Guest Author May 2006 Kathleen A. Paris, Ph.D. Consultant, Distinguished, Emeritus Office of Quality Improvement University of Wisconsin-Madison USA On “ Does It Pay to Plan? Congratulations to Eastern Mediterranean University, for achieving membership of the European Universities Association and seeking EUA Institutional Evaluation. Congratulations to Near East University for achieving membership of EUA. By the time this booklet is out, other higher education institutions in North Cyprus may also achieve memberships, be it in Europe or worldwide. Your achievements and applications say much about how you as faculty, staff and students see your university as a world class institution. 1

Paris… The application process provides an opportunity to check progress on your university’s strategic plan, to update the plan and refocus resources on your priorities. In times of scarce and declining resources, it can be tempting to avoid planning altogether. Yet,… this is the very time when talking together and deciding priorities for the campus is essential. It is difficult to achieve excellence as a department or office unless the university as a whole is thriving. A recent study on the impact of strategic planning was conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where strategic planning is both required and supported by campus leadership.  2

3 Paris… One of the questions addressed in the study was ‘What is the impact of strategic planning processes at the level of schools, colleges, administrative units and academic departments?’ In the rating scale, (1) was ‘to no extent’ & (5) was ‘to a great extent’.

Paris… A majority of leaders responding (59%) rated their “ local ” planning process (school, college, Department, administrative unit) as beneficial, rating it as a 4 or 5. The majority of respondents rated their planning processes as 4 or 5 in these areas: § Set clear goals (74%) § Sharpened focus and prioritized needs (71%) § Fostered collaboration and teamwork (61%) § Expanded awareness of external trends, challenges, opportunities (61%) § Aligned goals and resources (56%) § Achieved important outcomes (53%) § Created commitment to action (52%) 4

Paris… These leaders, who for the most part were experienced in strategic planning, also said that planning provided collateral benefits such as improved climate, stronger external relationships, more effective resource allocation, improved processes and enhanced leadership capacity… For these leaders, it did, indeed, pay to plan. Best wishes in your Self-Assessments and Institutional Evaluation Processes ”. 5