Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book offers scholars, practitioners and postgraduate students a contemporary representation of strategic planning in higher education. It discusses a global perspective on how higher education is being reshaped because of responses to local and global dynamics. The book describes the functions of strategy and planning. It provides a practical guide to the process of developing an effective institutional strategy. The book focuses on institutional priorities and also provides guidance on supporting the development of a new vision and strategic aims and on the various elements of a strategy framework while emphasizing the importance of organizational and behavioral dynamics. It draws out the importance of contextual information, the degree to which local departmental ownership of student number planning is helpful, the link between forecast student numbers and a university's financial planning, and the reliance that is placed on the numbers by an institution.