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Strategic Cabinet Resource Center for Community Colleges

Insights and tools to guide cabinets through transformational change

March 9, 2020

To rise to the oncoming challenges facing community colleges, presidents have expressed an urgent need: an empowered cabinet that helps lead strategic change.

In an increasingly volatile higher ed landscape, cabinet members are no longer tasked only with running an efficient department and successfully completing transactional tasks that keep the ship afloat; they now have to look up and think strategically about where their department and institution is heading. However, this is a new way of doing business for cabinets, and many are unsure of their roles and how to go about fulfilling them.

To meet these challenges, cabinet members must develop new strategic thinking skills, lead change across campus, and build infrastructures that support sustainable strategic transformation. To guide cabinet members in this shift in thought and responsibility, EAB’s Strategic Advisory Services for Community Colleges is pleased to provide the Strategic Cabinet Resource Center.

These expert insight pieces and toolkits guide cabinets through each step of this process of transformation.

Educate stakeholders on the need for strategy

Blog

Why “becoming strategic leaders” should be at the top of every cabinet’s to-do list

Shorter presidential tenures, a rise in no-confidence votes, and increasing public scrutiny of the sector as a whole…

Exercise strategic thinking

Tool

How to exercise your strategic thinking muscles

Crafting a transformational vision and leading change on campus is not something that happens overnight—these skills take time…
Strategic Advisory Services for Community Colleges
Tool

Future-Focused Scenario Planning

To move above transactional tasks and think strategically, cabinet members need to get above their day-to-day and develop…
Strategic Advisory Services for Community Colleges
Tool

Six Thinking Hats Persona Exercise

Community college leaders need to be able to appeal to different stakeholders (and their style of thinking) on…
Strategic Advisory Services for Community Colleges

Translate vision into actionable goals

Blog

3 steps to create real change by cascading strategic goals

The success of a vision often relies on the buy-in and action of those not directly involved in…
Tool

Embedding Strategy Toolkit

To make a visionary idea a reality, community college leaders must translate strategy from something that is lofty…
Strategic Advisory Services for Community Colleges

Structure impactful change

Tool

How to develop an infrastructure for change that stands the test of time

Under the pressure of achieving a strategic vision, many higher ed leaders neglect the ingredients for impactful, sustained…
Strategic Advisory Services for Community Colleges
Tool

From Strategic Vision to Organizational Change Playbook

Change of a visionary scale is never easy, and community colleges need to prepare to tackle the challenges…
Strategic Advisory Services for Community Colleges