James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy: Rx for the Future
Challenge
In early 2016, The College of Pharmacy at the University of Cincinnati found itself at a unique crossroads. With Strategic Plan 2016 in its fourth year of implementation, the college had the opportunity to engage with its many stakeholders—students, faculty, staff, community partners and board of advisors— in a data driven process to evaluate the progress made-to-date on the strategic goals, while setting a shared trajectory for the next five years. This approach allowed stakeholders to recommit and revise the unified vision for the college, as needed. The participatory, data-driven approach allowed many voices to speak their mind, as the College of Pharmacy and M E Clarke Consulting joined in partnership to rewrite and re-imagine the future of the College. By taking on his comprehensive approach, the College of Pharmacy was able to discover and leverage its many strengths, including its history, faculty, student talent and long standing community partnerships, while continuing to drive the College forward to becoming even more of a local and national leader.
Process
In partnership with College of Pharmacy’s strategic planning committee, our team developed a strategic road map that highlighted the unique cultural context and desired future for the College. We conducted an environmental analysis and internal review to understand and account for the nuances in the industry. From these observations, we were able to align the future plan with the values of other UC colleges. In February of 2016, we launched a survey and distributed it to each of the College of Pharmacy’s stakeholder groups in order to create a thorough SWOT analysis. After collecting data from the surveys, our team analyzed the results and validated our findings through stakeholder focus groups. During the focus groups, stakeholders shared additional thoughts and feedback to help us draft vision, mission and objective statements. We then presented the collaborative results of the vision, mission and objective to the strategic planning committee at their Visioning Retreat in mid-May.
Resolution
The Visioning Retreat gave the strategic planning committee an opportunity to come together and listen to the findings from each focus group. With M E Clarke Consulting, the College of Pharmacy lead team was able to solidify the final draft of each vision, mission and objective statement. Communally, the committee decided on the official vision statement for the College of Pharmacy, Rx for the Future: Lead. Care. Transform. During the retreat, the group also brainstormed the five strategic priorities for the College. Following the Visioning Retreat, the lead team spent July finalizing the strategic priorities and their metrics to gauge success, ultimately presenting the data to the executive committee and creating brochures to officially announce the College’s new strategic plan.
Outcome
University of Cincinnati’s College of Pharmacy came together with a vibrant and genuine passion for the success of students, faculty, staff, and other College stakeholders. This passionate voice translated into a strategic plan that encompasses a genuine care for the people served, the education offered and the many opportunities provided. The College is growing in its success, while maintaining quality education and rigor, ultimately establishing itself as a renowned college in the city of Cincinnati.
