“Develop a student services vision and goals” is the fifth in a blog series that provides a high-level process roadmap for structuring a student services redesign initiative. This process can be applied in all higher education institutions for entire student services organizations or individual departments. To review this blog series from the beginning, click <here>.

The goal in this phase is to begin crafting a student services vision to support an optimal student experience. Inputs into this phase include a critical review of the current student services model (Phase 2) and research conducted on alternative models and peer institutions (Phase 3). Once the vision is created a set of goals is developed that are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, results oriented and time sensitive) to successfully realize the vision. Together, the vision and goals anchor the student services model to a foundation where performance measures can be set. A best practice in this phase is to convene a 1 to 2 day work session with a cross section of campus and student services leaders and other key influencers such as faculty. The retreat serves two purposes: creates a dialogue about the student experience as it exists today and second, harnesses the brain power and creativity of key constituents to envision an optimal student experience.

Vision and Goals Setting Work Session

Below is a sample agenda for a student services redesign work session:

Review current state assessment and best practice research.

Gain agreement on the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for improvement which student services organization should prepare to address in the future.

Develop a vision and a statement of values to guide the behaviors of the student services organization members.

Identify major goal areas for discussion and development. If this is a cross campus student services redesign effort, consider priority areas of improvement.

Identify next steps.

Questions to Consider

Do we have the right mix of campus stakeholders in the room?



Does the Student Services vision and goals align with the institutional mission?



Does the vision and goals optimize the end-to-end student experience?

Questions about this phase or how to begin a student redesign initiative? Contact me at

[email protected].