The next step in creating a five-year strategic plan for Metro State is taking place on campus tomorrow at Metro State’s Strategic Planning Vision Conference from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Auraria Event Center atrium.

More than 50 faculty, administrators, staff, Board of Trustees members and alumni, as well as community and business leaders, will participate in the conference, which is the culmination of the fourth of six phases in the strategic planning process begun last summer.

In the year since it first convened, the Strategic Planning Committee has conducted interviews, gathered and analyzed data, and distilled the results into five major issues affecting the College currently.

They include 1) resources, 2) external relationships, 3) institutional identity, 4) institutional climate, and 5) academic excellence.

During the Vision Conference three workshops will be held for participants to review concept papers on these five issues and begin developing a vision for a preferred future for Metro State. The results will be used to develop a new set of goals for the College, to be reviewed at a Goals Conference in fall 2011 and, if approved by the trustees, implemented in the spring.

“The committee is more than halfway finished with the work necessary to begin crafting the strategic plan,” says Associate Vice President for Communications and Advancement Cathy Lucas, who co-chairs the Strategic Planning Committee with Faculty Senate President Kamran Sahami. “It has been a painstaking yet worthwhile process that we are confident will steer the College in the right direction for years to come.”

The workshops will be facilitated by Patrick Sanaghan, president of The Sanaghan Group and Naomi Nishi, director of program design and customization at Academic Impressions.

Sanaghan explains that there are different ways institutions can go about establishing their strategic plan, from having a couple of people make the decision and then try to sell the rest of the college on it to having a consultant come in and tell you what to do. He believes Metro State's approach is the best, particularly with a committee in place. The committee "makes the process work," he says.

This process allows hundreds of stakeholders to have their say through a transparent process and be a part of "painting a picture of the College's future," says Sanaghan. "This is a very courageous act by the president. He doesn't know what the picture will be. He will be at the conference as a witness."

He adds that earlier feedback from external groups show "a lot of affection for this campus. People feel proud about the school. I think Metro State is poised for extraordinary things."

This Week @Metro will provide coverage of the conference outcomes and next steps in the Aug. 22 issue. Visit the Strategic Planning website for more information about the process.