Gustavus has several behind the scenes committees that contribute to Gustavus’ welfare. One of these committees is the Gustavus Adolphus Strategic Action Team (SAT). Recently, the SAT has finalized their new Strategic Action Plan (SAP) and will be presenting it to the Board of Trustees. The SAP is a comprehensive blueprint on how certain aspects of campus should be run.
The Strategic Action Team started out in 2009 when the Faculty Senate identified its five core values essential for campus wellbeing. The Faculty Senate members consist of various professors, President Bergman, Provost Mark Braun, and Thia Cooper. The five core values are: student centered initiatives, compensation and benefits, professional development, information technology and infrastructure, and facilities.
The aim of the Strategic
Action Team is to support both staff and students in their academic endeavours. The Faculty Senate got their SAP approved by the entire faculty in 2010. Since then, the Strategic Action Team has made further revisions to the Strategic Action Plan in 2016.
One of the prominent changes from the 2010 SAP are its core values. Presently, the SAP’s new goals are:
1) Create a culture that identifies goal and strategies regularly rather than periodically
2) Celebrate the college’s core values and demonstrate its
commitment to transparency and shared governance
3) Be results orientated with accomplishments that contribute to the high quality and distinction of Gustavus’s learning environment
Produce the first example of how this process can continue to anticipate change with its submission to the Board of Trustees in April 2016
Based on the 2010 model, the new SAP has redefined its goals to align with Gustavus’ mission. The goals are clearer in their attempt to maintaining and exceeding the future of Gustavus.
This plan has been in process since April 2015 and has to be submitted to the Board of Trustees to be implemented. The Board of Trustees will make their decision in April 2016.
If the Board of Trustees decide not to support the new Strategic Action Plan then Gustavus will fall back on the 2010 model.
When asked about the potential change of the SAP,
sophomore Perry McGhee, said “I think that the new plan needs to be approved. Gustavus’ values are always changing and we can’t rely on old plans to suit our needs.”
To some, the 2010 model doesn’t fully encompass what Gustavus is trying to accomplish. The 2016 model does a better job of specifying its goals and how to achieve them.
More than just the Faculty Senate would revise the SAP; there are three other tiers of the Strategic Action Team.
The three other committees that influence the SAT are the Friends Planning Advisory Team, Stratetgic Action Testing Teams, and the Planning Leadership Team. The Friends Planning Advisory Team is the outermost tier of the Strategic Action Team family.
The Friends Planning Advisory Team consists of 20 members that aren’t directly involved with Gustavus.
The members can include alumni, outside professionals, and other personnel. The next inner tier are the Stratetgic Action Testing Teams their purpose is to implement the SAP on a small scale.
The Planning Leadership Team are responsible for organizing themselves in a way that benefits the Strategic Action Plan. The SAT is the second to last most inner tier, followed by the Planning Leadership Team.
The Planning Leadership Team is the command center that directs the rest of the
committees.
The Planning Leadership Team makes the final decisions concerning the other committees’ actions. It is headed by President Bergman and has a staff of five faculty members, six cabinet members, and five board members.
The SAP is the product of the work of several committees and how Gustavus wants to present itself. The Strategic Action Plan is a representation of what Gustavus wishes to accomplish and upkeep.
The Strategic Action Team first implemented a SAP in 2010 and now is trying to pass a new version of the Strategic Action Plan.
Some are worried that if the new Strategic Action Plan doesn’t pass then Gustavus’ core values will be misrepresented.
The Board of Trustees will make their final decision in April 2016.