Strategic Planning

Strategic Planning Built for Real Momentum

We help colleges and universities turn vision into action. Our higher education strategic planning process connects purpose with performance, building plans that align leadership, resources, and results around what matters most: student success and institutional sustainability.

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Our Approach

We don’t create plans that sit on shelves—we build momentum. Carnegie’s higher education strategic planning services combine community engagement, financial insight, and measurable outcomes to ensure every goal has a clear path to implementation. From inclusive facilitation to KPI alignment, we translate mission into meaningful progress, equipping your leadership teams to lead with clarity and confidence.

Strategies That Strengthen Every Corner of Your Institution

Institutional Optimization

Create the conditions for your institution—and your students—to thrive. We help you align leadership, finances, and resources around a shared vision for sustainable growth, so you can strengthen institutional health today while planning confidently for what’s next.

Feasibility Studies

Plan boldly, backed by insight. Our feasibility studies help higher ed leaders make data-informed decisions about new programs, partnerships, or spaces, ensuring every investment supports your mission, your community, and the students you serve.

Athletics Assessment

Connect athletics to what matters most: belonging, sustainability, and student success. We help institutions clarify priorities, strengthen performance, and align athletics strategy with enrollment, community engagement, and long-term viability.

Institutional Assessment & Program Review

Reimagine how your institution works together to serve students. Through holistic academic and administrative reviews, we uncover opportunities for alignment, efficiency, and impact, building a more agile organization equipped to meet the moment and the future.

Strategic Communications

Your story shapes how students, stakeholders, and communities see your institution. We help you communicate with authenticity and clarity, building trust, advancing your mission, and protecting your reputation in a changing higher education landscape.

Executive Thought Leadership

Leadership that’s visible is leadership that inspires. We help presidents, provosts, and cabinet leaders share ideas that shape the national higher education conversation, turning insight into influence and vision into credibility.

How it Works

Uncover Institutional Strengths and Opportunities

We begin by deeply listening to your community—leaders, faculty, staff, and trustees—to understand your mission, market position, and culture. Through interviews, data analysis, and discovery sessions, we reveal what makes your institution distinct and where the greatest opportunities for growth lie.

Define Strategic Priorities That Move You Forward

Next, we transform insights into a data-informed strategic framework. Together, we establish clear priorities, measurable goals, and key performance indicators that connect your mission to actionable outcomes and long-term institutional health.

Engage Your Entire Campus in the Process

A plan succeeds when everyone owns it. We facilitate retreats, workshops, and theme teams that bring your campus community together, building alignment, enthusiasm, and shared accountability from the boardroom to the classroom.

Turn Planning Into Progress That Lasts

We stay with you through implementation, helping translate goals into action. Through leadership coaching, progress dashboards, and accountability check-ins, we ensure your strategic plan drives continuous improvement, measurable results, and momentum toward your student-centered vision.

Ready to Get Started?

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A Student-Centered Strategic Plan That Strengthened an Entire Institution

Guided by a clear mission and collaborative planning process, the University of the Ozarks strengthened belonging, revitalized campus life, and achieved measurable gains in enrollment and retention.

Featured Strategic Planning Case Study

“The genius of our master plan with Carnegie is that it was drawn in pencil, not stone. It set a vision but gave us the flexibility to adapt. That’s why, a decade later, we’re still right on track and able to seize opportunities as they come.”

Richard L. Dunsworth
President
University of the Ozarks

Read Case Study
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University of Ozarks banner hanging outdoors on campus
University of the Ozarks

University of the Ozarks

Enriching student life, strengthening connections, and reversing declining enrollment.
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Research

Summer Research Series: College Choice Trends

From search behavior and trust in digital content to shifting values around academics, cost, and fit, this report explores how families are navigating the path to college in 2025.

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Our Thoughts on Strategic Planning in Higher Ed

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Student Success
Carnegie Conversations: Meeting the Moment
Watch
Student Success
The Value Proposition in Higher Education: It’s All About Student Success

By Joretta Nelson

Institutional Strategy
Crisis Communications in Higher Education: Strategies for Navigating Political Pressure

By Matt Gerien

Student Success
The 5 Essential Questions for College Presidents, University Business Op-Ed

By Carnegie Higher Ed

Building on Strategy—In Service of Students

Financial Aid Optimization
Design aid strategies that balance affordability and institutional goals, helping more students say yes while sustaining long-term enrollment health.
Explore Financial Aid Optimization
Market Research
Insight that drives smarter growth. Understand your audiences, competitive landscape, and opportunities through rigorous market research that blends data with higher ed expertise. The result: actionable insight that strengthens your strategy.
Explore Market Research
Student Success and Retention
Foster belonging and persistence through strategies that connect student ambitions with institutional opportunities, turning engagement into measurable success.
Explore Student Success and Retention
Brand Strategy
Define what makes your institution distinct. We uncover insights, positioning, and narratives that fuel a clear, compelling higher education branding strategy.
Explore Brand Strategy

Write Your Own Success Story

Your plan should do more than guide decisions—it should inspire progress. Partner with Carnegie to create a future-ready strategic plan that strengthens your institution from the inside out.