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Faculty and staff, selected specifically to represent key 51����-Cascades stakeholders, were invited to be a part of the 2025-2030 Strategic Planning Steering Committee (SPSC). Two co-chairs were appointed, and a facilitator was identified to lead the process. The committee’s charge was to submit a strategic plan that aligns with Prosperity Widely Shared and to subsequently facilitate the review and adoption of the plan by leadership and the campus community.

To ensure the SPSC was confident about advancing a strategic plan that was appropriately nested within and parallel to the broader 51���� Strategic Plan, Prosperity Widely Shared, while also navigating a dynamic higher education landscape, the committee engaged in a three-phase process. This process was established to ensure a depth of understanding of the current and future pressures and opportunities facing 51����-Cascades while also amplifying the voices of the multiple stakeholders invested in 51����-Cascades longevity and success.

• Phase 1: Analyze and Synthesize the Dynamics Affecting 51����-Cascades
• Phase 2: Formulating 51����-Cascades 2025-2030 Strategic Plan
• Phase 3: Submission of 51����-Cascades 2025-2030 Strategic Plan to Leadership

The committee completed a PESTEL (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal) analysis to assess what might have the greatest impacts on 51����-Cascades and how 51����-Cascades will be affected by those influences between 2025-2030. To complete this analysis, the committee leveraged the following resources:

A broad spectrum of internal 51����-Cascades resources, including:

• Previous Enrollment and Academic Plans
• Ethos and Four Pillars documents
• 51���� Diversity Action Plans

And additional external stakeholder resources, including:

• The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Innovation and Economic Prosperity (IEP) program survey 
• National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) report
• Regional analysis documents prepared by ECONorthwest, incorporating input from Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO), the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC), the Oregon Employment Department (OED), Business Oregon, and the Bend Chamber of Commerce
• Previously collected stakeholder outreach data from 51����-Cascades initiatives, including focus groups and direct surveys of current, prospective and relinquished students and families.

Further, the strategic planning steering committee engaged in a condensed period of intensive outreach to stakeholders between March and June 2025. This included:

• feedback sessions at all-campus meetings
• faculty listening sessions through shared governance and small group listening sessions
• staff outreach sessions coordinated through staff executive council
• student outreach and input via the Associated Students of Cascades Campus (ASCC) communications channels
• listening sessions with the 51����-Cascades Advocacy and Advisory Board

The Strategic Planning Steering Committee collimated the resources mentioned above and collectively identified 51����-Cascades’ key competitive advantages and defined four core values that reflect the distinct nature of 51����-Cascades. These were incorporated into an initial draft text of an 51����-Cascades Strategic Plan based on a unique 51����-Cascades Vision within the broader 51���� Mission.

The four Foundational Values guide five Strategic Action Areas targeted to support 51����-Cascades’ evolution and advancement. Each Action Area includes high-level tactics designed to clarify the strategic priorities and support implementation. In the adoption phase, these tactics are meant to be reviewed by stakeholders to assess feasibility, establish performance indicators, and develop implementation plans.

This text document was shared with the 51���� leadership structure, including Chancellors Cabinet, Academic Leadership Council, Staff Executive Council for review and discussion. Revisions and refinements were brought to the SPSC for further deliberations and an updated draft text agreed upon. This updated document was shared throughout the 51����-Cascades community via email to faculty, staff and students as well as with the 51����-Cascades Advisory Board.

A second round of open listening sessions and stakeholder outreach, including an online survey, were conducted throughout Fall 2025 to ensure all stakeholders could review a draft version of the Strategic Plan and provide additional feedback on the proposed values, vision, and strategic actions. These included:

• Student-Specific Listening Session
• Faculty-Specific Listening Sessions
• Staff-Specific Listening Session
• All-Comers Listening Session
• 51����-Cascades Advocacy and Advisory Board Working Session

The 51����-Cascades DEI Task Force, formed in June 2025, was integrated into the process and members were included in milestone discussions with cross committee interaction and resource pooling throughout the process.

Following this outreach, the Strategic Planning Steering Committee reviewed the quantitative and qualitative feedback and again considered revisions and refinements before agreeing upon the finalized strategic planning text presented above.

COMMUNITY FEEDBACK AND RESPONSE

Following review by the leadership structure the draft strategic text was shared with the 51����-Cascades community via emails including a link to the pdf file stored in a box folder. This file was viewed by 78 unique people.

There were four listening sessions held to gather feedback with the opportunity for group discussions of the strategic actions and to put forward potential KPIs for chosen actions. This feedback was collected via a Qualtrics form with 10 group submissions which had a mean number of 4.22 people per group, representing approximately 40 people contributing feedback as well as 4 individual submissions. In addition, there was also a short form general feedback survey circulated to the 51����-Cascades community to collect quantitative data on the alignment of the mission, values and actions to individual community members which resulted in 54 individual submissions.

Some of the highlights are provided below, with the full data attached in Appendix 2 Full Qualtrics General Survey Report.

51����-CASCADES VISION STATEMENT

Please identify how strongly this Vision Statement resonates with your own vision for the future of 51����-Cascades. (1-10 scale Net Promotor Score)…………………………………………………………..

51����-CASCADES VALUES

For each of the following values, please identify the strength of connection you feel to that statement within the context of your relationship to 51����-Cascades. (1-10 scale Net Promotor Score) Experiential………………………………………………………………………….

Interdisciplinary & Interconnected…………………………………………..

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STRATEGIC ACTIONS

For each of the following actions please select how well each action aligns with your aspirations for the upcoming period at 51����-Cascades. (1-5 scale)

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Following finalization of the 51����-Cascades Strategic Planning text, the SPSC committee leadership compiled this overall process report document. We have included a brief review of the Committee Process, and an aggregated summary of the quantitative and qualitative feedback obtained during the outreach process to enhance the context of the strategic planning text. Also submitted is a list of possible Key Performance Indicators for each strategic action, presented by the members of the 51����-Cascades community who attended listening sessions to provide the implementation process an informed launching point for future discussions.

Designed with intention and care, the plan aims to foster progress and adaptability in a rapidly evolving higher education landscape, balancing growth with flexibility to meet future challenges and opportunities. Upon adoption, our recommendation is to move into an implementation phase established by the 51����-Cascades Leadership Team.

Co-Chairs: Cynthia Engel and Scott Geddes
Facilitator: William Forster
Committee Members and Primary Stakeholder Representation:

• Alison Lay Cranston, Instructor, Natual Resources and Environmental Sciences
  • Faculty
• Blair Garland, Director of Marketing & Communications 
  • Marketing/ Enrollment
• Rachel Kenney, Executive Assistant 
  • SEC
• Shannon Lipscomb, Associate Dean of Research and Faculty Advancement and Professor of Human Development and Family Sciences 
  • Research/ ID Issues
• Whitney McFarlane, President of ASCC 
  • Students/ ASCC
• Naomi Morrison, Program Coordinator and Instructor, Outdoor Products 
  • AFC
• Nathan Moses, Associate Director of Student Life 
  • Student Affairs
• Steve Pitman, Director of Facilities and Operations 
  • Operations

• Add majors in Chemistry, Physics (with astronomy option), Math.
• Develop Food Science program (possibly linked to Innovation District).
• Expand CEOAS offerings (e.g., geology in Central Oregon).
• Create Data Science program leveraging CS, Math, and Statistics faculty.
• Explore interdisciplinary and applied degree options.

• Emphasize lifelong learning and success in Action 1.
• Integrate sustainability more deeply into values and actions:
• Replace “economies of the future” with “economies, social systems, and ecosystems of the future.”
• Adopt triple-bottom-line thinking (economy, society, ecosystems).
• Strengthen language around societal impact (e.g., preparing engaged citizens).
• Avoid overly economic framing; balance career readiness with personal growth and civic responsibility.
• Clarify Foundational Values headings (e.g., “Experiential Learning,” “Inclusivity”).
• Ensure liberal arts representation in Prosperity section.

• Address cost of education as a strategic priority.
• Explore new models to reduce cost while improving learning outcomes.
• Consider affordability as part of innovation and program design.
• Funding sources and cost management for students.

• Increase ethnic diversity among faculty and staff.
• Embed inclusivity in curriculum and workplace culture.
• Foster openness and representation in decision-making processes.
• Revisit placement of Indigenous acknowledgment for better integration.

• Align actions with specific committees for development and monitoring.
• Create clear metrics and reporting structures for progress.
• Reporting obligations and accountability for outcomes.
• Ensure transparency in decision-making and communication channels.

• Current challenges: outdated performance metrics, paid parking, administrative red tape, high research buyouts, limited grant support.
• Need for differentiated incentives that align with 51����-Cascades’ unique goals.
• Build systems that reward collaboration, innovation, and student success.

• Question evidence for benefits of accelerated undergraduate degree completion.
• Suggest focusing on specific models like 4+1 programs rather than rushing students.
• Ensure alignment with foundational values and experiential learning.

• Executive summary should include actionable details, not just vision.
• Simplify academic language; define key terms.
• Improve format for readability; avoid overwhelming metrics.
• Minor edits: punctuation, header corrections.

• 100% job placement as a long-term goal.
• AI best practices for teaching—clarify implementation.
• Innovative and experiential focus resonates strongly.
• Leverage 51���� resources while maintaining agility.
• Innovation District launch as a priority.
• Strong support for ideals that foster personal growth.
• Appreciation for strategic plan effort and vision.