1. Strategic Planning at Carleton
Update for Administrative Professionals Meeting
September 7, 2011
Thank you for your time today and your interest in the strategic planning process at Carleton. I feel a little like the understudy in a play—you came here expecting to see the star talent, and you’re getting instead someone else. I hope you’ll stay for the show, nonetheless, and I’ll do my best to deliver the correct lines.

2. Strategic Planning Update
What has happened this summer?
What will happen this fall?
How can we participate?
What is the timeline?
What can we expect from the process?
This morning we’ll talk for a few minutes about where things stand with strategic planning… What has occurred in recent weeks, and what can we expect for the fall and the coming year? We’ll also talk about ways to get engaged.

3. What happened this summer?
Appointed 13 Working Groups, comprised of 139 members…
Broad-based membership
Conveners
This summer Steve Poskanzer appointed 139 faculty, staff, students, trustees, donors, parents, alumni and friends to serve on 13 Working Groups. He worked with SAC, Forum, and Union leadership to receive recommendations on a portion of the staff appointees.
He also recruited conveners of each group—some are faculty members, some staff, and some trustees. These conveners will help coordinate the meetings of the groups and will keep in touch with Steve about the groups’ conversations.
In most cases, Steve has very intentionally NOT assigned the people most closely aligned with a topic area to be discussing that issue. The objective is to educate a broader range of people on these topics and to bring some fresh perspectives to the table.
At the same time, we DON’T want to lose sight of the tremendous amount of expertise amongst our community on these topics.
Steve is working to assign subject experts to serve as resources to the Working Groups that are likely to benefit from existing data and knowledge.

4. What will happen this fall?
Each Working Group Charged with answering a strategic question
Working Groups will begin meeting this term
Each of these very talented and diverse Working Groups will now be charged with answering key strategic Questions—Questions we settled upon as a community last spring.
The Working Groups will begin meeting this term and will continue during the academic year.

5. What will happen this fall?
Seminars:
Monday, September 19, 3:30-5:00 p.m. in the Weitz Center Cinema –on economy of Carleton and our competitive landscape
Monday, September 26, 3:30-5:00 p.m. in the Weitz Center Cinema –on our student demographics and our student outcomes.
Available to those who can’t attend in person
We will hold two Seminars--open to the entire campus community--on September 19 and 26 (3:30-5:00 p.m.) to learn about
the economy of Carleton,
our competitive landscape,
our student body, and
our student outcomes.
Both sessions will be videotaped and posted online for those who can’t attend in person

6. How can we participate? Opportunities for broader input and reactions
Public sessions to solicit input
Throughout the ensuing planning process, there will be opportunities for the broader community—not just official members of Working Groups—to provide input and reactions.
Groups are likely to hold some public sessions to solicit input or to simply allow for transparency in their processes.

7. What is the timeline?
Finish most of the planning deliberations by end of academic year
Ambitious timeline that will require a lot of energy and attention… (but not a limitless amount)
Steve hopes we can finish most of the planning deliberations by end of academic year.
This is an ambitious timeline that will require a lot of energy and attention… However, Steve also recognizes that the kind of sustained commitment that a process like this requires cannot be maintained indefinitely. He doesn’t want to let the process suffer due to unreasonable time constraints, but he doesn’t want it to be drawn out indefinitely, either.

8. What can we expect through the process?
Energy and enthusiasm
Identification and prioritization of goals
What can you expect from this process?
We have been very pleased by the enthusiasm and interest in this Planning initiative. This process is crucial because it will allow us to identify and prioritize our goals, and people seem excited about this opportunity.

9. What can we expect through the process?
Planning that will be:
Inclusive, broad-based
Transparent
Data-driven
Involve careful weighing of opportunity costs
Lead to measurable results
You can expect that the process will be:
Inclusive, broad-based
Transparent
Data-driven
Involve careful weighing of opportunity costs
Lead to measurable results
We have to make choices among many good and desirable outcomes. But those choices will allow us to chart a clear course for Carleton’s future success, identifying objectives
These will not be easy conversations, but they will yield deep and thoughtful consideration of Carleton’s future.

10. What can we expect through the process?
Communication about what’s happening.
/Carleton Weekly
Strategic Planning Web Site:
You can also expect from the process some ongoing communications about what is happening. Please watch your and read Carleton Weekly, where updates are likely to appear.
And you can also check the Strategic Planning Web Site for the latest information about the process.
I’d like to recognize and thank the staff in the President’s Office for supporting this initiative, most especially Stephanie Huston who is playing a central role in organizing the process.

11. Questions?
I am happy to respond to your questions.