Living the Plan: Strategic Planning Aligned with Practice and Assessment

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide leaders of continuing education enterprises with an integrated model for sustaining strategic planning initiatives. Global economic conditions, shifting competitive forces, continuing calls for accountability, and dramatic changes in institutional funding streams contribute to an environment characterized by both opportunity and challenges. These shifts in the landscape of American higher education increasingly elevate strategic planning efforts to high levels of importance, and continuing education leaders can benefit from planning models that integrate mission and vision-based initiatives with practice and continuous assessment. The authors provide a model designed to move beyond the traditional strategic planning processes by aligning strategic planning initiatives with continuing higher education practice, employee performance, and outcomes assessment. This proposed model will assist leaders engaged in strategic planning efforts in attaining identified goals and outcomes.