IV. Institutional Effectiveness Plan

           A responsible plan takes key stakeholders into consideration as part of defining the planning environment. Key stakeholders are defined as those who are significantly affected by the initiative and whose participation is essential to make the initiative a success. Stakeholders are considered to be of two principal types: internal and external. Internal stakeholders include students, faculty, staff, administrators, volunteers, guests and visitors, as well as on-site vendors, contractors, service providers, and immediate neighbors. External stakeholders encompass other individuals, organizations, and communities.

           Crucial to the effective implementation of the University Plan is an understanding among stakeholders of the connectedness between department, school, college, and division plans and the University Plan. The planning process has called for prioritization at all university levels, with ongoing conversations and feedback between academic departments, schools, and colleges, administrative directors, unit heads, and vice presidents. These discussions have ensured a “living” plan where the best information and insight are available for the President’s Cabinet to make decisions about new initiatives and budget allocations. At Texas State, the budget process is driven by the University Plan.

           As a part of the implementation of the plan, the university moves into the assessment phase. We maintain our overall philosophy of open communication and dialog. We realize that assessment is critical to the successful implementation of strategic plans. However, we also believe that the point of assessment is not to gather data and return “results” that support our goals; rather, it is a process where stakeholders and decision makers begin by asking questions, become involved in the gathering and interpreting of data, and use that information to guide the process of continuous improvement. Each college and division submits an annual plan progress report to University Planning and Assessment outlining unit progress toward each of the university goals, initiatives, and key performance indicators. Plans at all levels are reviewed and revisited on an ongoing basis.

           A formal review of the University Plan is conducted every three years to reassess the university’s initiatives and priorities in light of ongoing changes in the higher education environment.

           In an effort to assure that all areas of the university have an opportunity to review and assess plan progress, as well as to share useful feedback, the following calendar for planning, assessment, and feedback is implemented across all departments. It should be noted that all activities listed in the calendar are ongoing and flexible.

Planning and Assessment Calendar

           See Annual Planning and Assessment Calendar.

Integrating Planning, Budgeting, and Assessment

           An important aspect of integrating planning, budgeting, and assessment is to provide enough information to ensure that all of these processes work well together and support each other. The strategic plan charts a department’s direction, while the budget provides the resources to implement the plan. A strategic plan that ignores fiscal reality will not be realized. Conversely, resource allocation without strategic thinking is shortsighted and will be unresponsive to future conditions.