Advancing Higher Education
Aligning athletics with university-wide strategy
SECTOR
Higher education
SERVICE
Strategic Planning, Team, Meeting, and Retreat Facilitation, Employee and Stakeholder Engagement
FORMAT
In person
The situation
As the University of Northern Colorado undertook a university-wide strategic planning process, it recognized that Athletics needed its own strategic action plan, one that aligned with the University's broader priorities and fiscal sustainability efforts.
Developing that plan required perspectives from beyond the Athletics Department. UNC brought together a diverse group of stakeholders from across the University to consider the future of Athletics and how it could be better integrated into the institution's long-term direction.
The challenge was to create an environment where different perspectives could be heard, difficult questions could be addressed, and the group could move toward a shared direction.
What we did
Springboard facilitated a series of strategic conversations involving stakeholders from across the University.
Rather than simply developing a plan for Athletics, the process created an opportunity for people with different roles and perspectives to better understand the department, its relationship to the broader institution, and the decisions necessary for its future.
Springboard structured and facilitated the conversations so participants could engage in substantive discussion, work through differing points of view, and make progress on important strategic questions. The resulting action plan connected Athletics with UNC's broader fiscal sustainability plan and long-term institutional objectives.
The process also gave participants an approach they could use beyond the engagement when facing other complex conversations and decisions.
What changed
UNC developed an Athletics Action Plan that connected the department's future with the University's broader strategic direction and fiscal priorities.
The process also created value beyond the plan itself. Stakeholders across campus developed a better understanding of Athletics and how it could be more effectively integrated into the institution. Within Athletics, stakeholders strengthened their ability to understand different perspectives and work together on important decisions.
By getting the right people into the conversation and providing a process that allowed them to work effectively together, Springboard helped UNC connect department-level planning with institution-wide strategy while building greater understanding across the University.
When it's done by extremely skilled facilitators, which has been my experience with Springboard, it's really impressive what you can get done.
President, University of Northern Colorado
THE SERVICE BEHIND THIS WORK
Strategic Planning
Part of Building Sustainable Organizations.
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