SUNY Sullivan Strategic Planning Process

• About

  This page will communicate SUNY Sullivan’s progress toward creating the 2021 Strategic Plan. It began in November 2020 and has an anticipated completion date of April 2021, followed by Board of Trustees approval in May 2021. Members of the Strategic Planning Team are here [this will then link to the bottom of the page].

  Progress Updates

  The following progress updates are intended to communicate the progress the Strategic Planning team are taking toward this effort. We believe our being transparent about the process will help all our SUNY Sullivan community and its many stakeholders remain informed. To this end, we are keeping a running summary of progress in our team meetings. 

  Committee Meeting Summary (2/19/2021, 11am – 1pm)

  Discussion:

  • Clarified naming convention of Committee members to show diversity of contributions
  • Review the scoping and Committee deliverables for the Strategic Plan (Executive summary, College description, Mission statement (revised), Vision statement (revised), Goals (revised), Core Values (revised), Institutional Learning Outcomes (revised), Competitive analysis, Alignment Statements (Marketing, Operations, Enrollment, Retention, Financial, Communications, Evaluation (Middle States)), Terminology (how we are defining the parts of this plan).
  • Reviewed the first iteration of a revised Mission and Vision, identified main ideas that should be included in them, and drafted another round of revised Mission and Vision statements based on a SWOT Analysis discussion.

  Action Items:

  • Complete SWOT Analysis Thematic Groupings
  • Group Key Strategic Questions
  • Draft new verions of the Mission, Vision, and Values based on Committee discussion
  • Review other college Mission, Vision, and Values based on gathered Strategic Plans from other institutions. 

  Committee Meeting Summary (2/5/2021, 11am – 1pm)

  Discussion:

  • Completed first round of full SWOT Analysis by brainstorming Opportunities and Threats
  • Reviewed first round of thematic groupings of Strengths and Weaknesses
  • Began discussing and brainstorming the current Mission Statement in relation to what arose through our SWOT Analysis

  Action Items:

  • Remainder of SWOT will be thematically grouped and similar items will be combined for finalization
  • SUNY Sullivan web page to publicly share our progress will include additional information about the diversity of the committee engaging in this process
  • Our Key Strategic Questions about SUNY Sullivan will be thematically grouped
  • Initial thoughts about our Mission Statement revision will be developed to prepare for committee feedback and focus

  Committee Meeting Summary (1/22/2021, 11am – 1pm)

  Discussion:

  • Key strategic questions activity: What are the key strategic questions facing SUNY Sullivan that we want to explore in this Strategic Planning process?
  • Finished brainstorming Strengths or Weaknesses
  • Began identifying Opportunities

  Action Items:

  • Finalize and make SUNY Sullivan web page to publicly share our progress available
  • Thematically group Strengths and Weakness
  • Discussion Opportunities with external stakeholders and add to anonymous whiteboard tool

  Committee Meeting Summary (1/8/2021, 11am – 1pm)

  Discussion:

  • Committee communication strategy
    • What should SUNY Sullivan look like in 2025?
  • What is the difference between operational planning and strategic plannin?
  • SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats). 
    • We did a first pass through SUNY Sullivan Strengths and Weaknesses  

  Action Items:

  • Create a SUNY Sullivan web page to publicly share our progress
  • Members of the Committee should discuss this effort and progress with all stakeholder groups we work with
  • Continue Adding Strengths and Weaknesses to the anonymous whiteboard tool
  • Discuss Strengths and Weakness with colleagues, friends, etc. and add to the 

  Committee Kick-Off Meeting (12/11/2020, 11am – 1pm) 

  Discussion:

  • Overview of the Strategic Planning Process 
  • Charging this Committee with Expectations (Jay & Keith)
  • Project Overview & Goals of the Strategic Plan (due end of April, 2021):
    • Executive summary
    • College description
    • Mission statement (revised)
    • Vision statement (revised)
    • Goals (revised)
    • Core Values (revised)
    • Institutional Learning Outcomes (revised)
    • Competitive analysis
    • Alignment Statements (Marketing, Operations, Enrollment, Retention, Financial, Communications, Evaluation (Middle States))
    • Terminology (how we are defining the parts of this plan)
  • Group Discussion:
    • What comes to mind when you think about SUNY Sullivan?
    • What do you want to come to mind when you think about SUNY Sullivan?
    • What should SUNY Sullivan look like in 2025?

  Assumptions:

  • This is a 5-year strategic plan
  • It is being developed within an aggressive 6-month time period
  • There are limited resources for external support
  • Approval of this plan will be by Jay Quaintance and the SUNY Sullivan Board of Trustees
  • The aphorism perfect is the enemy of the good will guide the Strategic Plan’s timely completion as required to guide operational goals and inform the Middle States re-accreditation process

  Action Items

  • We will meet every 2 weeks until this is finished
  • Identify and share other strategic plans to help us benchmark

  Pre Reading Articles and Reports Sent before Kick-Off

  1. SUNY Sullivan – 2012 – SUNY Sullivan Strategic Plan 2013-2018
  2. ENVISION Architects – 2019 Suny Sullivan Master Plan-Final Facilities Master
  3. Iron Bridge Resources – 2018 – Review of Enrollment Management
  4. Cooper and Scheg – 2020 – Totally Virtual Northcentral University’s School of Business Succeeded in Integrated Strategic Planning in an All-Distance Environment
  5. Peter Eckel and Cathy Trower – 2019 – Colleges need to rethink strategic planning
  6. Hinton – 2012 – A practical guide to strategic planning in higher education
  7. Morimoto and Guillaume – 2018 – Reconceptualizing Strategic Planning: Planning Strategically for Student Success
  8. Ayers – 2017 – Three Functions of the Community College Mission Statement
  9. D’Amico – 2017 – Noncredit Education Specialized Programs to Meet Local Needs
  10. Garza Mitchell and Sawyer – 2017 – ChaGarza Mitchell and Sawyer – 2017 – Changing the Economy One Family at a Time: Dual Aims of Workforce Development
  11. Heelan and Mellow – 2017 – Social Justice and the Community College Mission
  12. Hellmich and Feeney – 2017 – Meeting the Challenges of Expanding Missions Through Strategic Planning
  13. Jones – 2017 – Supporting the Mission Through Dual Enrollment Su.pdf

  Strategic Planning Committee Members

  1. Maura Caycho, Director of Executive Operations and Administrative Associate to the Board of Trustees
  2. Phyllis Coombe,  SUNY Sullivan Board Trustee
  3. Eleanor Davis, Dean of Communications & Admissions
  4. Nancy Hackett, Chair, SUNY Sullivan Board of Trustees
  5. Jeffrey Keefer, Director of Institutional Research
  6. Tom Martin, Associate Professor
  7. Tom McManus, Director, Associate Professor – Respiratory Care
  8. Michelle Miralle, Board of Trustee, Student Member
  9. Kim Phillips, Principal Account Clerk
  10. Larry Reeger, Associate Professor, Sustainability Coordinator
  11. Diane Riegal, Professor, Catskill Hospitality Institute
  12. Brent Wilson, Assistant Director of Athletics, Head Men’s Basketball Coach
  13. Migs Wright, SUNY Sullivan Foundation Board Treasurer

  For any questions or concerns about this process, please contact Jeffrey Keefer, Director of Institutional Research, who is leading this effort.