The Future of ‘Berg: The next step in Strategic Planning

On a sleepy Wednesday evening in Seegers Union, students mill about their daily business. They finish up the last line of their big essay due the next day, grab the mozzarella sticks they’ve been waiting for all day, or catch up with a friend they haven’t seen in a while - little do they know that the future of their school is being shaped just a few feet away.

This shaping took place at the Strategic Planning Meeting, a gathering of over 100 faculty members, students, and administrators alike that was meant to help develop the school’s up-and-coming priorities.

Earlier in the year, a survey was put out to 63 departments, student groups, and committees in order to conduct a SWOT analysis – that is, to examine what the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats are for Muhlenberg at this time. The results of this survey were then taken by the Strategic Planning Group and translated into a rough draft of the main points for the College to work on in the coming years. This draft was the meeting’s main concern; the job of the combined faculty, student, and admin groups, each sitting at one of many small dinner tables scattered about the room, was to review the Institutional Priorities list and make suggestions on how to change or improve it for the betterment of the school.

Before the rousing discussions began, President Williams and several other speakers took to the stage to explain the integral importance of this plan and to emphasize collaboration.

"Strategy is something near and dear to my heart,” Williams as he introduced the concept to the crowd. “It is not a to-be-funded list.”

Up next was Peter J. Stokes, Ph.D., an accomplished strategic planner who lent his expertise and insight to the process of creating the draft. He stressed that this was about using past experiences to inform what the College will become, finding out what makes up the “DNA” of Muhlenberg in order to utilize those parts to their fullest advantage.

“We have to think about what choices we make in the context of change,” Stokes said. “Our strategies, though, should be long term. We should be thinking about what this college is going to be like five years from now, ten years from now.”

Finally, Kathy E. Harring, Ph.D., Dean of Institutional Assessment and Academic Planning, described the responses received from the 63 survey- takers, each named strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat factoring into the final five matters of utmost importance. These priorities, she reminded the audience, affect everyone who counts themselves a member of the Muhlenberg community; Harring encourages students to use their voices and add their responses to the vital discussion.

“Our strategic planning needs to be inclusive, which means [it] involves the feedback, the ideas from all members of the community, faculty, staff, and students, and...we are striving to be as open and transparent in terms of the work that we have done, the work that we will be doing, and the end product,” Harring later commented.

As Harring left the stage, the room was instantly alive with discussion – each table was assigned one of the priorities to examine and provide feedback on via a large sticky note, which was displayed in front of the stage at the meeting’s end. Teachers talking to administrators talking to students, each throwing out their ideas of what is working and what needs working through, each interjecting their various points of view whenever deemed necessary – this was representative democracy at its finest.

The drafted principles included:

Prioritize Inclusive Excellence: This, at its core, is concerned with incorporating diversity into every aspect of Muhlenberg’s foundations. Spanning everything from greater religious inclusivity to increased accessibility, this tenant was one of utmost importance, expanding the school’s horizons ever outward.

Provide Opportunities for Engaged Experiential Learning: This priority looked into improving technologies and furthering the outside engagement experiences that students will be able to access. This augmentation of current techniques will enrich classroom spaces so that students and faculty alike can utilize them to their fullest extent.

Engage the Muhlenberg Network to Help Deliver Powerful Outcomes: Networking, networking, networking! This priority was all about connecting the past, present, and future of Muhlenberg, as well as bridging the gap between the college and the greater Allentown community.

Fortify Muhlenberg’s Operating Infrastructure in Support of Our Mission: This priority focused on improving both the physical and metaphorical spaces in which the college functions. By investing in the base of Muhlenberg, its buildings and its culture, we can build it up in a constructive way.

Enhance the College’s National Standing and Reputation: This priority is pretty self-explanatory – make this amazing school as well-known as it should be! By being proud of and improving our current campus life, we will be able to truly put Muhlenberg on the map.Enhance the College’s National Standing and Reputation.

After each group had hashed out their feelings at the tables and shared their feedback, running up to the stage and placing their sticky note for all to see, Stokes reflected on some of the responses and how they would be incorporated into a new draft. Praising the interconnectedness with which each topic seemed to flow through everyone’s conversations and reviewing the some of the suggestions that the crowd had made, he returned to the idea of telling a uniquely Muhlenberg tale, one that only our campus could unveil by creating just the right plan.

“It’s not enough just to aspire to do things. It’s not enough just to do them,” said Stokes. “We have to tell people about them. We have to tell one another about it and we have to tell the world about it.”

There will soon be a link to the rough draft on the college’s website where anyone will be able to provide feedback, and events similar to Wednesday will be repeated in January and February. Until then, think about what you want this college (and yourself along with it) to become – your voice can help tell our story.

Photo courtesy of Brooke Weber.