MARCH 2025

from W. Kent Barnds and Augustana College

Welcome to Issue 5 of Innovation and Strategy for the Small American College.

Every strategic plan hinges on a single challenge: aligning day-to-day work with long-term goals.

It’s easier said than done.

Alignment with strategy must be intentional and ongoing. This issue provides a couple of examples of how we are aiming alignment of our workforce with Augustana’s strategic plan, Bold & Boundless. 

W. Kent Barnds
Executive Vice President for Strategy and Innovation 
Augustana College, Rock Island, Ill.  

I am very fortunate to have countless campus stakeholders very interested in how to support our institutional efforts to attract and persuade prospective students. In fact, this fall the Enrollment Committee of the Faculty, of which I am a part, made the decision to sponsor a workshop on best practices for faculty involved in student recruitment.

In my role as chief enrollment officer, how could I not enthusiastically support this initiative?

The faculty on the committee put into motion a great plan for the workshop, which included an overview of best practices, discussion of things that students and parents consider to be important, and an excellent panel discussion led by a handful of faculty who are superstar recruiters. That was the easy part and it was awesome.

But we didn’t stop there.

As a committee we also knew this workshop was an opportunity to try to align faculty member student recruitment efforts with our strategic plan. We gathered pre-workshop questions from presenters, and one opportunity quickly surfaced: many weren’t sure what to say to prospective students. That became our entry point for alignment.

We organized the active learning workshop around answering questions that align with our strategic plan. Participants worked together using this set of prompts designed to connect their recruitment conversations to Augustana’s strategic direction.

OUR WORKSHOP PROMPTS:

You play a vital role in shaping the student experience—and in attracting the next generation of Augustana students. Reflect on the questions below as you explore how your department or program can stand out for students seeking their best investment for their college education.

1. PRIORITIZE ENGAGED LEARNING

How does our teaching or curriculum provide students with immersive, real-world learning opportunities that can set them apart (e.g., research, fieldwork, internships)?

2. MAXIMIZE STUDENT POTENTIAL

How does our program demonstrate a student-ready philosophy (e.g. mentoring, innovative teaching, personalized experiences, etc.)?

3. CONNECT THROUGH COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP

How does our program leverage our Quad-Cities location and integrate community-based learning to engage students beyond the classroom?

Was it a success? Only time will tell. But this is an example of being intentional about alignment.

Key lesson learned: Organizations must design tools and efforts that help everyone align with organizational strategy. 

This past Valentine's Day marked one of the coolest events I’ve ever been involved in at Augustana and throughout my 30+ years in higher ed.

We hosted a celebration and showcase of our strategic plan, and it was simply awesome.

It wasn’t a dry slideshow or progress report. We did something entirely different. We built the celebration and showcase around people who, through their efforts, are aligning their initiatives with Augustana’s strategic plan. 

Key lesson learned: Don’t just update your community—invite them into the plan. Showcase people, not just metrics.

The showcase was similar to our annual Celebration of Learning, which revolves around students presenting their research findings, often through posters, with stations set up fair-style throughout the room. That was the vibe we were going for, and so our showcase had five themed zones designed to spark conversation and feature real work in action:

The event had a great turnout, with more than one-third of our workforce present. We also invited local alumni to attend, as well as the local media. The energy was excellent (and we also had good food and champagne).

Key lesson learned: Keeping an organization’s strategy and strategic plan front and center is critically important to ensure alignment. And showcasing broad involvement of stakeholders at varying stages of implementation ensures a sense that everyone has a role in successfully implementing a strategic plan. 

Given the current environment facing higher education, especially for small to medium-sized colleges, there is the possibility that uncertainty and changes might tempt organizations to pause or abandon a strategy or a strategic plan. Resist that temptation!

In my view, now is the time to double down on your strategy and make some bold moves. This HBR article, 6 Strategies for Leading Through Uncertainty, is worth a read.

Are you a chief strategy officer? Share what’s guiding you in your work for your institution.

Let's connect.

W. Kent Barnds
Executive Vice President for Strategy & Innovation
Vice President of Enrollment & Communication
Augustana College, Rock Island, IL 61201
wkentbarnds@augustana.edu

This message is sent on behalf of Augustana College