Back See this section in context: Criterion 2 Core Component 2D

2D.3: Strategic Planning Responds to Change

Board policy requires annual approval of Sauk's Mission, Vision, and Strategic Goals by the Board of Trustees (). As a result, the potential has always existed for the college to respond to changing conditions in the surrounding community. However, the new strategic planning system was developed to draw attention to the changing environment through its “rolling” process:

• Regular scanning: OPIC annually scans the environment for changes and emerging trends, reviews institutional progress toward achieving the Strategic Plan, and recommends any necessary adjustments to the Board. The goal is to maintain a viable long-range plan, and the regular environmental scanning provides the basis for updating either long-term goals or short-term objectives.
• Long-range planning is embedded in the Mission and Vision Statements and in the Strategic Goals. These are presumed to need revision less frequently and only in response to significant changes. So, for example, the negotiations of the federal government to buy in-district Thomson prison from the state, which would bring federal-level criminal justice jobs to the local area, is being carefully watched as it affects long-range planning on the related degrees offered. A recommendation for change to long-range planning components would likely initiate institution-wide discussion.
• The Strategic Objectives are more fluid, changing as necessary to reach the Strategic Goals. So, for example, periodic fluctuations in funding sources are likely to influence the Strategic Objectives as the college responds tactically to continue to reach its Strategic Goals.