Closing the Gap Between Students' Career Readiness and Employers' Expectations: An Innovative Competency-Based Approach

Strategic Planning in Higher Education

Strategic planning in higher education emerged in the 1970s and 1980s in response to fluctuating enrollment, changing student demographics, and funding inconsistencies (Hinton, 2012). According to Hinton (2012), the data-driven strategic planning process arose as a proactive solution for maneuvering in a rapidly changing environment with declining resources. Initially, strategic planning in higher education was used to articulate the institutional mission and vision, prioritize resource allocation, and promote organizational focus. As institutions of higher education began to engage in strategic planning, federal and state governments, along with accrediting agencies, developed standards for assessment and learning outcomes measures in response to external demands for accountability. Institutions of higher education were required to have a strategic plan and an assessment plan to satisfy accreditation requirements by the 1990s (Hinton, 2012). During this same time, federal and state governments began tying funding and regulatory oversight to accountability measures, making the planning process more data-driven.