How do higher education institutions move forward in the midst of a pandemic? Harcum College has found itself, like many institutions, organizations and businesses, immersed in the immediate need to grapple with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic while still staying true to longer range planning.

Our responses have included expanding our distance learning offerings, prepping and maintaining the campus environment with safety measures, and providing health support and updates to align with local, state, and national guidelines. At the same time, we have found it important not to waver in providing a blueprint to fulfill our mission.

Harcum has greatly benefited from a dynamic Strategic Planning process by which we lay out strategic initiatives in three-year iterations, updating the plan each year. Each iteration of the Strategic Plan advances through proper governance channels by means of review and consensus across the institution including the Board of Trustees and the Student Government Association. To connect to budget and resources, departmental annual reports and budget assessment tools link back to specific strategic plan goals and outcomes, and, of course, the College mission.

The flexibility inherent in the dynamic planning process enabled us to pivot over the spring, summer and fall to address immediate COVID-19 concerns while still developing strategic enterprises as part of our usual process that aligns with budget, resources, and support of our mission.

To monitor the status of the plan, we have a Strategic Plan Scorecard that assigns percentages assessing progress toward plan goals and outcomes. The scorecard is updated three times each year and enables the President’s Cabinet to communicate progress across academic and administrative departments as well as keep our Board of Trustees informed.

While somewhat subjective in nature, the Scorecard encourages sharing and accountability. At the end of the fiscal year, College administrators can examine what has worked, what has not worked, and what should be carried over to next year’s iteration in the context of budget and resources. The combination of addressing immediate COVID concerns and planning for the future enables us to continue to support students and our community now and moving forward.

Strategic planning and monitoring progress in thoughtful ways will be even more important moving forward as COVID-19 impacts institutions’ operations and budgets, and students’ ability to remain in school and successfully persist to graduation.

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Tim Ely is Executive Director of Strategic Planning and Institutional Research at Harcum College. He holds a B.A. from West Chester University and an M.Ed. from Penn State University and postgraduate certificates in Educational Technology and Institutional Research from Penn State University. Prior to heading up Strategic Planning & Institutional Research at Harcum College, he spent 10 years as director of online education at Harcum (2002-2012) and two years at Montgomery County Community College as director of e-learning.