ISLAMABAD  -  In an effort to build capacity for strate­gic planning at a high education level, the USAID’s Higher Education System Strengthening Activity (HESSA) has engaged the Society of College and Uni­versity Planning (SCUP) to support its 16 partner public sector universities.

SCUP is US-based entity for higher education planners that creates oppor­tunities to share resources, best prac­tices, and fresh ideas that move chal­lenges to solutions — building upon a culture of integrated planning.

This is the first time that a compre­hensive program has been launched for the public sector higher education institutions (HEIs) in Pakistan to learn how to prepare a university-specific strategic plan through an inclusive pro­cess. The experienced international ex­perts leading this program include Dr. Michael Barber, Dr. Aslam Chaudhry, Dr. David Keida, and Dr. Mercedes Ward from the University of Utah; Dr. Ayesha Razzaque from the HESSA PMU and Randy Simon, Ray White, and Josh Humbel from SCUP.

An extensive training for approxi­mately 100 senior officials including Pro-Vice Chancellors, senior Deans, De­partment Chairs, Registrars, Directors of Students Affairs, etc. representing all 16 partner institutions was organized from December 4-15 in Islamabad.

The participants completed all three modules of the SCUP’s Planning Insti­tute. The first training module, titled Foundations: Laying the Groundwork for Strategic Planning, covered the as­sessment of institutional context, iden­tifying and analyzing stakeholders, internal and external scanning, and adapting integrated planning to an in­stitution’s unique situation.

The second module, Design: De­signing and Implementing a Strategic Plan went into depth on the process for building a plan. Topics included creating a vision, developing an inte­grated planning process, institutional alignment, and plan implementation. Through a combination of lectures and group activities, participants practiced planning tools and techniques that can be applied on their campus.

Finally, the participants concluded their week with the third module, Sus­tain: Sustaining an Integrated Planning Culture.

The focus of this training module was to establish and nurture a culture of inclusive planning at their institution. The participants practiced skills in de­cision-making, managing conflict, and planning for the long range.

At the conclusion of the program, Dr. Aslam Chaudhry, Research Professor at the University of Utah and Associ­ate Project Director of HESSA empha­sized the importance of this initiative. He said, 

“Through HESSA’s support, all 16 partner HEIs will be able to prepare their university-specific strategic and business plans in the next 6-8 months. These HEIs will become a role model for other universities across Pakistan to advance a culture of inclusive and sustainable development that can en­sure an improved workforce develop­ment in the country.”