Date of Award

3-27-2009

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Kathleen Gershman

Abstract

This research study assesses the effectiveness of the strategic planning initiatives at two small public institutions of higher education in the Midwestern United States that have similar histories, demographics, and missions. It is a comparative case study that reviews, analyzes, and compares stakeholder perceptions of the strategic planning processes at the selected institutions. Following a thorough literature review, qualitative methods of observation, interviewing, and grounded theory development are utilized to answer the following research question: What are the faculty and administrator perceptions of strategic planning as it occurred at the selected institutions? The study provides significant evidence verifying how stakeholders perceive strategic planning on their campuses. An expected outcome of the study is that stakeholders of higher education Will benefit from understanding how consistently planned and delivered strategic outcomes achieve high quality institutional results. A comprehensive analysis of the data collected from the subjects of this qualitative research inquiry led to the development of a grounded theoretical strategic planning process with reapplication potential throughout the higher learning community.

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