PCACAC Strategic Plan - 2008-2010                                                          

Reviewed in June, 2010

Overview

Recognition of the rapid change in education, technology and business and their impact on the environment in which the admissions counseling profession operates and the desire of the organization to remain outcome focused, encouraged the Executive Board of the Potomac & Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling (PCACAC) to develop a strategic planning process.

Assumptions

Time should be devoted to establishing reasonable assumptions about the future; to guide PCACAC’s planning.  Assumptions are "best guess" estimates of probable developments over which the organization has little significant control.  Although these cannot be predicted with absolute accuracy, they are an essential part of designing the organization's future. Reasonable assumptions about the future can impact PCACAC’s planning.

Some of the key assumptions:

  • Ethics and Trust: Increased ethical concerns are generated due to conflicting pressures resulting in the erosion of trust.
  • Access:  Equality of access to college will continue to be an issue as there is a widening gulf between those who are savvy and those who do not understand the college admissions process.
  • Changing Demographics and Diversity: The student population will change, i.e., more minorities, older students; changing demographics, male-female ratio; challenges of international students; students who have proper documentation and those who do not.
  • Commercialization: There will continue to be a “commercialization” of counseling.
  • Technology: The use of technology will increase and influence how we deal with each other and how “we do our business”, e.g., students will visit colleges on line rather than through campus visits or college fairs.
  • Fiscal: Our profession will continue to be asked to do more with fewer resources.
  • Professional Development: Counseling professionals will need additional education and new skills; these skills will need to be acquired in an easy, convenient, quick manner.
  • Pressures: There will be pressures on the profession because of increased competitiveness of the college process, the expanding role of parents in the process, and increased role of the media.
  • External Factors: The focus of state legislatures on education with high stakes testing and the influence of the media on the process will have an expanded role in college admissions.

 

Some of the implications for PCACAC include:

  • Ethics and Trust: An understanding of members expectation for help with ethical issues in the admissions process
  • Access: Recognition that the Marian Flagg Program needs to remain strong  to expand our membership to those who work with underrepresented populations
  • Changing Demographics and Diversity: The need to expand, strengthen, and fund the Ann Powell Mentoring Program to better support counselors new to the profession to gain a greater understanding of issues impacting college admissions.
  • Commercialization:  An understanding and recognition that we should strive to be counselors of the process rather than a salesman of a particular institution
  • Technology:  A need for greater use of technology in providing services to members and information to parents and students
  • Fiscal: Have less reliance on college fair dollars resulting in a need to diversify revenue streams
  • Professional Development: A need to take education and skills update to members, i.e., regional conferences, Drive-in Workshops, Summer Institute
  • Pressures: A need to enhance communication, networking, and support
  • External Factors: A need for counseling professionals to be more visible in state and federal legislatures

Mission

An association's mission defines its fundamental reason for being, establishes the scope of its major activity areas, and provides the framework for selecting action priorities.

The mission of PCACAC is to support and advance college admission professionals as they guide their institutions, students and families in an ethical manner.

Goals

The following goals and broad strategies are designed to achieve the PCACAC mission.  The goals and strategies are interrelated and some of the strategies identified for one goal influence the implementation of other goals.

Programs and Services Goal

 PCACAC will offer an array of contemporary programs and services to members and prospective members.

1. To achieve this goal, PCACAC will:

                  1.1  Maintain an online membership directory which is current and available in the members-only section of the PCACAC website; include  an annual calendar of events. (ongoing, Executive Assistant, Webmaster and Membership Committee)

                  1.2  Publish an electronic newsletter for members and archive newsletters electronically (Publication Committee, Webmaster)

                  1.3  Explore different formats for disseminating information and news. (Publications and Research Committee and Webmaster)

                  1.4  Maintain existing services and core program (such as the Summer Institute, Marian Flagg Scholarship Program, Ann Powell Mentoring Program, Counselor of the Year Awards, Spring Conference, enhanced web presence)while evaluating and enhancing services as appropriate (i.e., website, directory, conference) (Executive Board)

                   1.5  Ensure that relevant committee information is updated regularly (All Committee Chairs and Webmaster).

 Public Policy Goal

2.   PCACAC will become more active in public policy initiatives.

To achieve this goal, PCACAC will:

                     2.1 Establish a government relations committee membership that includes a representative/contact person for each state in the PCACAC region ( DC, VA, WV, DE, MD) (Government Relations Committee and Assembly Delegates)

                     2.2  Work with the representative/contact person to establish contacts/linkages within each state with key policy makers. (Government Relations Committee and Assembly Delegates).

                     2.3  Encourage membership to be actively involved in the NACAC Member Action Center (Government Relations Committee). Should this now be Member Action?

Image and Identity Goal

3.  PCACAC will promote the professional image and identity PCACAC.

To achieve this goal, PCACAC will:

                    3.1  Determine the profile of PCACAC members to identify where members live and work, segments of profession represented (and not represented) in PCACAC while responding to NACAC reporting requirements.(President, Executive Assistant, Membership Chair)

                    3.2  Promote a logo about PCACAC that is consistent across all materials. (President)

                          3.2.1 Consistent use of logo/emblem with members

                          3.2.2 Develop and disseminate a PCACAC fact sheet

                          3.2.3 Distribute PCACAC graphics, links, and information for use on publications and web sites.

                    3.3  Obtain “link” to PCACAC on high school and college web sites(Webmaster)

                    3.4  Promote the PCACAC mission by the development of a marketing plan that showcases the resources of PCACAC

 Membership Goal

 4.  PCACAC will work to continually increase its membership each year.  PCACAC will work to increase NACAC membership each year. (Membership Committee)

To achieve these goals, PCACAC will:

                    4.1  Target all underserved populations in our region. (Membership Committee)

                    4.2  Survey current members to determine which services to maintain and what services to add. (President)

                    4.3  Issue invitations for membership for “new hires/staff.” (Membership Committee)

                    4.4  Survey non renewing members to determine why they left PCACAC and to obtain ideas about how PCACAC might improve its sustained membership numbers. (President will consult with Membership Committee Chair)

                    4.5  Support student membership by reaching out to students in college counseling certification programs; consider implementing a separate fee structure for student members(Membership and Professional Development Committees)

Leadership Goal

5.   PCACAC will cultivate leadership among the membership.

To achieve this goal, PCACAC will:

                     5.1  Cultivate active and robust committees to involve members (All Committees).

                     5.2  Assure that the committee structure is diverse and representative of all entities who serve students. (All Committees).

                     5.3  Designate “leaders emerti” and call upon them for special projects/work (Presidential Appointments)

                     5.4  Continue efforts to solicit member involvement for the organization (All Committees)

                     5.5  Exercise increased leadership at the national level by increasing visibility and raising issues (i.e., being proactive regarding national agenda items) (President and Executive Board).

Governance Goals

6.   PCACAC will be structured and governed for maximum efficiency and effectiveness.

To achieve this goal, PCACAC will:

                     6.1  Maintain a flexible governance structure including the use of ad hoc groups to accomplish specific tasks. (Executive Board)

                     6.2  Should a crisis or a dramatic change occur, PCACAC should be able to respond promptly. (Executive Board)

Fiscal Goal

7.   PCACAC will ensure that it is financially strong and fiscally accountable by:

                     7.1  Exploring new revenue options (Treasurer and Ad Hoc Committee for Fund Development)

                     7.2  Calculating the cost of doing business and serving members and cultivating an awareness of these costs among leaders and membership (Treasurer)

                     7.3  Conducting an annual review of PCACAC’s finances by someone other than the Treasurer (Treasurer) 

Conclusion:

Critical to the success of this plan will be the understanding that this plan covers a two-year period, i.e. goals are scheduled for full implementation by 2011. Because of this, implementation strategies should be assigned over a two-year timeline, with all resources allocated accordingly.

 The Strategic Plan itself should be revisited annually, for amendment if warranted.  Goal achievement should be a principal tool for evaluating Board, Committee, and staff performance.

 For each new task or program taken on, another should be dropped or deferred, unless additional resources, fiscal, human, technological and time, are provided. This is essential to prevent overload for volunteers and staff, and to preclude a lack of attention to priority projects.

 

Initial planning facilitated and reported by:

Linda J. Shinn, CAE, Principal

Consensus Management Group

Indianapolis, Indiana 

                                                                                                             June 2001

 

Additional suggestions:

  • Set aside retreat time every two years to review, evaluate, and revise the Strategic Plan.
  • Establish an evaluation tool to assess all programs and committees.
  • What are our priorities and how will we achieve them?

 

6/25/02:  Review and revision of Strategic Plan facilitated by Arlene Ingram

6/25/07: Review and revision of Strategic Plan facilitated by Susan Rexford

6/24/08: Review and revision of Strategic Plan facilitated by Susan Rexford

6/28/10: Review and revision of Strategic Plan facilitated by Susan Rexford