Outline and Process
The College of Business Five-Year Strategic Plan is designed to be an accountability-driven document that will determine the future direction of the College of Business at Illinois State University. It is designed to be transparent, annually reviewed and broadly available.
The Plan itself is not new; with a few changes, the broad outlines of the Plan (Goals and Critical Success Factors) have been in place for a number of years. What is new is the level of detail, the five-year timetable, and the specific accountability factors. That level of detail, the specifics of the time table and the accountability factors are designed to be reconsidered every year to account for changes in the external and internal environments.
The broad outlines of the plan should be more enduring and subject to more intense debate and discussion before formal changes are made. The “FIVE YEAR GOAL” section is annually renewable, but substantial faculty discussion should also occur before major changes in that section (beyond minor annual updates) are undertaken.
- While not part of the plan itself, the following annual schedule is suggested as a convenient process for annual review, accountability and transparent change: The Plan should be the subject of a late spring College meeting, at which the faculty and staff will have the opportunity to discuss the successes and failures of the Plan during the preceding year and at which faculty and staff may make suggestions for changes. Suggestions may be made at any other time as well, by communicating directly with the Dean or the Coordinating Team.
- By May 15 of each academic year, each of the College of Business Teams shall provide a report to the Coordinating Team of its activities with special reference to issues from the Strategic Plan that fall within the Team’s area of responsibility.
- The Plan should be reviewed annually at the College of Business Summer Retreat involving the Leadership Team and the Coordinating Team. Team reports and suggestions from the spring College meeting should be considered at that time., The following process should be used in updating the Plan:
- the “Current Status” should be updated to reflect changes from the preceding year,
- the success or failure of the previous year’s goals (and reasons) should be discussed,
- necessary changes in the goals for the current and future years should be made, and
- a new “fourth year out” goal should be added.
The Leadership Team and the Coordinating Team should consider together any proposed changes in the Goals, Critical Success Factors, and Five Year Goals.
- The Dean should provide an annual report and update at the Fall Faculty Conference, providing perspective on the successes and failures in the last year, proposed changes in the plan for the next year, and highlights of proposed changes in Goals, Critical Success Factors, and Five-Year Goals. The faculty should be given the opportunity to ask questions and to discuss the Plan at that Conference.
- Any substantial changes in Goals, Critical Success Factors, or Five-Year Goals should be discussed by the teams and departments during the fall semester. Substantial opportunity should be given for discussion of changes by all College of Business constituents, including faculty, staff, students, alumni and advisory boards. Changes in Goals or Critical Success Factors should be subject to College Coordinating Team approval prior to the end of the fall semester.
- The Plan should be posted on the College website to assure transparency.
Adopted by the COB Coordinating Team, December 12, 2008, effective immediately.
