THE PROGRESSION

SOU’s 2017-2018 strategic planning process advanced in stages, beginning in winter of 2017. University President Linda Schott announced the timeline and steps, adding that while she was open to a wide range of outcomes, she would insist on three operating principles for the process: it must be collaborative, iterative, and transparent. She asked the University Planning Board members and several selected others to become the newly-constituted Strategic Planning Committee (SPC). The committee went to work, and soon initiated a variety of campus meetings, exercises, and feedback-gathering processes to anchor the plan.

Two additional and critical processes launched that quarter: formation of seven Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and clarification of SOU’s values. In January, the President invited interested staff and faculty, including all the members of the Strategic Planning Committee, to participate in one of the PLCs. Numbering between seven and ten members, each PLC conducted research on one of seven key challenges facing higher education: how humans best learn, who are the learners of the future, how do our learners arrive, how to prepare learners for jobs that don’t yet exist, technology in higher education, what are the best learning spaces, and economic trends in higher education. The groups’ findings and each group member’s name are posted under the “Research” portion of the strategic planning website. Their discoveries informed the entire strategic planning process.

The second foundational endeavor conducted that quarter was the explication of SOU’s values. Meetings and values clarification exercises were conducted with faculty, staff, students, alumni, the Faculty Senate, the SOU Foundation, and the Board of Trustees. In an iterative process, these groups prioritized what they held as SOU’s current and hoped-for future values, prior to passing the lists on to the SPC for further examination and prioritization. The next iteration went to the SOU Cabinet and considered again by the SPC until the final list of values was resolved. (See “The SOU Plan” portion of this website.)

The spring quarter was an intense and focused time for planners. The campus and invited community members came together for an “Expo,” during which the PLC findings were presented and then considered in roundtable discussions. (See the “Research” section of this website.) Later in the spring, a similar set of groups and iterations used in the values clarification process were deployed to conduct a “SWOT,” in which the university’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats were assessed. Feedback from SOU’s surrounding community was sought. The information generated in the SWOT provided foundational material for the SPC and Cabinet to begin constructing a new vision and mission for the university. A progress report and request for feedback went to the Board of Trustees.

Over the summer and into the fall – once again in an iterative process – the university leadership, the SPC, and various subcommittees began to “finalize” a new vision and mission. Drafts were presented to the entire university and community for yet additional feedback. All the responses were considered, selected adjustments were made, and with the values, vision, and mission serving as bedrock, planners next turned their attention to developing key strategic directions and goals that would complete the strategic plan. After over 20 iterations – during which the SPC, Cabinet, and President passed drafts back and forth – the current form was agreed to. President Schott presented it to the Board of Trustees and it was unanimously approved. The strategic directions and goals can also be viewed on “The SOU Plan.”

In the winter of 2018, the SPC began prioritizing the goals-by urgency and impact – that would be addressed first. In addition, working with the leadership team, the SPC began to identify objectives that would enable the achievement of those goals. The final strategic plan will include all the strategic directions and corresponding prioritized goals; the objectives under each of those goals; as well as the mission, vision, and values. Watch this website for further additions.