Challenge
The University of Cincinnati’s prestigious College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) just welcomed a new dean in September 2011, Dean Peter Landgren. Under new leadership, CCM was seeking to unite all disciplines within the college under one common vision, building on their individual strengths to create an even better CCM. Creating a strategic partnership with M E Clarke Consulting we worked to launch the strategic initiative: ONECCM: A Path Forward. To continue their history of excellence the School needed to set their sights higher than ever before. To do this would require them to ask themselves challenging questions in order to set the next trajectory of success. Leaving no stone unturned we set out to unite all of CCM under a common vision as part of the journey to create an even better CCM.
Process
Together with CCM’s Executive Council and Dean’s Leadership Council, CCM worked with our team to begin the planning of ONECCM. Defining the purpose and direction of the initiative the partnership continued forward to create a unified, participatory process. By November 2013, a survey was released to stakeholders throughout the community. 576 surveys were collected and analyzed from faculty, staff, students, alumni, preparatory students, donors and patrons. The feedback was taken back to the stakeholder groups for validation with focus groups. Each constituent meeting was held separately with students, staff, and members of the Friends of CCM and Alumni Governing Board. Together, these groups provided the feedback and validation to shape the vision and future of ONECCM. The groups discussed and drafted passions, visions and strategic priorities for the college. These focus groups gave constituents of CCM the opportunity to understand one another and find their common passion for excellence, the dedicated students.
Resolution
CCM’s Executive Council, made up of faculty division heads and college administrators, reviewed the findings from the focus groups. They were overwhelmed with the passion and pride the stakeholders revealed for CCM. Drawing from the focus groups ideas, concerns and hopes the group created action items for The Path Forward. The Dean’s Leadership Council then further refined these action items and by June 2014 CCM had developed a data driven vision, mission, objective and strategic priorities. CCM’s shared vision became “UnCompromising Excellence”, something that all of CCM could connect with and feel a part of. With their five strategic priorities CCM will move forward to continue their prolonged excellence and become a more unified whole.
Outcome
CCM brought together all constituents of their creative and artistic college to form a united team that would provide a clear path forward. This united team provided a clear path forward that is unceasingly student-centric, enhances collaboration, creates a more nimble and effective organization and makes CCM sustainably excellent for generations to come. They found the key to their success was in their differentiation. Now, ONECCM- The Path Forward is the way that the College-Conservatory of Music will forever remain the prestigious institution for the performing and media arts.
Learn more about ONECCM:
The Path Forward ONECCM Process Brochure
ONECCM- The Path Forward
Faculty Focus Group
Staff Focus Group Student Focus Group
