Strategic Planning for an LGBT Center in Student Affairs

1. Strategic Planning for anLGBT Center in Student Affairs Ronni Sanlo, Ed.D. Director Emeritus UCLA LGBT Center ronnisanlo@gmail.com

2. Explanation of my Process • Full day minimum experience • Share visible/invisible identities of each participate for diversity inclusion • Lots of writing on cards, paper, walls • Pool information and vote for consensus Today is a taste of the process to help you move forward

4. So, we start here… • Long term • Uncertain • Divergent • Incomplete • Beyond linear • Disrupting alignment

5. Whatever takes you away from conventional thinking is good! Emerging Issues

6. If you’re looking for new ideas, don’t talk to normal people!

7. Challenge assumptions

8. Three large questions! What effects will the changing landscape in higher education have on the role and purpose of an LGBT Office at Weber State? How do we know if Weber State staff, faculty, students, and community are ready for LGBT inclusion in Student Affairs? Are people ready, willing, and able to do the work required for LGBT inclusion, and, really, what is that work?

9. 5-Step Process to Strategic PlanningSanlo, Rankin & Schoenberg, (2002). Our Place on Campus: LGBT Programs & Services in Higher education. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press

10. SWOT: the landscape of change • Strengths and Weaknesses: usually INTERNAL • Opportunities and Threats: usually EXTERNAL

11. Assignment:SWOT Teams 1 = strengths 2 = weaknesses 3 = opportunities 4 = threats • Areas to consider: • Work Content • Department Management • Community Response • Institutional Response • Scholar/practitioner

12. Questions that must be answered: • What results is the LGBT Office trying to achieve? • What are the major strengths of the LGBT Office? • What are the major weaknesses of the LGBT Office? • Who are you serving and what do they value? (Students? Faculty? Staff? Community?)

13. Assignment: 1. major strengths of an LGBT Office 2. major weaknesses of an LGBT Office

14. Step 1: VISION: Who You Are In a perfect world, what does the Weber State LGBT office look like? Assignment: Write your vision then share it with your table. One sentence only.

15. Step 2: MISSIONWHAT YOU DO What are the broad overarching goals of an LGBT office at Weber State?

16. Assignment: Write a mission statement then share it with your table. Two sentence only.

17. Step 3: GoalsThe BIGsteps toward accomplishing your mission and vision

18. Questions: • Where should you focus your efforts? B. Will the initial structure be able to handle everything people want it to do?

19. Initial Goals might be… Goal I Define staffing: who does the work? Qualification? Goal II. Define who the office serves Goal III. Identify initial services

20. Assignment: Create three big goals for the initial Weber State LGBT Resource Center

21. Step 4: OBJECTIVES …are the steps you take to accomplish your goals.

22. Step 5: Organizational Responsibilities • What is the staffing of the LGBT Office? B. What are the specific responsibilities of the staff? C. Are the responsibilities reasonable for the appointments? (part-time, full-time) D. Does the office also serve the greater community beyond Weber State campus?

23. Assignment: Select one goal per table List three objectives you need to complete to accomplish the goal.

25. Strategic planning • It’s kind of tricky • Goals may be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound…or • big, hairy, and audacious • Mission may be inspirational for some • vision may be inspirational for others • May take place over many months of processing or just a day

26. Closing Questions Dr. Ronni Sanlo ronnisanlo@gmail.com