Processes (P)

8P1 Identifying the Planning Process

Western plans continuously, moving from strategic planning to implementation, implementation reports throughout the year, annual progress reports, and review of the Strategic Plan and creation of new action items.

Western shaped the vision, mission, and values that guide all planning at Western through a series of open forums attended by representatives from the community, campus, and Board of Governors. The Strategic Planning Steering Committee, a group of more than 35 representatives from across the campus, guides overall institutional planning (Figure 8.2). Committees are made up of students, faculty, staff, administrators, the Board of Governors, and regional stakeholders. The Steering Committee meets regularly and oversees implementation of goals, objectives, and action items. Implementation teams for each of the seven planning areas update action items and report at each Steering Committee meeting. The Steering Committee reports annually its progress in implementing the Strategic Plan. The institution distributes the Annual Progress Report across the campus, community, region, and state.

Preliminary steps to annual implementation include the following:

• April 1- Co-chairs of area planning teams build implementation teams and provide a list of members.
• April 15- Implementation teams identify individuals or sub-groups responsible for implementation of goals and objectives in areas and establish timeline.
• April 30- The Steering Committee reviews representation, responsibility, and timeline for each area.
• July 1- Implementation teams provide detailed area plans to the Steering Committee, identifying the goals and objectives to be accomplished in the current year.
• October 1- Institutional units write unit plans incorporating strategic planning goals and objectives.

The following indicates the annual report timeline for strategic plan progress reports.

• October 1- Unit plans incorporate strategic planning goals and objectives.
• July 1- Individual units deliver unit reports to deans/supervisors.
• July 30 - Deans/supervisors distribute annual area reports to the appropriate vice president.
• August 15- Vice presidents distribute area reports to the steering committee for feedback.
• August 26- Vice presidents present annual division reports to the Steering Committee.
• August 29- The Steering Committee presents institutional report to the President’s Cabinet.
• September 1 - The Writing Committee prepares annual institutional report to go to the Board of Governors and for public distribution.

Western has seven strategic planning implementation teams, each consisting of an average of 15 or more interdepartmental representatives. These teams report on progress in the action items at seven times during the year.

The Accreditation team, a group of 15 individuals, oversees the writing of Western’s Systems Portfolio and keeps it updated. Functioning under the direction of this team are an additional nine teams who gather necessary data and information and contribute to writing the Category sections of the Systems Portfolio. These teams report to the strategic planning Steering Committee.

Western’s AQIP Action Projects focus on Building Graduate Programs, Enhancing Academic Quality through Critical Thinking, and Using Measurement and Assessment (Category One and Category Two, and Category Seven). Western joined the Academic Quality Improvement Program of the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association in June 2003 and attended its first Strategy Forum in November 2003. It submitted its first Systems Portfolio in 2006, received its first Appraisal in 2007, and attended a second Strategy Forum in October 2007.

Figure 8.3 Institutional Planning Organization

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