2. Integrated and Dynamic Planning
The University has a dynamic planning process currently reflected in Pacific Rising 2008-2015. The six Commitment statements, however, will remain stable through 2015 while the 20 Strategic Direction statements may show modest revision. The goals, actions, and outcomes in the Strategic Action Plan, on the other hand, will be updated annually. The Annual and Periodic reviews of the units play an important role in the process as goals of the programs feed into broader University goals. Through annual planning and self-study processes, the units will propose new University goals, actions, and outcomes. This is a fundamental connection between departmental and University strategic planning. Program Planning & Self-Study is composed of two strategic cycles, the annual report and a longer range self-study cycle. While these may appear to some to be new ideas, much of the work is already being accomplished at Pacific - current planning cycles are being formalized with a supporting vocabulary, connecting processes, and clarification of the contents of the reports and roles of the participants. Annual reports, similar to current unit annual reports, will be submitted by each unit (further defined in Key Terms) each year. Annual planning reports feed into existing annual administrative and budgeting processes within each unit, while periodic self-studies connect to strategic administrative and budgeting processes overseen by Cabinet and the Institutional Priorities Committee. While each Periodic Report will require a University response, each self-study will not necessarily have a Presidential response to requests for resources.
Thus, while annual reports and periodic self-studies are not new, some significant changes have occurred:
- The Annual reporting process has been strengthened and standardized across the University. For some units this may be new, as they have had less formal annual reporting in the past.
- A significant change is that internal University peer review panels no longer generate reports that serve as the primary review for other units.
- Self-study is a process of reflection and intention and is best conducted from within the unit. Units may call for internal University peer reviews to support their self-studies or a Dean or Vice President may request an internal University peer review be conducted as part of the self-study.
- At the same time, the roles of external peers, consultants, and accreditors have been enhanced.
- Finally, the self-study cycle has been modified to allow for more or fewer self-studies over time and for multi-unit collaborations.