APPENDIX A: DESCRIPTION OF AGENCY'S PLANNING PROCESS


 
 
Strategic Plan
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The basic framework for strategic planning at the University was established in 1997 as Compact 2000 (now referred to as the Compact Process), a process that involves preparation of important planning data and benchmarking for each college and school.  This information and the annual and long-range goals of the colleges and schools are reviewed by the provost and the president, after which the provost and each dean enter into planning agreements referred to as compacts.  Appropriate reporting and feedback on the compacts are provided throughout the year.  Currently, the process is being extended to nonacademic units to enhance strategic planning in those areas.

Planning input is also provided by the Faculty Council, the Deans’ Council, and executive officers.  Individual college/school strategic plans are also reviewed to discern links to the University’s overall plan.

A number of campus programs and initiatives that inform the University’s planning process are detailed in Section IX, University Self-Evaluation and Opportunities for Self-Improvement.  Some of these are the Performance-Based Instructional System, the Course Instructor Survey, Interactive Degree Audit, Retention Assessment, the Compensation Initiative, the Core Committees for Minorities and Women, and the Recruitment and Diversity Initiative.

Several years ago the University partnered with Ford Motor Company in a strategic planning exercise.  One highly effective outcome of the partnership with Ford is the RAPID (Rapid Actions for Process Improvement Development) process, which is used to assist campus-wide work groups in examining processes and identifying ideas for improvement.   To date, twenty-seven RAPID process improvement projects involving more than 400 members of the University community have been conducted.  Examples include Managing Intellectual Property Rights; Streamlining the Process for Renovating Faculty Laboratories; and Communicating and Coordinating Student Options for Desired Courses in the Departments of Journalism and Radio, Television, and Film.  There are currently 8 certified RAPID facilitators on campus, three of whom are also certified to train facilitators, and six who are in the process of becoming certified.

Coordination of the Strategic Plan at the University is the responsibility of Patricia C. Ohlendorf, J.D., Vice President for Institutional Relations and Legal Affairs.

Updated June 1, 2000.

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