Taking Charge of Change through Strategic Planning in Academic Departments: The Case Study of a Biology Department

This paper examines the use of strategic planning by the biology department of William Paterson College in New Jersey to chart a future mission and role for the department in the university and the community at large. After reviewing the literature on strategic planning in an academic setting, it describes the evolution of the biology department over the last 30 years from that of a department focused on the training of elementary and secondary teachers to one that places greater emphasis on graduate education and research. The paper outlines two faculty retreats conducted by the department and the college planning council to address: (1) the future needs of the discipline; (2) the needs of region relative to career opportunities and demographics; (3) competition and cooperation in the region; (4) institutional strengths and weaknesses; and (5) departmental strengths and weaknesses. Faculty evaluations of the first retreat led to significant improvements in the way the second retreat was conducted. Overall, the retreats helped to focus the resources of the department in the achievement of agreed-upon goals. An appendix contains documentation of the department retreats, including retreat sign-up sheets, schedules, minutes, and evaluations. (MDM)