91抖淫

Who are we at 91抖淫? What is most essential for us to continue to grow as a great undergraduate college? Put most simply: Where do we want our Skidmore to grow over the next decade and more, and what will it take to get us there? That is the essence of strategic planning. We collectively discuss where we want to go 鈥� we creatively share the potential themes, initiatives, and projects that will help us get there 鈥� we transparently assess our resources and institutional capabilities 鈥� and we express our future direction with the enthusiasm and aspiration that Skidmore College deserves and merits. That is the process we have embarked upon in the academic year just past and that we will complete in the academic year ahead. 

鈥�鈥孫ur current Strategic Plan, Creating Pathways to Excellence: The Plan for 91抖淫 2015-2025, has guided us to significant progress on many major projects, as highlighted in the 笔濒补苍鈥檚 鈥�2015-2020 Midpoint Review.鈥� The Billie Tisch Center for Integrated Sciences is a truly transformative accomplishment and shows the kind of collective achievement of which we are capable. Similarly, the revised general education curriculum (a notable attainment of the first goal of 鈥淚ntegrative Learning and Education鈥�) and the soon-to-be-completed McCaffery-Wagman Tennis and Wellness Center (an attainment of the third goal of 鈥淲ell-Being鈥�) stand as significant achievements of the current Plan. These and many other accomplishments serve as a testament to our collective commitment to using strategic planning not only as a guidepost but also as a way to be accountable in measuring how well we achieve the goals that we set for ourselves. 

鈥孴he development of the current institutional themes has been a collaborative and iterative process over the 2023-24 academic year, shaped by the insights and perspectives of our diverse community. This early strategic planning work has emerged from a series of overlapping institutional planning efforts dating back to the winter of 2021, starting with Campus Master Planning process Skidmore鈥檚 first comprehensive Campus Master Plan since 2007) and our Vision and Values project, with its community-wide effort to express what we most value and what most defines the vision of Skidmore. Our next Middle States Reaffirmation of Accreditation process accompanies and informs these efforts, and all of this work will ultimately define our next Campaign:

Early in our strategic planning process, we determined that the model of a bulky, all-encompassing, ten-year Strategic Plan simply did not fit the needs of the landscapes, the challenges, and the rapid pace of change in higher education today. Consequently, we are forming a more nimble and responsive five-year planning horizon, working to connect the plan to the robust annual strategic planning work we have been engaged in (see our annual Strategic Action Agenda documents from 2020 to 2024) and thinking beyond 2030 to what the decade of the 2030s might offer in terms of challenges and opportunities for Skidmore and for higher education as a whole. 

鈥孎rom the beginning, our strategic planning work has been inclusive, collaborative, transparent, and inviting to all in our community. In the spring of 2024, we embarked on a comprehensive community engagement process, seeking input and feedback from various stakeholders across the Skidmore community on the five themes (below) that emerged from our planning streams thus far.

The Spring 2024 inclusive approach to gaining feedback ensured that our strategic planning efforts were informed by diverse perspectives and experiences, including, but not limited to, such groups as the: 

• 鈥孊oard of Trustees (BOT): We engaged with our Board of Trustees, leveraging their strategic guidance and insights to shape the direction of our planning process.
• President鈥檚 Leadership Council: We reviewed with our alumni leaders, seeing what resonated with their own Skidmore experience and learning what they think is important to Skidmore鈥檚 next generation.
• 鈥孖nstitutional Policy and Planning Committee (IPPC): As our most representative shared governance body, the IPPC plays a crucial role in providing valuable input and recommendations, particularly on how we seek input and with whom and how we should engage, ensuring alignment with our institutional priorities and values across all constituencies 鈥� faculty, staff, students, administration, etc. (The role of 2023-24 IPPC Faculty Vice Chair Smriti Tiwari as the vice chair of strategic planning has been key to this collaboration.)
• 鈥孲taff and Faculty Meetings: During regular meetings of the groups, we facilitated open discussions and gathered feedback from our dedicated staff and faculty members, who are at the forefront of delivering our educational mission. 
  鈥孲tudent Government Association Senate: Student leaders asked to discuss the themes within their own elected body to ensure that student voice was captured.
• 鈥�Enrollment Management Group: Recognizing that enrollment strategies and success is at the heart of all we hope to achieve in the future, we sought input from our Enrollment Management Group to ensure our planning efforts align with our recruitment and retention goals.

Next Steps 

Building upon the insights and feedback gathered during the spring engagement process, we are now poised to take the next steps in our strategic planning journey. During the summer months, we will carefully analyze the responses and feedback received from our spring conversations. 

As we move into the Fall 2024 semester, we will continue to foster an inclusive and collaborative environment, seeking further engagement from our community with the following commitments and opportunities: 

• 鈥孌edicated Student Affairs Engagement: We will facilitate targeted and focused engagement opportunities for our Student Affairs division, ensuring their unique perspectives are incorporated into the planning process. This will include robust opportunities for students to share input and perspectives, as well as attention to the ideas of the many employees across campus who work to support our students.
• 鈥孌edicated Faculty Engagement: We will create multiple, dynamic, and interactive opportunities for faculty engagement, with a specific focus on Academic Excellence and Creativity.
• 鈥孭resentations and Updates: We will present the analysis from the spring conversations at faculty/staff meetings, Board of Trustees meetings, and IPPC sessions, keeping our community informed and engaged.
• 鈥孲trategic Planning Website: Our Skidmore 2030 Strategic Planning Website will be updated regularly, ensuring that all relevant materials and information are widely available and accessible to our community.
• 鈥孉dditional Feedback Avenues: We will develop additional avenues for feedback, enabling members of our community to share their thoughts and ideas outside of organized meetings.

鈥�During this period, tentatively running until mid-November 2024, all materials and insights gathered throughout the engagement process will be shared with the President, who will ultimately draft the final version of a concise and clear five-year Strategic Plan. 

鈥孫nce the initial draft of the Strategic Plan is complete, tentatively by early February 2025, we will solicit further feedback from College constituents, ensuring that the Plan accurately reflects the collective vision and aspirations of our community. 

After incorporating the feedback received, the final version of the 2025-2030 Strategic Plan will be presented to the Board of Trustees in May 2025 for their review and approval, marking the culmination of our collaborative efforts.

What is strategic planning and why is it important? 

鈥孲trategic planning is an exercise that helps define our institutional priorities, develop outcomes/activities related to each institutional priority, while ensuring that our resources are aligned with our aspirations. Over this 2023-24 academic year, 91抖淫 has begun the process of developing a new five-year Strategic Plan that will guide our institution's future priorities and resources from 2025 to 2030. This strategic planning process aims to build upon the successes and learnings from our previous 2015-2025 Plan, while also aligning our efforts with the evolving needs and aspirations of our community. 

We look forward to engaging in this collection conversation together and value your continued contributions as we shape the future of 91抖淫.

鈥孲颈苍肠别谤别濒测,

鈥孧arc C. Conner, President 

鈥孞oshua C. Woodfork, Vice President for Strategic Planning and Institutional Diversity and Chair of Strategic Planning 

鈥孲mriti Tiwari, 鈥孉ssociate Professor of Economics and Vice Chair of Strategic Planning