Timeline
The following timeline tracks the origins of our current strategic planning efforts:
Spring 2016
President shares initial strategic vision
Dr. Mora articulates a strategic vision that emphasizes mission-alignment, place-based programming, and financial sustainability.
Summer 2017
Institutional audit finished
Dr. Mora completes a comprehensive audit of the school in dialogue with internal and external stakeholders.
Fall 2017
A Strategic Planning Committee is established
Dr. Mora recruits a Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) to help advance the strategic planning process.
A UWC Movement strategic plan is released
The UWC Movement publishes its strategic plan, UWC Strategy: 2018 and Beyond. This plan provides additional context for the development of our strategy.
First strategic objectives outlined
Dr. Mora and the SPC share with the school community the first iteration of our current strategic objectives.
Fall 2018
Need for a Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives is identified
Dr. Mora identifies the need for a Special Assistant to manage the strategic planning process (this position takes one year to fill).
Institutional diagnosis completed
Dr. Mora and the Board arrive at the following assessment of the school’s key challenges:
I. In our people, programs, and systems we have insufficient capacity and integration for consistently delivering on mission.
II. In our facilities and grounds we face crushing deferred maintenance costs and spaces not suited for purpose for the school’s use.
III. Our current funding model is financially unsustainable and has not generated the resources the school needs.
Guiding policy established
Dr. Mora and the Board develop the following guiding policy for the continued development of the strategic plan:
I. Focus on mission-values alignment; adopt known best practices; develop project plans for operational and programming improvements.
II. Improve safety of facilities and grounds; enhance environmental sustainability of facilities and grounds; upgrade facilities.
III. Increase revenues within a sustainable financial model; decrease costs within a sustainable financial model.
Strategy adopted
The Board adopts a two-phase strategy for achieving the emerging strategic goals:
Phase I: Strengthen the Foundation (3-5 year view)
Phase II: Innovate for Impact (10 year view)
Spring 2019
Goals finalized
Dr. Mora and a reconstituted SPC establish a set of five strategic goals:
Goal 1: Mission-aligned people
Goal 2: Mission-aligned, signature, placed-based
Goal 3: Integrated Systems
Goal 4: Safe and inspiring campus
Goal 5: Funding and advancement
Summer 2019
Strategic plan is finalized
Dr. Mora shares the UWC-USA Strategic Plan 2019 with the school community.
Fall 2019
Phase I planning begins
The SPC launches the planning of the “Strengthen the Foundation” initiatives. For each initiative, the SPC organized a cross-functional team comprised of faculty, staff, and students charged with formulating a set of Coherent Action recommendations for fulfilling the initiative.
A Special Assistant is hired
Dr. Mora hires Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives to manage Phase I planning/implementation and to support the Board’s initial work on Phase II.
The Board prepares to develop Phase II
A revitalized Board Strategic Planning Committee outlines a brainstorming exercise to initiate Phase II development.
Winter 2020
Phase I implementation begins
While planning continues, the Special Assistant supports the leadership team as it assumes responsibility for prioritizing and implementing approved Coherent Action recommendations at the division and department levels.
Summer 2020
The SPC becomes the Strategic Planning Task Force
The SPC reorganizes as the Strategic Planning Task Force (SPTF) to fit within the school’s newly defined leadership structure. It continues to support Phase I planning efforts.
Fall 2020
Phase I planning and implementation continue
Planning and implementation continue concurrently, supported by the Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives, the leadership team, and the SPTF.
The Board updates its institutional diagnosis to guide Phase II
Internally, our impact is limited by our lack of differentiation among international secondary schools, the relatively small number of students we serve annually, the low profile or weakness of our educational brand, and financial resources. Externally, the global context in which we operate presents the challenges of inequality, political polarization, and climate change/ecological crisis.
Winter 2021
Board approves an initial Phase II framework
The Board approves an initial Innovate for Impact framework developed by the Strategic Planning Committee, working in close collaboration with the school’s leadership team.