Institutional Planning: Prescription vs. Practice. ASHE Annual Meeting Paper

The 3-year study examined the broad array of practices colleges and universities employ to define their character and determine future courses of action. Administrators at 256 institutions were surveyed regarding planning orientations and perspectives. Additionally, site visits were made to 16 campuses, where about 15 individuals were interviewed (e.g. trustee, chief executive officer, administrator, and selected deans, department chairs, and faculty). A few of the preliminary findings included: current interest in planning has led nearly all of the campuses to attempt formal planning processes over the past 15 years; and during the past 10 to 15 years, 15 of the 16 institutions conducted or initiated at least one formal activity designed to clarify mission and goals and/or develop a clearer vision of their future. Some preliminary speculations regarding the reasons planning did not appear as successful as anticipated include: unrealistic expectations about planning benefits; inaccurate assumptions about revealing priorities and problems; and unrealistic reliance on predictions. (SM)