Office of the President
What is an Initiative?
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a Strategy is a strategic priority that serves as a guiding
focus to further the college’s mission
a Goal is a specific idea to further a strategy
an Initiative is a specific plan to meet a goal
Initiatives…
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directly support a specific goal(s) by moving a goal toward success by virtue of the initiative’s
own successful fruition or outcome
enhance the broader mission of the College
influence success across more than one division, department, program or organization
can achieve the desired outcome w/in a period envisioned by the strategic plan: 7-10 yrs
What is an Initiative?
 Tactics are actions taken to implement plans described
by initiatives
Tactics …
• are measurable and can be assessed by milestones
• may be internal to a specific organization (a division, dept, program, etc)
• may rely on collaborative actions or partnerships that cross
organizational boundaries
• may remain internal to the college or require actions that partner with
and influence the external community or environment
What is an Initiative?
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For example … (** the following examples are purely notional! **)
a Strategy – Strengthen our competitive position
a Goal – Expand competitive intercollegiate sports and enhance
and grow club and intramural learning experiences
So what might a supporting initiative look like?
Example Initiative …
• Establish a nationally competitive NCAA Division 1 athletic program
*This example initiative articulates a plan in support of the stated goal that will be
fulfilled by collaborative actions (tactics) that cross organizational boundaries (e.g.,
athletic department, admissions, facilities, institutional advancement, marketing, etc)
What is an Initiative?
So how might a tactic look to implement the example initiative?
(** the following examples are purely notional! **)
Example Initiative:
• Establish a nationally competitive NCAA Division 1 athletic program
Example supporting Tactic:
• The Athletic Dept will lead college-wide efforts to resource, recruit, staff and field a
competitive NCAA Division 1 men’s ping-pong team that will begin conference play
during the AY2016 collegiate ping-pong season
• There likely will be several tactics implemented to support this initiative!
What is an Initiative?
Avoid writing initiatives that are actually tactics!
(** the following examples are purely notional! **)
Example of an Initiative that is more accurately a tactic:
• Create experiential opportunities that place 10-15 CC Southwest Studies and
Environmental Program students at regional National Parks Service headquarters each
year for block-length internships to participate in environmental impact studies and
historical site surveys in support of related classroom learning
o The above example is more aptly a tactic in that it describes
measureable and specific actions that will be taken to effect a given
initiative’s plan within the scope of specific organizations (SW and EV)
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