Strategic Planning at the Speed of Disruption

With traditional strategic planning cycles increasingly out of sync with today’s pace of change, presidents are being urged to rethink how institutions set direction, make tradeoffs, and stay aligned amid constant disruption. In a recent in-person convening of presidents, EAB shared new guidance on how leading institutions are moving away from static plans toward more agile, continuously refreshed approaches to strategy. This virtual session gives chief strategy officers direct visibility into what was shared with that presidential audience and how those ideas can be applied on campus.

Informed by EAB’s State of the Sector analysis, the session will examine why legacy planning models are falling short, how presidents are shifting from fixed planning cycles to dynamic strategy, and where institutions most often experience disconnects between strategic plans and real-time decision-making. We will also preview practical best practices and new EAB tools designed to support institutions as they:

• Set and reset strategic priorities as conditions change
• Clarify institutional differentiation in an increasingly crowded market
• Strengthen cross-campus alignment without overhauling governance structures

Participants will gain insight into how presidents are balancing near-term pressures with long-term ambition and how strategy can function as an active management tool rather than a static document. The session will be interactive, with peer discussion focused on where current strategic plans no longer reflect today’s headwinds and where institutions have the greatest opportunity to sharpen differentiation despite internal and external barriers.

Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of the strategic messages presidents are hearing and concrete ideas for translating that guidance into day-to-day strategic leadership.

Session

Click the Register button to sign up.

Attendance is limited to chief strategy officers, chiefs of staff, and vice presidents of strategy. Registration is limited to two attendees per institution.

• Thursday, March 26, 2026 | 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time