How is the university designed and prepared for maximum impact on students?
The following 20 strategic areas within universities offer a continuum on which institutions’ can evaluate their institutional efforts at student success. As one moves from left to right, the institution shows a greater demonstration of best practices in establishing an environment for a thriving student experience.
| Focus Area | Struggling | Survival | Success | Thriving |
| Mission | There is one but it is over 50 words and no one knows it | There is one but it is never mentioned by university leadership | There is one and it is talked about but not lived out intentionally | There is one and you will often find faculty and staff who know it by heart and live it out |
| Strategic Plan | There is not a strategic plan for the university | There is a strategic plan but it is not being used to guide decision making | There is a strategic plan and decisions are being made with it in mind | The strategic plan guides university action and is regularly assessed and updated |
| Change | People are just uncomfortable with change and therefore avoid it | People know change is sometimes needed, but it is only implemented if necessary | People are open to change and recognize it needs to be a part of their university roles | The entire campus is regularly seeking to change to adapt to the external environment and internal strengths |
| Collaboration | People mainly operate within their own units | People are friendly to people in other units and work with them if needed | People enjoy getting to know others across campus and periodically create collaborative partnerships | The entire campus seeks to work collaboratively and improves becau8se of this |
| Leadership Communication | There is not a culture of transparent communication | Communication occurs from the top when major issues arise | Communication occurs at designated forums and meetings several times a semester | Communication is a frequent aspect of leadership |
| Conflict | Conflict is avoided at all costs | Conflict is a required aspect of live that sometimes has to be dealt with | Conflict can be healthy and there should be pathways for resolving it | Conflict can bring about organizational success and is openly welcomed |
| High Expectations | There are no clear standards for student success | There are standards but no one knows what they are | There are clear standards and some people are working to achieve them | There are clear standards that are openly communicated to students |
| Inclusive Community | There are clearly some groups of students left on their own | Students who may not look or act like the majority have someone designated they can go to for help | There are staff persons designated and working to help students who are underrepresented succeed | The entire campus is working to help all students feel a part of the university |
| Assessment | Assessment is not a word people want to talk about | Assessment is acknowledged as a required aspect of work | Assessment can be helpful when additional resources are needed | Assessment is a core component of the culture and used to guide decision making |
| Using Resources Wisely | There is little knowledge of how budgets and resource utilization occurs | Many people know how to navigate the culture to get the resources they need for their unit | People recognize that their unit is part of a larger whole and that they need to be good stewards of what they have been given | People regularly seek to review their use of budget and resources and improve this use over time |
| High Impact Practices (HIPs) | There is little awareness of HIPs | There is awareness but little organized effort to increase the HIPs | The HIPs are known to a number of people on campus and are being grown over time | The HIPs have been known for some time and many of them are integrated |
| Technology | Technology is a necessary evil that we will integrate | Technology is being adopted but causing major headaches | Technology is being used to improve service to students | People are regularly studying technology trends for how they can improve the university |
| Early Intervention | There is little knowledge of what this term means at the college | If someone at the university sees a student in trouble, they report it to someone | There is a mechanism in place to identify students at risk | There is a mechanism in place to identify students at risk and reach out to them and get them on the right path |
| Job Placement | There is little awareness on campus of the role to help students find good jobs | There is a career center on campus where students can go if they need help finding a job | There are programs that help students in securing internships, summer jobs, and on-campus work and research that can help them | There is an almost universal awareness at the college that everyone is responsible for helping students find great jobs through experiences like internships |
| Advising | Faculty serve as academic advisors and receive little to no training on how to do this | Faculty serve as advisors and participate in regular training and have measures for success | There are professional academic advisors on campus with case loads over 400 students | There are professional advisors on campus with case loads below 300 students |
| Financial Aid | There is little institutional aid going to help financially needy students | There is some need-based aid but the amount provided leaves an aid gap of over 40% | There is need-based based aid that is given out and used to significantly reduce financial gaps | Students receive almost all of their required need-based aid |
| Academic Support | There are some resources to help students succeed but they are severely under-resourced | There are distinct units with dedicated staff that assist students with tutoring and learning accommodations | There are distinct units trained and educated to model best practices in academic support | There is evidence that a significant number of students are using the academic support services and measurable student success is improving |
| Co-curricular Activities | There is little going on on-campus outside of classes | There are some student groups that gather but they have little budget and small numbers | There are a number of student involvement opportunities and many students take advantage of them | There are student groups for many interests and they are meeting regularly and providing students with leadership skills |
| Wellness | There are health and counseling services outsourced | There are on-campus health and counseling services | There are sufficient health and counseling center staff to meet student needs (not wants) | There are not only sufficient staff but staff also doing outreach for preventative care and meeting new needs |
| Housing | There is no on campus housing | There is on campus housing for a small portion of interested students | Most of the freshman class lives on campus | At least 50% of the students live on campus |
Deep Thoughts on Higher Ed 
It’s a great sharing Jeff.
24 years working experience in the higher education institution, graduate studies in Higher Education Administration, and Management-HR my deep concern is also with these 20 strategic areas which are vital in student success and institutional growth and development.
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