Study of Strategic Planning on the UW-Madison Campus

The University of Wisconsin–Madison has strongly emphasized strategic planning processes and systems in recent years. However, no prior studies have examined the effects of these processes in higher education. To help fill this gap in the research, and with the encouragement of several campus offices, WISCAPE undertook a study in 2004 to assess UW–Madison’s strategic planning efforts. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of campus and individual unit planning and what factors are most associated with effective implementation of these plans.

The study was designed to be completed in two parts, an on-line survey of campus leaders and follow-up interviews with selected respondents. The sample included 283 campus leaders, who are defined as deans, academic department chairs, and personnel who hold campus-wide responsibilities and/or direct administrative programs and services.

Project researchers Kathleen Paris, an emeritus consultant for the UW–Madison Office of Quality Improvement, and Justin Ronca and Beth Stransky, both WISCAPE project assistants, have compiled the survey results and written a research paper based on the data. Download a copy of the study.

Paris has also written an article based on this study for the National Consortium for Continuous Improvement in Higher Education (NCCI). The article appeared in NCCI's newsletter early in 2006 and is now a part of the organization's permanent collection. To download a copy of the article, visit NCCI's online collection of articles and presentations.

Study of Strategic Planning on the UW-Madison Campus

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