Goal 3: Institutional Sustainability and Resiliency
Keene State College will ensure that the College’s planning, operational, financial, and governance structures and processes are aligned with institutional strategy and values and that the College has the human, technological, financial, and physical resources to achieve its goals.
Objectives:
- 3.1. Develop strategic plans for all divisions and appropriate functional areas throughout the institution that are derived from and aligned with the College’s overall strategic plan.
- 3.2. Coordinate all campus planning efforts through implementation, monitoring, and updating of the strategic plan.
- 3.3. Review campus shared governance structures, policies, and practices to ensure that they support the goals of the strategic plan.
- 3.4 Diversify sources of revenue, including enhanced philanthropic support of endowment, capital projects, scholarships, and financial aid; increase external funding for research initiatives, including projects that support the teaching and scholarship of faculty and students.
- 3.5. Develop Keene State’s human, technological, and physical resources to support College priorities and goals; provide staff development opportunities that support the College’s priorities and advance the interests and career goals of members of the staff.
- 3.6. 3.6. Develop and implement a plan for coordinated risk management, to include systems, policies, and procedures for anticipating, recognizing, and responding to incidents, events, actions, and naturally occurring circumstances that could bring harm to the College or members of the campus community.
- 3.7. Improve the College’s organizational and operational effectiveness by addressing pressing administrative and communications challenges immediately and in parallel with implementation of the strategic plan.
3.1. Develop strategic plans for all divisions and appropriate functional areas throughout the institution that are derived from and aligned with the College’s overall strategic plan.
Actions recommended by the Implementation Planning Group:
3.1.1. Form the Strategic Planning Oversight Committee (SPOC) and charge it to: (1) oversee the process of developing divisional strategic plans that align with the College’s Strategic Plan; (2) review and approve these divisional plans; (3) develop procedures and processes for monitoring and updating progress on the Strategic Plan; (4) develop procedures and processes for coordinating all major campus planning efforts; and (5) establish due dates for the development and submission of divisional strategic plans.
Consideration: Develop an organization chart or other graphical depiction to clarify this process for all members of the campus community who are involved.
3.1.2. Establish criteria, guidelines, and templates for divisions to follow in developing their strategic plan, including (1) recommendations for using an inclusive and consultative process, and (2) a focus on College-wide perspectives and coordination with other units; distribute this information to vice presidents and the Chief Diversity Officer.
3.1.3. Divisions and representational divisional committees develop strategic plans for submission to SPOC for review and approval.
3.1.4. SPOC reviews all College plans and divisional strategic plans; provides feedback; and approves plans.
3.1.5. Divisions begin implementation of strategic plans and post plans on website.
3.1.6. Vice Presidents and Chief Diversity Officer: (1) designate functional units within their division that will be required to develop a strategic plan that aligns with the College’s Strategic Plan and their divisional strategic plan; and (2) form a divisional committee to oversee this work.
3.1.7. Divisional oversight committees provide SPOC criteria, guidelines, and template to functional units to follow in developing their strategic plan.
3.1.8. Functional units within each division develop strategic plans and submit to divisional oversight committees for review and approval. 3.1.9. Divisional oversight committees review unit plans, provide feedback, and approve plans.
3.1.10. Functional units begin implementation of strategic plans and post plans on website.
3.2. Coordinate all campus planning efforts through implementation, monitoring, and updating of the strategic plan.
Actions recommended by the Implementation Planning Group:
3.2.1. Develop procedures and processes, including a timeline, for reporting on the College’s Strategic Plan, divisional plans, and unit plans.
3.2.2. Monitor the College’s Strategic Plan annually, report on progress, identify successes and problem areas, highlight areas of crosscollaboration, recommend revisions to the President based on changes in resources or conditions internal or external to the College, and post revised plan on website.
3.2.3. Monitor divisional and unit plans annually, report on progress, identify successes and problem areas, recommend revisions to the appropriate divisional head based on changes in resources or conditions internal or external to the College, and post revised plans on website.
3.2.4. Develop criteria and processes for evaluating alignment between major campus planning efforts and the College’s Strategic Plan.
3.3. Review campus shared governance structures, policies, and practices to ensure that they support the goals of the strategic plan.
Actions recommended by the Implementation Planning Group:
3.3.1. Form, charge, and prepare a Shared Governance Task Force (SGTF) that includes representatives from any body or group that is recognized as involving shared governance in its policies and practices.
3.3. Review campus shared governance structures, policies, and practices to ensure that they support the goals of the strategic plan.
Actions recommended by the Implementation Planning Group:
3.3.1. Form, charge, and prepare a Shared Governance Task Force (SGTF)that includes representatives from any body or group that is recognized as involving shared governance in its policies andpractices.
3.3.2. Determine initial areas of weakness and strength and establish a timeline for the completion of the charge.
Consideration: Lack of specificity in the NEASC standard, which may thereforenot serve as a benchmark for best practices.
3.3.3. Develop criteria to be used in evaluating practices and policies of shared governance and their alignment with the Strategic Plan, inconsultation with shared governance bodies.
3.3.4. Evaluate shared governance structures, policies, and procedures using criteria developed in 3.3.3.
3.3.5. Assess all reports from governance bodies, focusing on individual and shared strengths and weaknesses, develop and prioritize recommendations for changes, and submit report to SPOC.
Consideration: Refer to NEASC self-study reports, standards, and recommendations; define standards based on compliance with NEASC review.
3.3.6. Review and revise report as appropriate, develop final recommendations, and submit to President, SGTF, and shared governance bodies.
3.3.7. Begin implementation of recommended changes and report on progress to the campus on a regular basis.
3.4 Diversify sources of revenue, including enhanced philanthropic support of endowment, capital projects, scholarships, and financial aid; increase external funding for research initiatives, including projects that support the teaching and scholarship of faculty and students.
Actions recommended by the Implementation Planning Group:
3.4.1. Re-establish Budget Advisory Committee (BAC), taking an all-funds approach to the college budget, and charge it to make recommendations to the President on revenue diversification strategies and to report regularly to the campus community on the college budget.
3.4.2. Conduct needs analysis and develop action plan for strategies that will increase external funding for research initiatives and that is aligned with strategic priorities and submit to BAC.
3.4.3. Solicit and provide incentives to faculty and staff to develop additional ideas to generate revenue that are innovative and distinct from traditional fundraising.
3.4.4. Develop a preliminary plan, including increasing staffing, for implementing the quiet phase of the capital campaign and submit it to the President for approval.
3.4.5. Review and evaluate all potential revenue sources and submit recommendations for diversifying revenue to the President’s Cabinet.
3.4.6. Conduct regular meetings on the status of the College’s budget for the campus community and post regular updates on the college website.
3.5. Develop Keene State’s human, technological, and physical resources to support College priorities and goals; provide staff development opportunities that support the College’s priorities and advance the interests and career goals of members of the staff.
Actions recommended by the Implementation Planning Group:
3.5.1. Review, evaluate, and revise as appropriate the College’s technology plan to ensure (1) alignment with the College’s strategic priorities, and (2) identification of opportunities for innovation.
3.5.2. Review, evaluate, and revise as appropriate the College’s master plan to ensure (1) alignment with the College’s strategic priorities, and (2) identification of opportunities for innovation.
3.5.3. Review, evaluate, and revise as appropriate the College’s residence life master plan to ensure (1) alignment with the College’s strategic priorities, and (2) identification of opportunities for innovation.
3.5.4. Develop a strategic plan, informed by the results of the Human Capital Inventory, that identifies and provides staff development opportunities aligned with strategic priorities and staff members’ interests and career goals, and submit to SPOC for review and approval.
3.6. 3.6. Develop and implement a plan for coordinated risk management, to include systems, policies, and procedures for anticipating, recognizing, and responding to incidents, events, actions, and naturally occurring circumstances that could bring harm to the College or members of the campus community.
Actions recommended by the Implementation Planning Group:
3.6.1. Form a task force consisting of individuals who represent the various areas of risk to the College and charge it to delineate and review all extant systems, policies, resources, and procedures for identifying and responding to risks to the campus community.
3.6.2. Conduct comprehensive review of risks to the College and evaluation of best practices for risk management in comparable institutions.
3.6.3. Produce a report to the campus community on overall findings, to include areas of strength and potential liability, professional development and training requirements, and recommendations for addressing problems.
3.6.4. Implement recommendations from report through assignment of recommended actions to appropriate administrator or campus committee, to include a timeline for completion and requirement that progress be reported to the campus community.
3.7. Improve the College’s organizational and operational effectiveness by addressing pressing administrative and communications challenges immediately and in parallel with implementation of the strategic plan.
Actions recommended by the Implementation Planning Group:
3.7.1. Provide to the President a list of issues and processes related to organizational and operational effectiveness, including the streamlining of planning processes and committee structures, that emerged during the strategic planning process and were identified as potential hazards to the effective implementation of the plan.
3.7.2. Assist the President, as requested, in reviewing items identified in 3.7.1, setting priorities among them, and working with members of the Cabinet to address the most important concerns.
3.7.3. From plans generated in 3.7.2, develop a report on issues and actions taken.
3.7.4. Report frequently and regularly to the campus community on issues that were raised and measures taken to resolve and their relation to and impact on the strategic plan.
3.7.5. Throughout the duration of the strategic plan, members of the Cabinet will report to the President on organizational and operational issues that have the potential to impact the continued implementation of the plan.
3.7.6. Identify strategies for building mutual trust and shared stewardship of resources, such as Mutual Gains or other similar trainings, and offer those experiences regularly to SPOC and other key leaders and committee members.
3.7.7. Develop a comprehensive human resources strategy, informed by the 2015 Human Capital Inventory, including a plan for timely on campus communication when new positions are created or considered for creation.