Strategic Plan

Saint Martin's University is embarking on a new strategic plan to guide the institution for the next three years. AIP Team members may access the Strategic Plan SharePoint site here. You will need to login using your Saint Martin's credentials.

View the 2026 Strategic Plan

What is Strategic Planning?

According to Harvard Business School, strategic planning is the ongoing organizational process of using available knowledge to document an organization's intended direction.

This process is used to:

• Prioritize efforts,
• Effectively allocate resources,
• Align shareholders and employees on the organization’s goals, and
• Ensure those goals are backed by data and sound reasoning.

With this definition in mind, our Strategic Plan will define our three-year strategies to advance Saint Martin’s University by pursuing our highest priorities and well-defined goals between July 2023 and June 2026.

What is different about this Strategic Planning Process?

We are implementing a proven process for Strategic Planning that is adapted from the Hoshin Kanri method of planning. The method is rooted in Lean-based thinking, which takes into account the internal and external factors impacting Saint Martin’s and emphasizes a continuous improvement mindset. Below is a list of attributes that this method provides: 

• Agile – follows a Lean-based process that includes an annual reflection and refinements; the Plan is a living document
• Inclusive – offers opportunities for insights and ideas to be shared from all members of the community; Provides professional development opportunities for those seeking to expand their project management and leadership experience
• Measurable – requires clearly defined project leaders, deliverables, resources, metrics and due dates
• Transparent – provides monthly Annual Improvement Project (AIP) progress updates (scorecards) and quarterly Strategy Reviews presented to the Board of Trustees
• Integrated – aligns with our operating framework, budgets and available resources

Who will be involved in Strategic Planning?

Everyone in our community will have an opportunity to contribute to the Strategic Planning Process because it emphasizes the “voice of community” as input for setting priorities and defining Annual Improvement Projects (AIPs). If you’ve participated in listening sessions, various campus surveys, ideation sessions for the new student center, etc. your voice is already part of this process!

The SPP will be managed by a Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) that is co-chaired by the University President and a member of Finance. SPC members were nominated by the President’s Cabinet and approved by President JBR and/or Abbot Marion.

This year’s SPC members include:

• Chair:  Finance Controller Ellie Sesin
• Monastic leader:  Father Kilian Malvey, O.S.B.
• Trustee:  Tedi Reynolds '71
• Faculty:  Dr. Todd Barosky
• Staff:  Nedra Robertson (Human Resources)
• Strategic Plan Process & Project Coach:  Consultant Jenn Christiansen

As part of the SPP, we will be defining our three-year strategies and creating specific projects to support those strategies called Annual Improvement Projects (AIPs). Each AIP will have a leader, team members, goals and resources to support it. This is another way that many of our team members will have an opportunity to get involved.

Plus, the Board of Trustees will continue to be involved by approving strategic priorities and resources, as well as having quarterly progress updates.

Resources

The following are resources for the community to participate in the strategic planning process:

• 2026 Strategies & Initiatives Report - approved by the Board
• 2026 Strategies & Initiatives Recording - get to know the six strategies
• AIP Proposal Info Session Recording - learn how to prepare an AIP proposal
  You can listen to the recording by click the sound icon at the bottom right of each slide or by clicking the "Slideshow" tab and then clicking "From Beginning" to hear the recording and slides in presentation mode.
• AIP Proposal Example Recording - view a hypothetical example of an AIP proposal
  You can listen to the recording by click the sound icon at the bottom right of each slide or by clicking the "Slideshow" tab and then clicking "From Beginning" to hear the recording and slides in presentation mode.
• AIP Proposal Template - download the PowerPoint and develop your proposal
• AIP Proposal Log - see the list of AIP proposals in development
• Strategic Planning Committee Project Plan
• Strategy Assessment Report - includes the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats (SWOT) analysis
• Contact the Strategic Planning Committee - send questions or requests to StrategicPlan@stmartin.edu

What does the Strategic Planning timeline look like?

Since this year is our first year implementing this more formal process, there is some upfront communication and training that is needed to get the ball rolling. Then, we’ll move into the three phases of the SPP. These phases reoccur each year as part of a continuous improvement cycle.  

• Phase 1: Strategy Assessment (to be completed by Dec. 23, 2022)
• Phase 2: Strategy Development (to be completed by May 30, 2023)
• Phase 3: Strategy Deployment + Annual Improvement Projects (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024)