Strategic Planning Newsletter 3

April 13, 1995

Dear members of The Citadel Community,

     On behalf of the Strategic Planning Committee, I would like
to give you a belated update on the progress toward a Strategic
Plan for the next five years at The Citadel.  I apologize for the 
belatedness.  

     The five Strategic Planning Task Forces (on Educational
Programs, Financial and Physical Resources, Institutional
Effectiveness, Institutional Organization, and Student
Development) submitted their reports during the last two weeks of
February.  These reports were the result, in nearly all cases, of
25-40 hours of meeting during the fall term, of examination of
documents such as the 1993 Self-Study and the various surveys and
reports that led to that, and of interviews with Citadel
administrators, faculty, staff, and students.  Led by Professors
Ozment, Askins, Ezell, Moreland, and Carter, the Task Forces took
their work quite seriously and are to be commended.

     Since the end of February the Strategic Planning Steering
Committee (consisting of the VPAA, the VP Finance, Deans Metts,
Reilly, Gordon, and Gaskins, the five Task Force chairs, and
myself) has met twice a week to discuss and revise these reports. 
Specifically, we have been trying to determine the general Goals
and the more specific Recommendations and Strategies in support
of those goals that will be the center of the completed Plan. 
Once that task is completed, we will work on prioritizing the
goals and recommendations and determining costs (or savings!),
deadlines, and persons responsible for each one.  We will also be
providing a prose supplement for each section of the report,
describing the background and context for the Goals and
Recommendations, and a Vision Statement for the Plan as a whole.
Our hope is that we will be able to submit a completed Strategic
Plan to General Watts by the beginning of August and that a Plan
approved by General Watts and the Board of Visitors will be
published and in effect by the end of the Fall, 1995 semester. 

     Prior to that, however, we need your help and advice.  A
draft version of the Goals and Recommendations should be
completed by April 14 and I hope to distribute at least one copy
per department or activity by Tuesday, April 18.  Five copies
will also be on reserve in the library.  Would you please read
through this draft and let us know what you think might be added,
deleted, or re-worded, what you like and what you don't like, and
what you think the priorities among the recommendations should
be?  To help in this, a series of meetings open to interested
faculty, staff, and students (both Cadets and CGPS students) will
be held during the last week of April and the first of May.  The
dates and times are Monday, April 24th at 3:30, Wednesday, April
26th at 3:30, Tuesday, May 2 at 10:30, and Thursday, May 4 at 1. 
All meetings will be held in 333 Bond Hall.

     Please come to one or more of these informal meetings. 
General Poole will be there, I will be there, and as many as
possible of the members of the Steering Committee will be there,
to hear your suggestions and answer your questions and just
generally talk about the future direction of The Citadel.  We are
very anxious that this Plan represent the wishes and wisdom of
the entire Citadel community.

     And if you cannot attend any of these meetings, but do have
comments or suggestions, please send them to me, either by e-mail
(MAILLOUXP) or hard copy.  In preparing its next draft, the draft
which will be submitted to General Watts by early August, the
Steering Committee will consider carefully anything you submit.

     That's all for now.  But please do let us talk with you
soon.  And thanks for your interest.