Timeline

The planning process is split into three phases:

Organization, Research, and Community Voice: Strategic Priorities
Writing the Strategic Compass
Implementing the Strategic Compass

For detailed information about what each phase entails, see below.

PHASE 1: Organization, Research and Community Voice: Strategic Priorities

July 2023 - January 2024

July 2023

Strategic Planning Steering Committee (SPSC) formed per the Handbook
Scope and approach to strategic planning was formed. The strategic plan was named “The Strategic Compass”

August 2023

Initial work plan and timeline was formed, subject to revision as needed. September 2023
Stakeholder Synthesis Teams (SST) were created.
Teams were trained on the strategic planning process.
Website was established. Web-based survey form created and opened so our stakeholders could record insights into CNU’s external opportunities and threats and internal strengths and weaknesses, along with other insights.
Stakeholder Synthesis Teams began work on the External Scan.
The External Scan is a research process that gathers data throughout the landscape of higher education and engages the external stakeholder groups. This step seeks to understand and prioritize external challenges and identify key success factors through research and feedback solicited from external stakeholders.

October 2023 External Scan continued

Insights were solicited from the university community and stakeholders, and research continued.
Strategic Compass Town Hall sessions were held.
SSTs concluded External Scan with reports submitted to the Strategic Planning Steering Committee. November 2023
The Steering Committee reviewed the External Scan and finalized findings, assumptions.
Stakeholder Synthesis Teams received insights and engaged the campus community with the Internal Scan and the identification of Critical Issues and Priorities.
The Internal Scan gathered data, engaged with campus community stakeholder groups to assess what the University does well and what it can do better. This step sought to identify critical issues, priorities and opportunities through insights solicited from the university community and stakeholders.
SSTs concluded Internal Scan with reports submitted to the SPSC. December 2023
SPSC reviewed Internal Scan reports and finalized findings and assumptions and began review of critical issues and priorities.
SPSC met to work on Critical Issues to define Strategic Priorities.

PHASE 2: Writing the Strategic Compass

January 2024 - November 2024

The Steering Committee met on 19 January to draft the Strategic Priorities.
Final Strategic Priorities were communicated to the Board of Visitors and to our campus community in March 2024.
The Compass Steering Committee formed teams, one for each strategic priority to guide the work on building-out the goals and objectives for that priority.
Draft goals were created under each strategic priority and a specific committee or group was formed for each draft goal to refine it and develop its subordinate objectives (or milestones). Approximately 100 faculty, students, alumni, and staff members worked on these goal groups from late spring to the beginning of fall semester.
This goal group approach ensured that the process included many members of our community who contributed their best thinking on how to address each strategic priority, in particular refining the goal statements and defining the objectives.
In late September and early October 2024, the DRAFT goals and objectives will be presented by the priority teams in four information sessions to the campus community, one session for each strategic priority. The intent is to bring our campus community up to speed on the work done by the 100 faculty, students, alumni, and staff from late spring to late August.
In October 2024, these priority teams will make recommendations to the Compass Steering Committee who will pull all of this together into a recommended draft Strategic Compass.
The Board of Visitors will conduct an initial review of the draft Strategic Compass in early November 2024 and offer their insights.
In late November 2024, the Steering Committee will finalize its recommended Compass for presentation to President Kelly.

PHASE 3: Implementing the Strategic Compass

February - July 2025

In February 2025, President Kelly will present the formal Strategic Compass to the Board of Visitors. Then, the final Strategic Compass will be communicated to our campus community and beyond via our website, emails, hard copy documents, one or more town halls, and other means.
The goals and objectives will be assigned to the appropriate staff and faculty to develop and recommend implementation plans (tactics/strategies), along with fiscal impact projections, to President Kelly and cabinet members (as appropriate) in order to fulfill and execute the Compass that was developed with our campus community.
Decisions will be made on what tactics/strategies will be funded and to what extent, and where offsetting spending reductions are to be made. Absent some unexpected and significant infusion of revenues, increased spending for strategic initiatives are likely to require spending reductions in other areas. The budget must balance.
Budget planning to fund major strategic initiatives beginning July 2025.
Ongoing review of progress, course adjustments as needed and results communicated regularly.
Outcomes and impacts report developed and published.