Managing the Big Picture in Colleges and Universities

Book excerpt: This book is intended to serve as a road map for strategy creation and execution for leaders and decision makers who, by choice or by necessity, are looking to use strategy to optimize the development of their institutions. It is the first book of its kind to focus exclusively on strategy as it applies to postsecondary education. As the authors explain, strategy is a systematic way of positioning an institution within a context of community stakeholders. In today's competitive environment, higher education leaders must become adept at differentiating their institutions from competitors to obtain the resources necessary for growth and sustainable advantage. The book begins by explaining the concept of strategy and its application. The authors describe the evolution of modern strategy and how it is has been applied and developed by strategy theorists and practitioners. The book also explores how strategy is shaped by critical factors related to the mission, control and culture of the institution. For example, strategy that is appropriate in a liberal arts college may be completely inappropriate for community college or a teaching university. Real-world cases are employed to illustrate the applications of strategy in three different settings: a private liberal arts college, a comprehensive public institution, and a special purpose institution. The last section moves to the hands-on world of strategy formulation and implementation inside the institution. The authors end with an outline of key concepts for building a plan for implementing strategy and provide a framework for evaluating its impact.