Cal State L.A. - Strategic Planning Coordination Committee

I. Introduction
The University has adopted a 5-year, annually reviewed and updated, strategic plan, with specific initiatives to be implemented over the course of the next several years. For 1997-98, nearly $1.3 million from the University's budget was reallocated to initiate funding of these specific initiatives. The remainder of the University's budget ($129.7 million) was allocated to ensure continued quality of our ongoing activities.

Below is a brief description of the strategic planning model to help understand the process by which the committee arrived at the priority strategic initiatives and their funding.

II. The Annual Review Process
This document represents the first iteration of a new strategic planning process that the University has instituted. As our priorities and needs change over time, a similar budgetary commitment will be made to support any new initiatives that are identified.

Over the last two years, the Strategic Planning Coordination Committee (SPCC) has been formulating the University Strategic Plan. This committee is chaired by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Margaret Hartman, and Vice President for Information Resources Management, Dr. Desdemona Cardoza, and consists of faculty representatives from the six schools and the Library, other senior administrators in the University, and the Chair of the Academic Senate. Along with representatives from the Alumni Relations Office and Associated Students, Inc. (ASI), this committee has collectively prepared the 1997-2002 Strategic Plan. Throughout the process, the co-chairs of the SPCC met with President James Rosser, and kept him informed about the committee's deliberations. The support and encouragement of the President was crucial in successfully developing the strategic plan.

The SPCC's primary objective was the implementation of a Plan that reflected the University Mission as ratified by the Academic Senate and approved by the President. Under the guidance of Dr. William Cordeiro from the Department of Management, a strategic planning process was endorsed by the committee and is outlined below. The SPCC resolved that the strategic initiatives would be explicitly tied to the University budget and would focus on finding ways to enhance the educational environment for faculty, students, and staff. The committee also recognized the reality of limitations imposed both internally and externally. The challenge facing the SPCC was to address the most important needs for change without taking away resources from activities that we already do well.

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III. The Strategic Planning Model
Figure 1 represents the main elements of the strategic planning model. The University Strategy is driven by the Mission, the Organizational Profile, the External Environment, and the Culture and Values of our institution. The SPCC examined all significant internal elements about the University, including evaluations of the strengths and weaknesses of each element. This was followed by an assessment of the external environment, including demographic, political, and economic trends, opportunities, and threats. The development of a framework for decision-making resulted in the identification of seven strategic University divisions. Once the strategic divisions were determined, the SPCC established 7 subgroups, representing these divisions. Each subgroup was responsible for identifying strategic initiatives. A key element in this process was the requirement that every strategic initiative be tied to measurable 2-year and 5-year objectives. Once the initiatives were determined, priorities and objectives were established, resources identified, and responsibilities assigned.

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IV. Priority Strategies
The SPCC identified 16 areas of priority need. One percent of the total budget was allocated to these priorities, almost $1.3 million. Figure 4 is a list of the priority strategic initiatives. The first strategic initiative requires explanation. Every member concurred regarding the need to continue to encourage, assess, and make appropriate modifications to those activities we do best, and to ensure that budgetary resources are allocated to those activities accordingly. It was also determined that some of the initiatives could be accomplished without additional funding but with continuing review. Of the initiatives that require new or additional funding, some are supplemented or matched by external funds. Implementation of the Baseline Plan for hardware/software access, training, and user support takes up more than a third of the allocated resources but it is also supplemented by $575,000 in new funds from the Chancellor's Office. Five initiatives received new investments of $950,000 in reallocated funds. Figure 5 contains a listing of the 2- and 5-year benchmarks for all 16 strategic initiatives.

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V. Plan Implementation
To ensure continued support for maintaining excellence in our ongoing activities, the SPCC determined that nearly 99% of the 1997-98 budget be allocated to those endeavors. For 1997-98, the nearly $1.3 million in additional funding for the 6 funded initiatives represents resources that are being reallocated from existing funds in the budget. Of this amount, nearly $1 million would be committed on an ongoing basis, and the remaining $300,000 would be a one-time expenditure. We view this amount as an important initial investment, indicating the University's commitment to make change possible. The major sources of these funds are from existing Vice Presidential base budgets, productivity dollars, enrollment growth, and Lottery funds.

The implementation of the initiatives is the shared responsibility of the entire University community. To meet the 2-year and 5-year benchmarks, support will be required from faculty, students, staff, administrators, and alumni. In other words, all University constituents will help in laying out the steps that should be taken to achieve our objectives.

The SPCC will be making presentations on the University Strategic Plan to the faculty, staff, and administrators of the six schools and the Library, as well as the Academic Senate, Associated Students, Inc. (ASI), the Alumni Association, and the UAS and CSLA Foundation Boards. These presentations will be open to the University Community.

It seems appropriate that we begin the next 50 years of our existence with a renewed commitment to offering excellent and innovative educational opportunities and the highest level of service to the diverse student population of the Los Angeles basin. California State University, Los Angeles is committed to creating a learning community for the 21st century.

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