In 2021, RHB published a research study of 108 higher education strategic plans. Beyond asking what makes a strategic plan strategic, we wanted to answer several questions: Who are these plans truly for? Why is the process so complex? Does it have to be? Amidst such rapid change, how relevant can a plan truly be? Why bother?

We analyzed the 108 plans, selected the 16 most strategic and spoke to several of the leaders responsible for their creation.

In 2023, we launched the second phase of our research, tracking the progress of several institutions in phase one and gaining new insights by following up with more leaders involved in the production of the 16 most-strategic plans.

This report is the first of three installments exploring our most recent findings and providing points of consideration for readers who are undertaking new strategic planning processes (or are even wondering whether strategic planning is the right choice).

This installment is a twist on the question, “Where are they now?” Leadership changes, the termination of one plan and consideration of the next, and other dynamics have led members of the 16 institutions in different directions.

To download installment one