The role of perceptions in strategic planning in higher education

America's colleges and universities are confronted with changes as never before. Today's institutions of higher education are faced with aging facilities, aging faculties, eroding public confidence, changing educational interests, expanding knowledge base, changing technology, changing demographics, changing attendance patterns, increasing competition, rising costs, and funding cuts. How these institutions respond to the multiple changes will greatly determine their strength and even their survival. Confronted with the unprecedented changes a number of colleges and universities have turned to strategic planning as a way of strengthening and insuring the survival of their institutions. Strategic planning, which is replacing incremental and long-range planning, is planning that is attuned to the changing conditions inside and outside the institution. It is planning that considers the strengths and weaknesses of the institution and the opportunities and threats in the environment. One important aspect of strategic planning which has been developing slowly over the last few years is perceptions