It is important for an institution for higher education to conduct preliminary observations and surveys prior to developing a strategic plan in order to determine the areas, or departments that require some change, and those department or areas that are operating, and functioning properly. These initial observations allow the researchers and decision makers to make educated decisions to solve problems and improve overall results (Girden & Kabacoff, 2011). This paper will layout a strategic plan for Spring Valley University (SVU).
History
SVU is a public institution for higher education located in Spring Valley, New York. SVU educates about 6500 undergraduate students and 1000 graduate students annually. The average high school grades for incoming freshman is between 90-94, with the average SAT score between 1020-1200, and the average ACT score between 23-27. The average student to faculty ratio is 15:1, with 90% of classes with fewer than 30 students. The diversity on campus is 40% students of color including Hispanic, African, Asian, and Native Americans, and the other 60% are European American.
Mission
SVU is an all-inclusive metropolitan university focused on preserving, sharing, generating, and applying knowledge by diversifying course offerings, and reinforcing a long-standing tradition of developing highly qualified tutors. Additionally, when students are responsible to helping each other, the academic recognition is related to team work and collaboration between students and the faculty, by focusing on quality research innovations, education, and policies encouraging contributions to the local community and the modern world.
This mission is relevant to the growth of the university, because it is geared around a provision of instruction of a high-quality nature (TSU, 2017). The goals that led to this mission statement include increasing opportunities for students to gain access and succeed in academics. This can be achieved through the use of real-world scenarios, where faculty can visually depict instances where the skills acquired in a class can be put to use, in an employment role, or position. This can be viewed as a cost effective educational situation, because these varying employment roles can be chosen from SVU’s numerous employment positions on any given day. This plan has been put in place to execute growth in enrollment, reputation, and finances over the next ten to twenty years (LSU, 2017).
Accreditation
Accreditation is essential to the success of any institution for higher education, because it ensures the skills and credits earned will be transferable and relevant at other institutions around the world. This is also why strategic plan is important, because it is the best way to implement the necessary changes needed to attribute behavioral change through intervention, which can be decided through the analysis of cause and effect conclusions (Girden & Kabacoff, 2011). SVU is accredited by the AACSB and NCATE. AACSB is the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, also known as AACSB International. NCATE is the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. These two accreditation associations cover the 30 different undergraduate programs and 25 graduate programs.
Financial Resources
SVU’s accreditation has made it possible for each student to apply for financial aid programs through the state and federal government, including FASFA and Pell from New York. SVU also qualifies for various grants and scholarships for students and growth of the university. These grants can be used for the various purposes they are applied for, and lock in government funding to the school for the next two decades. SVU also raises approximately 50,000 for scholarships for eight recipients. The first two scholarships go to the male and female student with the highest GPA based on the courses taken. The next two scholarships are for a male and female student meeting GPA and low-family income requirements. The next two scholarships are designated for a male and female minority student, and the final two scholarships go to a male and female minority student meeting GPA and low-family income requirements. Each student will receive approximately $6,000 to be used towards their tuition fees each year it is awarded. The more the school is able to conduct fundraising activities the more scholarships they are able to provide to increase student enrollment.
Physical Space
As stated earlier, SVU is located in the historic Hudson Valley approximately 90 minutes from New York City. The campus is located in Spring Valley which is about twenty minutes from the river, which grants the institution the ability to participate in traditional sports, including crew, and cross country track which takes the students on a scenic journey throughout the immediate community. On campus, there is a state-of-the-art athletic facility, which keeps SVU competitive with larger private institutions with access to sports related scholarships and opportunities for students. SVU has a layout that encourages students to meet in the center of the campus for general activities related to eating, studying, and participating in clubs, sports, and other academic activities. SVU also has an agreement with local farms and food producing companies who offer discounted prices on all-natural organic food delivered to the campus several days a week. This will benefit the university when it comes to recruitment of students and faculty alike.
Marketing and Reputation
Marketing for SVU will become easier as the reputation of the institution grows to incorporate the overall growth and well-being of all people on campus including students, faculty, and other staff employees for the university. The goal is to make a comparison of the quality of education, student life, engagement, and well-being to more expensive private institutions to clearly depict the value students gain from choosing SVU. The quality diet and athletic facilities should encourage healthy decision making by students, to learn how to improve the person they are becoming, while also improving their general pool of knowledge which will be accessed after graduation during employment.
Alumni
SVU has a long list of professional alumni who are active in the development of the reputation of their alma mater, which can be measured through cash donations, volunteering, and other forms of gifts which benefit the school, its students, and faculty. Over the past decade, SVU has been able to raise about $100 million from different donors and alumni, which have been used to improve separate sections of the school, especially those areas gaining funding from grants, which can bridge the gap of necessary funds to complete big projects. From the research of Alumni, SVU has decided to change dorm rooms from two person occupants, to single occupancy, by making the rooms half the size, which allows for students to maintain their own private space, but also encourages students to get out and mingle with others. It is believed the smaller dorm rooms will limit the number of visitors students will attempt to keep in their room at any given moment.
Organizational Chart
The organization of SVU will begin with the Board of Trustees, which is followed by the school president and dean of students. Next, there is a director for each of the degree programs. Finally, there is a VP for each of the other departments, which work to keep the school functioning properly. These different departments will create a checks and balances system, which is able to ensure every student, staff, or faculty issue is solved and not missed.
Conclusion
In conclusion, SVU created this plan to continue to strive to become a modern institution for higher education, which focuses on the technological advances of the modern world, to breed the new generation of leaders. Strategic planning has been referred to as an indispensable act, focused on the management of high quality education (Steiner, 2008). This plan has offered guidance and direction for SVU’s planning at the organizational level. These decisions will help add to the enrollment of students, while keeping class sizes down and improving overall student results.
References
Girden, E. R., & Kabacoff, R. I. (2011). Evaluating Research Articles From Start to Finish. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.
LSU. (2017). LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY strategic plan. Loiusiana: LSU.
Steiner, G. A. (2008). Strategic planning: a step-by-step guide. New York: Free Press.
TSU. (2017). ONE TSU - Texas Southern University Strategic Plan 2015-2020. TSU.
