2025 Strategic Planning Executive Forum

Explore the essential elements of campuswide strategic planning

How do you create a strategic, data-informed plan that meets enrollment goals, diversifies revenue streams, and achieves long-term sustainability? How can you take a holistic, institution-wide view that includes key areas such as organizational structures, academic program planning, and technological innovations in addition to enrollment and fiscal management?

Explore these critical topics at the 2025 RNL Strategic Planning Executive Forum. This interactive event for campus leaders will offer two days of key strategies, innovative ideas, insightful discussions, and candid exchanges on the challenges that leaders face. Our time together will lay the foundation for data-driven strategic planning that paves the way for your institution’s growth and longevity.

Who should attend?

• President or Chancellor
• Chief Enrollment Officer/Vice President for Enrollment
• Provost or Chief Academic Officer
• Chief Student Success Officer/Vice President of Student Affairs
• Chief Fiscal Officer

For maximum benefit, bring your entire cabinet or executive leadership team to evaluate high-impact strategies that cross divisional lines.

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

7:30 – 8:30 a.m.
Forum Check-In and Breakfast

8:30 – 9:00 a.m.
Welcome and Introductions

9:00 am – 10:15 a.m.
Beyond Planning: Ensuring Strategy

10:30 – 11:45 a.m.
Organizational Awareness and Transformation

11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Hosted Lunch and Panel: Transformative Leaders in Higher Education

1:00 – 2:45 p.m.
Illuminate: The RNL Strategic Planning Framework

• Perspectives, Participants, Engagement, Organizing, and Prioritizing
  • Determining focus areas for strategic planning
  • Project definition
• DATA Informed
  • Quantitative
  • Qualitative
• The Situation Analysis
  • Best practices and GAP recognition
  • Recognizing patterns
  • Alignment with mission and vision
• Action planning: Strategy development with ROI
• Prioritizing
  • Timing
  • Risk assessment
  • Shifting/funding plans
• Goal setting
• Implementation
• Continuation

3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Breakout Sessions by Institution Type

• Four-year public
• Four-year private
• Two-year public

5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Welcome Reception

6:00 p.m.
Free evening to enjoy Chicago

Wednesday, April 2

7:00 – 8:00 a.m.
Breakfast

Team time: Complete the RNL survey with your team and we will follow up with a live assessment.

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
Strategic Enrollment Planning Case Studies

9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Academic Program Revitalization Case Studies

10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Institutional Strategic Planning Case Studies

11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Closing remarks and Forum adjournment

All forum agenda session topics, dates, and times are subject to change.