A campus of The California State University
Office of the Academic Senate • One Washington Square • San Jose, California 95192-0024 •408-924-2440 Fax: 408-924-2451
F04-3
At its meeting of December 6, 2004, the Academic Senate passed the following Policy Recommendation presented by Senator Donoho for the Executive Committee.
POLICY RECOMMENDATION
THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS AT SJSU
WHEREAS, For the past year, the need for better planning, coordination of initiatives and activities, and identification and funding of priorities has been noted during the WASC review, Senate meetings, and elsewhere on campus; and
WHEREAS, In February 2004, the Resource Planning Board was created as a starting point to creating a process where resources could be allocated to identified initiatives and priorities that were aligned with the campus mission and goals; and
WHEREAS, The Senate has strived to learn about strategic planning processes through discussion with experts, studying approaches of comparable universities, and the fall 2004 Senate retreat where we learned from planners at CSULB and Cal Poly about their strategic planning processes; and
WHEREAS, The President created a new position - Assistant to the President for Institutional Planning, to facilitate strategic planning while working with the President’s Council and Senate Chair and Vice Chair in establishing a structure for strategic planning to bring to the full Senate for discussion and approval; and
WHEREAS, UP S04-11 provides that the Resource Planning Board (RPB) continue operation until either the creation of a new budget policy or until May 31, 2005, whichever comes first, so that desired changes based on experience from a year of operation could be incorporated into a permanent policy that would also be coordinated with the rest of the strategic planning structure and enable the RPB to make budget allocation recommendations guided by long- and mid-range goals; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the attached new strategic planning process policy be recommended as university policy; and
RESOLVED, That the councils, Planning Advisory Panels, and boards referred to in the policy be considered “special agencies” as defined by Academic Senate by-laws.
RESOLVED, That the Executive Committee of the Senate continue to review the operation of the processes provided in this policy and bring a policy to the Senate before the end of the spring 2005 semester that consolidates into a single policy, structures for the strategic planning, resource allocation and assessment processes.
Vote: 13-0-0
Present: Lessow-Hurley, Phillips, Lee, Thames, Greathouse, Maldonado-Colon, Nellen, Donoho, Veregge, Kassing, Heisch, Van Selst, Ashton
Absent: Bros, Sigler
Financial Impact: Unknown
THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS AT SJSU
1.0 Overview to Strategic Planning
1.1 Strategic Planning, as used in this policy refers to an organized effort whereby an organization develops or utilizes an existing mission (describes why the organization exists, what it does), core values (what the institution believes in), vision (what it desires to become), strategy or goals (what it strives to do to reach its vision and meet its mission within its stated core values), implementation plan (action items), and performance measures (how the institution will assess and improve).
1.1.1 Strategic planning helps all members of the organization to be able to make decisions that will help the organization achieve its mission and reach its vision and guides resource allocation.
1.1.1.1A strategic plan should be functional so that long-term, mid-term and short-term resource allocation decisions can be made to help the university achieve its mission and reach its vision.
1.1.2 The strategic plan should be a living document and process that incorporates principles of continuous improvement and assessment.
1.1.2.1The planning and budget process should foster year-to-year stability, which allows for long-range planning, and also provide sufficient flexibility to allow for changing needs and conditions.
1.1.3 Strategic planning must help the campus to understand its goals and priorities in broad and interrelated areas, such as those identified in UP S04-11 (The Planning & Budget Process at SJSU): academic planning, enrollment management, student services and institutional resource needs. The strategic planning process must also be guided by system-wide mandates, recommendations and goals that affect these areas.
1.1.4 The planning process should take into consideration information identified through assessment (including WASC, HERI and SNAPS) and campus and system-generated data that illustrate trends and needs.
1.1.5 Strategic planning must be informed and continually guided by a set of performance measures to enable the university to measure progress to attaining the goals and to identify areas where additional resources or work is needed.
1.1.6 Strategic planning must involve communication to, from and among campus constituencies so that the process is broadly informed by and broadly known to the entire SJSU community.
1.1.6.1The planning process should be fair and open to all members of the university community through the broad dissemination of information via the web, printed form and campus forums.
2.0 Framework of SJSU’s Strategic Planning Process
2.1 Overview: Given the goals of strategic planning, a process is needed to ensure that a mission and vision are known so that goals and strategies for obtaining the mission and vision can be developed. While the process should be broadly informed, a structure is needed where suggestions can be developed, critiqued and decisions reached in a time efficient manner. The process provided in this policy is one that can be broadly informed, yet can reach appropriate recommendations to make to the President.
2.2 Roles and Responsibilities: The role and responsibilities of the key individuals and groups involved in strategic planning are summarized below with further details in the next section.
2.2.1 The President, as chief operational officer of the university, answering to the Chancellor and Board of Trustees, is responsible for using recommendations of the planning groups to formulate, articulate and promote a strategic plan for SJSU.
2.2.2 The Office of Planning is responsible for supporting the work of the Goals Advisory Council, University Planning Council and University Planning Council (UPC) Planning Advisory Panels, and conducting research, analysis and reporting as necessary for strategic planning activities. The Office of Planning will also prepare and maintain a schedule to ensure that strategic planning and resource allocation occurs within the proper budget cycles. At fall 2004, this office consists only of an Assistant to the President for Institutional Planning. The President will determine future plans and funding for this office using input from the planning committees and Resource Planning Board, and in consultation with the Senate Executive Committee.
2.2.3 The Goals Advisory Council is responsible for setting priorities and future direction for the campus for the next 5 to 7 years. The Council is also responsible for setting timelines for attaining the priorities.
2.2.4 The University Planning Council is responsible for developing strategies and plans and for reviewing performance towards attaining the stated goals of the recommended strategies.
2.2.5 UPC Planning Advisory Panels are responsible for identifying needs and ideas within key planning areas identified by the University Planning Council, including, but not limited to those identified in UP S04-11 (Section 1.3.1). These Planning Advisory Panels will both inform the UPC and answer questions and requests for information from the UPC. The purpose of having the Planning Advisory Panels inform the UPC is to best ensure that broad and informed suggestions and explanation of campus needs are communicated to the UPC.
2.2.6 The Resource Planning Board uses the recommendations of the Goals Advisory Council and University Planning Council to make recommendations to the President on the allocation of university resources.
3.0 Goals Advisory Council (GAC)
3.1 Charge:
The GAC is responsible for setting long range priorities and future direction for SJSU. The GAC is to identify university-wide goals over a 5 to 7 year range, draft the SJSU vision statement and explore whether modifications are needed to our existing mission statement. The work of the GAC will be used by the University Planning Council to identify the strategic plan for the short term and to identify or review recommended strategies based on the goals established by the GAC.
3.2 Membership:
1. Provost (chair)
2. Vice President for Student Affairs
3. Vice President for Administration & Finance
4. Vice President for Advancement
5. A dean selected annually by the deans
6. Academic Senate Chair
7. Academic Senate Vice Chair
8. A faculty-at-large member
9. The Assistant to the President for Institutional Planning (non-voting)
3.3 Role of the Academic Senate in Approving and Promoting the GAC Goals
3.3.1 The GAC shall prepare a report annually updating the long range goals and priorities as necessary and summarizing its recommendations and their rationale. This goals report shall be presented to the Executive Committee for review, discussion and preparation of a resolution to come before the Academic Senate. If there are areas where the President and a majority of other Executive Committee members disagree, such areas should be identified and explained in the resolution. The Executive Committee resolution shall next go to the Senate for debate and vote.
3.3.2 The goals identified in the resolution passed by the Senate shall help to guide the work of the Senate and its committees and in their work with the University Planning Council and UPC Planning Advisory Panels.
4.0 University Planning Council (UPC)
4.1 Charge:
The UPC will use the recommendations of the GAC to develop strategies for achieving the goals, as well as developing action plans and performance indicators. The UPC will create an annual action plan within key areas, such as: academic planning and academic excellence, enrollment management, student services and institutional resource needs. The UPC will rely on the Planning Advisory Panels created by it, in consultation with the Senate Executive Committee, which address key areas of university activities.
4.2 Membership:
1. Provost (chair)
2. Vice President for Student Affairs
3. Vice President for Administration & Finance
4. Vice President for Advancement
5. Academic Senate Chair
6. Academic Senate Vice Chair
7. Associated Students President
8. Two academic deans selected annually by the academic deans (deans and AVPs)
9. One Department Chair selected annually by the University Council of Chairs & Directors
10. Two faculty-at-large members.
11. The Assistant to the President for Institutional Planning (non-voting)
4.3 The UPC shall issue a report annually listing the goals and describing the action plan, as well as the progress made on performance measures related to the stated goals.
5.0 UPC Planning Advisory Panels
5.1 Planning Advisory Panels will exist in areas identified by the UPC.
5.1.1 Membership: Each panel will likely consist of 6 – 14 people from across divisions and consist of faculty, staff, administrators and students, as appropriate. Members should be selected based on knowledge, representational role, and ability to make the appropriate time commitment.
5.1.2 Selection: The UPC will work with the Senate Executive Committee to identify the membership and chair of each panel it needs.
5.1.3 Each Planning Advisory Panel must have a liaison from the UPC.
6.0 Resource Planning Board
6.1 The function and membership of the Resource Planning Board is provided in UP S04-11.
7.0 The faculty-at-large members shall be chosen by the elected members of the Executive Committee after solicitation of applications from faculty. Their term shall be two years.
ACTION BY UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT: Approved by Interim President Don Kassing on December 9, 2004