Read the Curry College NEASC 2012 Self-Study Report.

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and to implement the results of planning successfully. Specific examples include attaining goals
relative to: increased enrollment, development of graduate programs in Management and
Nursing; completion of significant capital projects including major building projects, such as the
Student Center.
Institutional planning occurs on many levels at Curry, and there is evidence that planning has
been successful in a number of separate initiatives. An example is within Academic Affairs,
where meaningful steps toward integrated planning are being taken through the development
of clearly articulated self‐assessment, priority, and planning documents.
Technology planning occurs through the Technology Governance Committee, which generates
an annual review of technology needs and submits them to the Budget Committee and the
Educational Technology Committee. Recommendations that are made throughout the
academic year are then aligned with the budget process. However, a clear institutional process
that integrates technology plans with other planning and resource allocation processes is
needed, and will have to be developed in the context of the College’s strategic initiatives.
The need for more integrated and systematic planning has also been identified in the area of
strategic enrollment management. Curry’s strategic enrollment management efforts began to
take shape over the past few years, and recently gathered data has been used to increase
awareness of external competition, to reflect on student academic performance within
programs, and to elucidate program enrollment patterns. In some cases, curricular changes
have been made as a result of these efforts. The College’s current size, level of sophistication,
and complexity, however, require well‐formed structures and more focused effort to drive
enrollment decisions and to systematically integrate enrollment management throughout the
organization. To date, the main focus of strategic enrollment management has been the
realization of short‐term recruitment goals, but a longer‐term enrollment plan that flows from
the College’s strategic directions, and outlines enrollment goals and the strategic initiatives
necessary to achieve them, is needed. There is also a need to include data relative to student
persistence‐to‐degree‐completion to capture the entire enrollment picture at Curry.
The recently‐launched Strategic Planning process is occurring at an opportune moment for
Curry. Comprehensive strategic planning has not been undertaken in eight years; the context
both within and outside of the institution has changed, and there is recognition that
understandings about the College’s mission, purposes, and goals in 2012 and beyond need to
be crystallized and serve as the foundation for further institutional development.
The current strategic planning process began with a college‐wide SWOT analysis, in which effort
was made to distill and understand the student, faculty, and staff voices on questions relating
to the College’s mission, core values, and effectiveness. The Strategic Planning Committee used
the results of the analysis to develop the plan’s core vision and values elements, strategic
considerations, and strategic directions. Initiatives to support the four identified strategic
directions were developed during the Fall 2011 semester through numerous open community
meetings. They are: xxx
Curry College 2012 Self-Study
Standard Two