Getting Started
I recently was hired as the Director of Education and was asked to complete this module to help with the 5 year plan for our school. I am looking for some insight on where to begin, i.e. even before holding a brainstorming meeting. Who participates in a brainstroming meeting and is this group different from the Advisory Board?
Thanks, Crystal
We can start with student service and admissions staff for brainstorming section.
Hi Karen
Meeting with student services and admissions staff is a great idea. But the answers are within all your faculty and staff plus students and grads. Any real brainstorming, in our opinion, includes representatives from all areas of your school. You will be surprised about the ideas that emerge when people are asked. Best wishes, Susan
Getting initial input fromt thetadmission staff is a good start since they are the ones on the front line and get the first information as what sort of programs the public are looking for. Another good sourse to consider is your placement department. They are n constant contact woth the employers in your are and know what kind of skills are in demand. You can use this information to add, delete, or modify your programs. The placement staff can also tell you in they are having a hard time placing graduates from a certain program. This will tell you there is surplus of these graduates in the market, or there are no job demands for them.
As strange as it may sound, I would even brainstorm with the students. Each student has a reason why he or she came to your school, and it's sometimes a reason that they use as a stepping stone to a greater goal.
I have found that casually speaking with students has given me ideas on where I want my school to go, and I have shared many of those ideas with my superiors. One of the student's ideas even made its way to a small lecture/workshop series. This series even generated some income for the school, as well as aided in advertising for the main programs.
For the more 'confidential' inner workings, the staff is best, but little gems are everywhere for brainstorming (even the parents/relatives of students have helped!).
Kristen,
Great idea Kristen. Every applicant and enrolled student should be asked how they heard about your school, what other training options they considered, and why they chose your school. Imagine what you can learn. You will have the formula for successful marketing. Not only will you know how to reach qualified students, you will also create an open door policy for ideas and suggestions from everyone. Sounds really easy. The challenge is to have a way to gather and record the information and then analyze it, bring it to decision makers and other people and make it happen. Thanks. Really great strategies for everyone. Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
The 5 year plan is a great tool for the recently hired Campus Director or Director of Education to involve faculty and staff in brainstorming and general assessment of the campus. It can be the springboard to communicate objectives and set priorities. An Advisory Board is primarily employers, graduates, and outside community.
Linda,
Great points. The Plan is to get everyone on board heading in the right direction. You are right - working on the initial Plan and updating it regularly gets everyone involved. You can benefit from the ideas and solutions that everyone of your faculty and staff can contribute. You all know where you are going in terms of meeting goals, working within your mission statement and serving students. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
Dr. Schulz, What If the school is small with one owner. That owner is reluctant to include anyone else in the planning process, for what ever reason, and dose not communicate the details of the five year plan easily with the management/staff. Could you suggest ways to convey the importance of allowing others to assist in the planning process of the 5 year plan. What planning could the staff and faculty do, without the owner, that could be suggested to the owner at completion. In other words without owner buy-in what can we do to help the school in this regard.
