Progress in these areas has been substantial, yet two major tasks remain. First, plans must be better linked to decisions. Because the goals and outcomes measures are new, they have not yet become a routine part of University decision making. It is important that major University decisions be based on planning goals and data, and it is important as well that the University community see that plans are being so used. To achieve this, the administration must use the plans, and it also must more aggressively share information about the plans and how they are used. Similarly, departments and colleges should be given incentives to use the information produced by academic-outcome planning.
Second, University strategic and annual planning should be made more inclusive. Many public and private organizations are currently moving toward greater inclusiveness by flattening their hierarchies and empowering their organizational members. NCSU, too, should strive to make planning more consistently broad-based. Greater participation will increase the University community's confidence in the decision-making process, and that in turn will produce more widespread acceptance of the ultimate decisions.
The NCSU planning and evaluation process has come far. It must continue to build on that progress.
