Advancing Higher Education
Building strategy through university-wide engagement and alignment
SECTOR
Higher education
SERVICE
Strategic Planning, Employee and Stakeholder Engagement
FORMAT
In person
The situation
Strategic planning in higher education requires more than bringing a small group of leaders together to determine institutional priorities. Universities are complex communities with many constituencies, perspectives, and organizational units that need to see themselves in the institution's direction.
At Montana State University, Springboard supported the development of a university-wide strategic plan designed to reflect perspectives from across the institution and surrounding community. The process also supported the University's accreditation requirements by demonstrating an ongoing and inclusive approach to planning.
At Northern Arizona University, the need centered on engaging the university community in strategic planning and creating meaningful opportunities for stakeholders to help inform the institution's future direction. The work also extended into individual areas of the university, creating an opportunity to connect unit-level planning with broader institutional direction.
What we did
At Montana State, Springboard engaged more than 150 stakeholders across 12 groups, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, community members, and governance representatives. We synthesized what we heard and facilitated six planning committee sessions over eight months, along with town halls that brought the emerging strategy back to the university community.
At Northern Arizona, Springboard facilitated an initial round of engagement involving 19 stakeholder cohorts and then conducted a second round to continue the conversation as the University's strategy developed.
Our work at NAU also extended beyond the institution-wide process. Springboard supported strategic planning for individual areas, including Athletics and a university research institute, helping those groups consider their own direction within the context of the broader institution.
Across both universities, Springboard served as an independent facilitator and thought partner, creating structured opportunities for people to participate, helping leaders make sense of diverse perspectives, and connecting engagement to the strategic planning process.
What changed
At Montana State, broad participation helped inform the University's strategic direction while supporting its accreditation process. The engagement gave university and community stakeholders meaningful opportunities to contribute to the institution's future.
At Northern Arizona, multiple rounds of engagement allowed strategic planning to become an ongoing conversation with the university community. The additional work with individual areas demonstrated how strategic planning can extend beyond the institution-wide level and help connect organizational units with broader university priorities.
Together, the two engagements demonstrate Springboard's ability to help higher education institutions listen broadly, establish strategic direction, and create stronger alignment across a complex university community.
People participated that otherwise would not have been able to if it had been done internally… Using an outside, neutral party provided legitimacy. The two words that come to mind are ‘facilitation expert.’
Vice President of Finance, Institutional Planning, and Analysis, Northern Arizona University
THE SERVICE BEHIND THIS WORK
Strategic Planning
Part of Building Sustainable Organizations.
A RELATED STORY