Alignyour plan

with action.

STRATEGIC PLANNING& IMPLEMENTATION

Comprehensive Consulting for Independent

Colleges & Universities

Strategic Planning& Implementation

Higher education is at a crossroads. Factors such as economic realities, demographic challenges, changing public expectations for higher education outcomes, and the student loan crisis all suggest the need for a new urgency on campuses. Credo has developed a planning and implementation model reflective of this urgency.

We don’t just help you develop a nimble, transparent strategic plan that creates clarity and accountability around critical initiatives; we walk with you through the plan’s implementation, bringing our private higher education lens and decades of strategic planning experience to the table in the process.

The Credo planning process … Empowers you with insights on strategic

direction from campus leadership.

Is informed by insights on direction from the campus community.

Translates mission, vision, values and strategic direction onto a one-page strategy map.

Drives action in implementation via ongoing support and the Thriving Scorecard software.

Process & outcomes

LeadershiP retreat

community engagement

strategy maP

thriving scorecard

imPLementation

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WHO ARE WE?Credo is a comprehensive higher education consulting � rm that specializes in independent higher education, empowering colleges and universities to move forward on the continuum from surviving to thriving. Our team represents decades of consulting and on-campus experience at colleges and universities like yours.

WHAT MAKES CREDO DIFFERENT?We are the only consulting � rm in the country with the expertise and passion to address your challenges and opportunities across all of these critical areas:

» Strategic Planning & Implementation

» Enrollment » Retention » Leadership Development » Campus Master Planning

» Architecture » Student Success & Engagement » Academics » Branding & Market Research » Executive Search » Fundraising

WHO DO WE WORK WITH?We count among our partner schools institutions from across the independent higher education sector, with concentrations in the CIC, NAICU, and CCCU networks.

Process & outcomes

Strategic Planning with Credo is a comprehensive process that begins with leadership and campus buy-in, and culminates with ongoing levels of support to best fit your campus’s unique situation.

ExpEctEd outcomEs of thE crEdo stratEgic planning & implEmEntation projEct includE:

Five-year strategy for advancing the institution;

A clear visual tool that outlines the strategic plan of the institution;

Creation of a planning culture, aligned with and integrated into the day-to-day;

Clarity on vision, mission, and values;

Clearly defined strategic themes and objectives; and

An increase in institutional self-esteem and momentum.

Our approach is divided into 5 phases:

Building the Strategy Map

Finalizing the Map

Implementation

Leadership Retreat

Community Engagement

1 2

4 5

3

How willyou developyour plan?

ExpErtisE is so important. It’s not only passion that counts; you need a framework, metrics, and excellent training. That’s what Credo’s given us. We appreciate it.Dan ElsEnErPresidentMarian University

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Encourage momentumthrough buy in.

LeadershiP retreat & community engagement

Engagement, buy in, and momentum are critical to the success of your strategic plan.

Credo realizes the entire campus must truly own a strategic plan for it to have any lasting effect on the community. Community Days provide a forum for the community to provide feedback on the direction and strategic priorities for the institution. It is a chance for the campus to share their experiences and ideas with the leadership of the institution, as well as a way for the strategic plan to gain momentum with faculty, staff, and departments. Campus Community Days spread excitement across the campus, unite your institution, and bring about positive change. Community Days can be as intimate or as open as fits the culture of your campus.

We know that a strong, aligned leadership team is essential to the success of colleges and universities in these challenging times for private higher education.

Our Thriving Retreat will bring your team together for an intensive day and a half with one of our lead consultants to evaluate your current reality and help develop a clear path for success. We will examine areas of urgency as uncovered by your team’s collective responses to the Thriving Framework® Diagnostic Tool, evaluate the relevance and strength of your current strategic plan, and craft a draft strategy map for action.

our partnEr campusEs rEport thE following bEnEfits from participating in community days:

Increased awareness of the strategic plan and initiatives.

Increased buy in and momentum from the campus community.

The creation of a safe place as a forum for dialogue, questions, and feedback.

Institution-wide commitment to positive change on the campus and in the community at large.

thE notion that crEdo was going to help us take some of the data on campus that is there, but we’re not using effectively; get rid of some of this data that we’re always carrying around, but no one’s ever using; and use it for the strategic goals of the institution appealed to me.CarmEn ambarPresidentCedar Crest College

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BuiLding your maP

Map your course succinctly.

Gone are the days of strategic plans bound into notebooks, gathering dust on a shelf. A Strategy Map brings visual focus to your institution’s most critical initiatives, and allows for flexibility as initiatives are completed, or urgency changes.

ic’s stratEgy map work was praisEd throughout for its clarity and engagement of widespread groups across campus. It was impressive in meeting after meeting to hear faculty and staff talking about their direct experience with this work through theme team and steering committee membership, or through Town Hall presentations. barbara FarlEyPresident, Illinois College

thE stratEgy map providEs »

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perspective:financialresources

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values

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perspective:organizational capacity

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ClarityTrying to get board members, senior leaders, faculty, and staff all on the same page is challenging. The Strategy Map helps campus stakeholders to be on the same page. This one-page visual provides a complete picture of the institutional vision, values, and strategy for the next 2–5 years.

AlignmentOnce the campus stakeholders have an agreed-upon map of the future, campus resources (people, finances, etc.) can be aligned toward these objectives. This approach provides alignment of effort while still providing for great flexibility.

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the thriving scorecard & imPLementation

Measure& implementeffectively.

i rEally likE thE usE of thE scorEcard, because you’re looking at internal capacities, processes, student stakeholders, and financial resources, with all of these blending together to lead to success.ron slEpitzaPresident, Avila University

Our team has the expertise to customize training for your team so your campus can accurately collect data use it effectively to meet and exceed target goals. At the close of year two, we can transition the software to your campus for ownership or extend our engagement with you to continue to drive the momentum of your plan and use of the system.

With Credo’s SPI, you will receive access to and training for the Thriving Scorecard (TSC), a strategy performance measurement tool utilized by corporations and higher education institutions to set strategic goals and measure progress towards growth milestones.

thE thriving scorEcard providEs »

Implementation is where planning meets action. We will stay with your planning team throughout year two of the SPI engagement to create accountability and motivation towards achieving goals big and small.

Transparency & AccountabilityToday’s stakeholders want to know where the institution is going and the progress being made. The Thriving Scorecard allows stakeholders to transparently see progress updates. Web-based reporting can be adjusted so that different stakeholder groups have different views.

SavingsWith greater clarity and alignment, revenues can grow and expenses can be contained. The institutional Thriving Scorecard (Tier 1) facilitates these savings. Even greater financial health can be generated when Divisional (Tier 2) scorecards are developed.

Credo will work with our partners on your campus to implement the TSC, and empower your leadership and campus community to implement initiatives towards comprehensive and collaborative success.

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CredoHigherEd.com

info@CredoHigherEd.com

@CredoHigherEd

Facebook.com/CredoHigherEd

336-585-1044

940 Golf House Road West #200, Whitsett, NC 27377

We believe in private higher education – in its lasting impact on lives, its ability to transform individuals and the world.

We believe in lifting colleges higher – by developing holistic strategies; by seamlessly integrating practical tools to meet enrollment issues, control � nancial challenges, and address facility concerns; while embracing traditions, history and culture.

With a greater focus on—and commitment to—the entire institution, environments can be transformed, positive lasting experiences created, people elevated, and results realized.

We do this to strengthen and ensure the longevity of private higher education.

We believe the world is greater as a result of private higher education.