The Planning Process at Angelo State University
According to Rowley, Lujan, and Dolence (1997), the critical purpose of strategic planning in higher education is “to respond in a forward-thinking, proactive manner to shape the internal effects of external forces on the institution” (p. 53). To this end, the model for strategic planning at Angelo State University builds on the premise that effective planning incorporates two different but complementary formats: strategic planning and organizational planning.
Strategic planning—often supplanted in current literature by the phrase “strategic thinking”—is a “disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an organization is, what it does, and why it does it” (Norris and Poulton, 2008, p. 18). While strategic planning operates at the macro level, organizational planning, on the other hand, “is internally focused, emphasizes ‘how’ to do the ‘what’ stipulated by strategic planning . . . [and] . . .is also tied to organizational units and the budget and resource allocation process” (Norris and Poulton, 2008, p. 19). The intersection of these two types of planning, as illustrated in the diagram below, creates the framework for a proactive decision-making process at ASU that considers strategy, resources, and operational issues. This process, approved by President Rallo (as of January 2009), will guide our planning efforts.
Academic Planning
The heart of ASU's strategic plan is the academic plan, which is integral to multiple components of overall strategic planning.
Strategic Planning
At Angelo State University, the overall strategic planning process (illustrated by the vertical blue rectangle in the diagram above) has two primary components:
- Environmental Scanning Committee. This group of faculty and staff will be charged with continually monitoring the environment and developing regular reports for use by the Strategic Planning Council in its deliberations. One of its duties will be the publishing of a “futures” newsletter, compiling news and updates about developments relevant to ASU.
- The Strategic Planning Council. The primary responsibilities of this representative body of faculty and staff are to constantly evaluate the university's internal and external environment and to recommend a slate of strategic priorities to serve as a foundation for budgeting and resource allocation.
Organizational Planning
Organizational planning—represented by the horizontal yellow rectangle—denotes the various plans that individual units create in support of the University’s overarching goals, as enunciated through the Strategic Plan. Note that the budget and resource allocation process is a component of organizational planning, as illustrated by the sequence of red arrows.
Effective Resource Distribution and Budget Allocation
As represented by the green rectangle at the intersection of the aforementioned two rectangles, the complementary nature of both planning formats bears fruit when the President and Vice Presidents
- Review the recommendations of the Strategic Planning Council,
- Announce the priorities for the coming budget cycle, and
- Ultimately evaluate all budget proposals (after thorough review beforehand by deans and other mid-level supervisors) in light of established institutional priorities.
Chronological Summary
A general chronology of the planning process provides an overview of the intersection between planning, budgeting and accountability.
- Administrative units create or modify organizational plans in support of the Strategic Plan.
- The Strategic Planning Council makes recommendations for strategic priorities for future budget cycles, based on its review of environmental scanning reports, progress on key performance indicators, mandates from external entities, and the work of ad hoc committees.
- Individual units develop funding requests, using the guidelines of the PBA (Planning, Budget, and Assessment) Model introduced in the fall of 2008, to submit budgets.
- Budgets are reviewed by subsequent supervisors in light of established strategic priorities. The campus is kept apprised of budget decisions made at each level.
- Budget recommendations are reviewed by the President and Vice Presidents within the context of identified strategic priorities and available funding. The campus is notified of final decisions (with implementation pending confirmation of the University’s budget for the coming fiscal year).
- The Strategic Planning Council continues its work (as outlined in #3, this section, above) throughout the year.
- In April of each year, a Planning Forum is held to provide an update on progress made during the past year toward achievement of strategic goals and to answer questions about goals for ensuing years.
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Norris, D., and Poulton, N. (2008). A guide to planning for change. Ann Arbor, MI: Society for College and University Planning.
Rowley, D., Lujan, H., and Dolence, M. (1997). Strategic change in college and universities: Planning to survive and prosper. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Diagram adapted from Norris & Poulton (2008), A guide to planning for change, p.30.
