead facilitator on professional and academic conferences across Canada on how to better bridge academic research with local change-agents, policy makers, artists, and community members. Envisio’s mission of excellence and trust in the public sector maps onto Mary's interest in local government and community mobilization. She loves working at Envisio because she cares about having well organized, strategic, and transparent public organizations and local governments. Mary is also a creative writer and musician and has been supported in her practice by the Canada Council for the Arts. Her stories can be found in literary journals across Canada.

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Below are s trategic   pla n s of UNC’s peer institutions. The list includes peers that UNC identified in 2011 for Colorado Department of Higher Education performance reporting and enrollment   plan ning, as well as those identified in 2006 by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS). An asterisk indicates an institution is in both peer groups.   

• Ball State University*  Destination 2040: Our Flight Path    
• Bowling Green State University*   Focus on the Future  
• Illinois State University   Educate • Connect • Elevate  
• Indiana University of Pennsylvania*   IUP   Strategic   Pla n   2015-2020  
• Louisiana Tech University   Five Year   Strategic   Pla n  
• Miami University   Strategic   Pla n   for Miami’s Future  
• Middle Tennessee State University   2015-2025 MTSU   Strategic   Pla n  
• Northern Arizona University   2018-2025   Strategic   Pla n   One NAU. Side by Side.  
• South Dakota State University   Imagine 2023: Aspire. Discover. Achieve.  
• State University of New York at Binghamton   Road Map to Premier  
• University of Louisiana Lafayette   Strategic   Pla n   2015-2020  
• University of North Carolina Greensboro*   Giant Steps  
• University of North Texas   University of North Texas   Strategic   Pla n   2012-2019  

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Free MS Word Strategic Planning Templates

By Courtney Patterson | May 11, 2024

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Below is a collection of the best strategic planning templates in Microsoft Word to help you create a comprehensive roadmap for future growth and success.

Included in this article, you'll find: 

• A one-page business strategy template
• A Microsoft Word IT Strategic Plan Template
• A 5-year strategic business plan template
• A nonprofit strategic plan template
• A list of related strategic planning templates

Microsoft Word Basic Strategic Plan Template

Download the Sample Basic Strategic Plan Template for Microsoft Word   Download the Blank Basic Strategic Plan Template for Microsoft Word  

When to Use This Template : Use this template with or without sample data when you are starting your business and need to outline a clear direction and foundational strategies. This tool is crucial for transitioning from an informal approach to a more structured strategic planning process. 

Notable Template Features : This basic strategic plan template simplifies the planning process with a clear, easy-to-follow structure that covers essential strategic elements. It includes sections for mission and vision statements, a SWOT analysis, goals, and action plans, making it accessible for first-time strategists.

Check out these  free strategic planning templates that offer robust resources, including ready-to-use frameworks and expert advice, so you can meticulously craft and execute your strategic vision.

Microsoft Word One-Page Business Strategic Plan Template

Download Sample One-Page Business Strategic Plan Template for Microsoft Word Download Blank One-Page Business Strategic Plan Template for Microsoft Word

When to Use This Template : Consider this template when you’re on a deadline and need a swift, comprehensive snapshot of your strategy. Available with or without sample data, the template is ideal for pre-meeting preparations, allowing you to quickly and thoroughly review your strategic position.

Notable Template Features : This one-page business strategic plan template boils down intricate strategies to a single, accessible page. Featuring streamlined sections for goals, actions, and metrics, it delivers a clear and concise strategic outline that's easy to share and discuss. Download the sample version for a pre-filled template, or try the blank version to fill in the sections with your own data.

Check out this  strategic planning guide , complete with free templates that offer you all the tools and insights you need to expertly develop and implement your strategic plans.

Microsoft Word IT Strategic Plan Template

Download Microsoft Word IT Strategic Plan Template Download Sample IT Strategic Plan Template  

When to Use This Template : Dive into this template when your IT department is gearing up for a major overhaul or aligning with new business strategies. Available with or without example text, the template is a must-have for plotting out the technological roadmap that supports your organization's long-term vision.

Notable Template Features : This IT strategic plan template features IT-specific sections, such as technology assessments and future roadmaps, making it a powerhouse for managing and planning IT investments. The template includes detailed prompts, so you can thoroughly address and align each aspect of your IT strategy, from cybersecurity to cloud computing, with overarching business objectives.

Explore this  article on crafting strategic plans . It offers a treasure trove of free templates to guide your team through the strategic planning process, ensuring a seamless and effective strategy formulation.

Microsoft Word Advanced Strategic Planning Template

Download the Sample Advanced Strategic Planning Template for Microsoft Word Download the Blank Advanced Strategic Planning Template for Microsoft Word

When to Use This Template : Turn to this dynamic template with or without sample data when you’re ready to plan an all-inclusive strategy. Perfect for times of significant growth or change, it's especially useful for teams looking to blend comprehensive market insights with long-term planning.

Notable Template Features : This advanced strategic planning template is designed to guide you through every facet of strategic development, from SWOT analysis to detailed financial planning. Offering structured sections for an all-encompassing view of your business landscape, it ensures that you have a robust foundation for decision-making and future growth. Download the sample version for a pre-filled template, or try the blank version to fill in your own data.

Dive into this comprehensive  guide on strategic planning model templates to access a diverse array of free resources and streamline the path to your strategic goals.

Microsoft Word One-Year Strategic Business Plan Template

Download Sample One-Year Strategic Business Plan Template for Microsoft Word Download Blank One-Year Strategic Business Plan Template for Microsoft Word

When to Use This Template : Use this one-year template with or without sample data to reach your key goals within the next year. It's a must for companies looking to translate annual objectives into clear, actionable steps.

Notable Template Features : This one-year strategic business plan template is designed with simplicity in mind, featuring sections that help break down goals into achievable actions and timelines. The template’s streamlined approach ensures that you can focus on what matters most, making it easier to track progress and adjust strategies as needed.

Microsoft Word 5-Year Strategic Business Plan Template

Download the Sample 5-Year Strategic Business Plan Template for Microsoft Word Download the Blank 5-Year Strategic Business Plan Template for Microsoft Word

When to Use This Template : Use this template to lay the strategic groundwork for the medium-term achievements your organization aims to reach in the next five years. Available with or without sample text, it's perfect for transitioning from startup to established entity, allowing you to focus on expansion and scalability.

Notable Template Features : This 5-year strategic business plan template empowers you to set ambitious yet attainable goals and create strategies for market expansion. It also includes tools for financial forecasting and resource allocation, making it easier to manage growth and measure success over a longer period.

Microsoft Word Long-Term Strategic Business Plan Template

Download the Long-Term Strategic Business Plan Template for Microsoft Word

When to Use This Template : Use this template when you’re aiming for a plan of 10 years or longer and envisioning your business's journey toward long-term innovation and industry leadership.

Notable Template Features : Featuring a decade-spanning outlook, this long-term strategic plan template empowers you to set visionary goals and detailed strategies for sustainable growth and innovation. It’s designed to help you align your long-range plans with actionable steps, ensuring every department is moving toward a common, ambitious future.

Microsoft Word University Strategic Plan Outline Template

Download Sample University Strategic Plan Outline Template for Microsoft Word Download Blank University Strategic Plan Outline Template for Microsoft Word

When to Use This Template : This template helps university leaders chart a future course that enriches academic excellence and campus life. Use it during periods of strategic reflection or in advance of accreditation reviews to ensure all goals align with the institution's mission and vision.

Notable Template Features : Tailored to the academic sector, this strategic plan outline includes sections for setting educational priorities, creating a strategy for program development, and planning campus enhancements. Available with or without example text, it facilitates a comprehensive approach to institutional growth, encouraging stakeholder engagement and long-term planning for academic and infrastructural improvements.

Microsoft Word Marketing Strategic Planning Template

Download the Sample Marketing Strategic Planning Template for Microsoft Word Download the Blank Marketing Strategic Planning Template for Microsoft Word

When to Use This Template : Turn to this template when you're preparing to put a new product on the market or revamping your brand's presence. It's ideal for synchronizing your marketing initiatives with your overarching business goals.

Notable Template Features : This template with or without sample data stands out with its clear sections for defining marketing objectives, pinpointing your audience, and crafting detailed campaign strategies. It supports marketers by laying out a comprehensive plan that not only attracts but also retains customers, ensuring all marketing activities are in lockstep with the business's vision and objectives. Try the pre-filled template to see sample text, or use the blank template to fill in your own data.

Microsoft Word Nonprofit Strategic Plan Template

Download the Nonprofit Strategic Plan Template for Microsoft Word

When to Use This Template : Reach for this template when your nonprofit is gearing up for a period of strategic renewal or aiming to better align its efforts with its core mission. Helping you clearly articulate your organization's direction and impact, this tool is crucial for running annual planning sessions or preparing funding and grant applications.

Notable Template Features : This template is designed specifically for nonprofit organizations, featuring sections dedicated to mission statement clarification, stakeholder engagement strategies, and impact assessment methods. It offers a comprehensive framework for nonprofits to navigate the complexities of sustainability and mission-driven planning, ensuring every activity contributes to long-term success.

Related Strategic Planning Templates

Discover this list of free templates that perfectly complement your strategic planning needs. From business model canvases to detailed market analyses and customer journeys, these tools ensure a solid value proposition and guide your business toward success.

Free Microsoft Word Action Plan Templates

Check out these  free Microsoft Word action plan templates for tools to streamline your project planning, enhance your task management, and achieve your goals more efficiently.

Free Gap Analysis Templates

Explore this  collection of free gap analysis templates to help you identify the discrepancies between your business's current state and its desired future state, offering a clear pathway for strategic improvement and goal achievement.

Free Scenario Analysis Templates

Use these  free scenario analysis templates to get frameworks that prepare you for various future possibilities, enabling strategic decision-making and risk management.

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