Shaping the Academic Vision for CMU

Central Michigan University Provost and Executive Vice President, Nancy E. Mathews, has officially launched an initiative to develop CMU’s Academic Vision. Members of Central Michigan University and its surrounding community partners are invited to participate in CMU’s Academic Vision process. By shaping the Academic Vision, an essential element of the campus strategic plan, CMU will position itself to respond to a wide range of relevant and challenging dynamics in the higher education landscape of the future. This effort will be grounded in scenario planning, which is a strategy-related methodology employed by many organizations to test their long-term assumptions and explore the uncertain landscape of their future environment.

One of the greatest strengths of scenario-based strategic planning is the engagement of the organization in the development of the strategies. The process is designed to make deeply held assumptions and beliefs explicit and to test those beliefs and assumptions against the critical uncertainties facing the university. Critical uncertainties become the building blocks for scenarios. The resulting scenarios provide a context for developing strategies and monitoring the external environment, enabling CMU to build adaptive capabilities and proactively shape its future.

To provide input, individuals can visit the Academic Vision webpage, which includes a survey seeking input from students, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders. The survey will remain open until 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 18. Join CMU’s next phase of planning and contribute to the future of the university.