Strategic Planning, Policy & Management in Higher Education

This report provides a comprehensive overview of educational management and strategic planning, focusing on the application of various planning models and frameworks within a university setting. It includes an institutional profile development, socio-economic profile analysis using SWOT matrix, and a planning framework for addressing key concerns. The report also details strategic plans, policy design, strategy formulation, and instruction program development, covering aspects such as manpower training, curriculum development, and faculty advancement. Furthermore, it explores programs and projects undertaken for asset generation and capital accumulation, emphasizing the importance of budgeting, cash flow management, and financial projections to ensure the university's sustainability and achievement of its strategic goals. The University of Melbourne is used as a case study.

Running Head: EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT
Topic-Module activity assignment
Student name
University name
Author notes

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MODULE 1
Activity 1
The Kaufman’s strategic planning model will be the most suitable model for leading a team of
planners who will craft the organization’s strategic plan. This system framework model has 3
main clusters and 12 steps inside, 4 in each. The model has its initial phase called scoping which
also incorporates identification and selection of needs. Organizational values and beliefs are
identified followed by both internal and external environmental data collection (Jackson, Schuler
and Jiang 2014). Data is then analyzed and strategic planning process is carried out. This
planning model is both time effective and provides efficient planning strategies and risk of
failure is reduced to a great extent due to continuous follow-up (Esmaeilikia et al. 2016). The
model is shown below
Scoping Ideal vision
Identification and selection of needs
Defining current mission
Derivation of mission objective
Planning SWOT identification
Development of long-term and short-term mission
Strategic plan development
Implementation and
continuous improvement
Development of tactical and operational plans
Resource making/buying/obtaining
Implementation
Continuous improvement and follow-up and evaluation
Determination of efficiency and effectiveness of the plan
Revision and improvement of plan as required
MODULE 2
Activity 1
Institutional Profile (IP) development (University of Melbourne)
Creation Established in the year1853, University of Melbourne (UOM) is
now the top most university in Australia and is 32nd ranked in the
world.
History & Evolution This is a public research university located in Melbourne and is
the second oldest university in Australia. A number of residential
colleges have been affiliated to UOM since 1872. Presently there
are 10 colleges in the main urban campus and has 11 separate
academic units (About us 2019). The university was established
by Hugh Childers by the Act of Incorporation and resulted from
Victoria’s Gold rush. The university is a rapid growth and

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civilizing influence-based design.
Academic programs &
services
Architecture building and planning, arts, business and economics,
education, engineering, fine arts and music, law, medicine,
dentistry and health sciences, science, veterinary and agricultural
sciences.
Manpower Peak governing body is the Council, which includes Vice
Chancellor and Principal. The Academic Board looks into
learning, teaching and research activities. The Committee of
Convocation represents member graduates. Have almost 4430
academic staffs as per recent statistics.
The governance structure includes audit and risk committee,
finance committee, nomination and governance committee,
human resource committee, infrastructure committee, and
foundation and trust committee.
Financial and physical
resources
Financials and budget allocation are done by the apex Council
members only. The 2017 annual report shows $223 million
accounting result and have an operating surplus of $26 million.
The goal of the university is not profit status improvement but
improve the overall academic mission (Bryson 2018). It has
achieved AA+ credit rating on stand-alone base of institutions.
The details of the data analysis are provided in the appendix
section.
Physical resources
10 residential college buildings, 11 libraries, 11 academic units,
36 hectors of land campus, fitness centers, beaurepaire center and
pool, sport center, mind body studio, shops, restaurants,
accommodation facilities, canteens, coffee shops and other
recreational centers. Apart from these it has classrooms,
laboratory, audio-visual rooms, conference rooms, computer labs
and auditoriums. Accessories and equipment include books, e-
books, manuals, CD-ROMs, journals, learning modules, lab
apparatus, chairs tables, lockers, and other academic accessories
(About us 2019).

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General administration The core organizational structure includes three main divisions
namely academic divisions, university services and chancellery.
The unique structure is called the Melbourne Operating Model
streamlines the various functions of the staffs there. All divisions
work together to support improved teaching, research learning
and academic engagement (Arkoudis and Baik 2014).
University governance is supported by Council members and
support structure, leadership and management.
The functional support of the three divisions of Melbourne
Operating Model are,
Academic divisions
 Teaching and learning
 Research
 Engagement
University services
 Expert advice
 Operational support
Chancellery
 University strategy
 Policy
 Capability
 Capital
 Brand

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Activity 2
Development of socio-economic profile (SWOT matrix)
Opportunities Threats
Strengths The university of Melbourne is located in
Parkville, Victoria, Australia. It is
originally established in the north of
Grattan Street in Parkville and new
buildings have been developed in suburb
of Carlton (About us 2019).
Presently the university has undertaken
the ‘ambitious infrastructure program’ to
reshape its existing campuses.
There are 10 residential colleges, 7 of
which are inside the campus and is in
College Crescent and remaining 3 are
outside university grounds.
There are 4 other campuses in the
metropolitan area of Melbourne including
Burnley, Southbank, Hawthorn and
Werribee. Creswick and Dookie and
Shepparton campuses are located in rural
Victoria.
It is the largest tertiary educational
institution in Australia and ranks number
one in the country and is 32nd in global
ranking.
The relationship between socio-
economic status and educational
participation and knowledge
achievement is very strong in
countries like Australia and other
western countries (Hollenbeck and
Jamieson 2015). Students from high
socio-economic backgrounds have
better provision for education and
vice versa. In Australia lower socio-
economic group of students are
most under-represented in the
universities.
The tool of Socio-Economic
Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) will help
in exact analysis of student
diversification and discrimination in
universities.
Fund for reshaping existing
campuses is difficult to manage as it
is endowed with $1.335 billion
approximately.
The great recession and federal
contribution decline made
investment opportunities to shrink
and resulted in increased job cuts.
Weaknesses The Melbourne Curriculum has been
criticized in the most negative way by
students, trade unions and other
academicians for its ‘dumbing down
content’ and is one of the reasons of job
cuts which in turn has created socio-
economic disparity (Dawson et al. 2019).
Wealthiest global universities like in US
have higher endowment scales.
The condition is much improved in
University of Melbourne and in
order to lower the socio-economic
gap and income disparity in
students the university has
undertaken a number of measures
like unique Melbourne Curriculum
development. The Melbourne
Accelerator program help in
reducing the social disparity and
students can participate in the
program without any disparity
(Coates and McCormick 2014).

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Activity 3
Planning framework for crafting planning concerns of University of Melbourne
Issues and concerns Goals and objectives Policies and strategies
Gap in income groups
from student’s family
angle.
Job cuts and increased
unemployment.
Limited fund for reshaping
university campuses.
High income disparity in
Australia.
To uphold the top most
position in-spite of social
turbulence.
To include students
irrespective of socio-economic
differences based on merit
only.
Operate income generating
projects.
Manage endowment
opportunities for increased
fund.
To support equality in income
exclusive of gender biasness.
To remain the topmost
university as per ranking so
that internationalization
growth opportunities increase
considerably.
Development of Melbourne
Curriculum.
Students in UOM can do part-
time and full-time jobs inside
the campus based on their
requirements and provided fair
salary and stipend.
The university has undertaken
the ‘ambitious infrastructure
program’ to reshape its
existing campuses which is
cost effective.
Implementation of ‘Melbourne
Accelerator’ program to reduce
social disparity.
Good university governance
and Melbourne Operating
model are responsible for
upholding the dignity of the
university for years (Jackson,
Schuler and Jiang 2014).

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MODULE 3
Activity 1
Strategic plans for University of Melbourne
Vision The university of Melbourne is committed to being number one and one of
the finest global universities that contribute to societal success by
transforming and enriching lives. Success is measured by the 10 goals
expressed in the ‘Growing Esteem 2015-2020’ the strategic plan of the
University.
Mission University of Melbourne being one of the world’s leading universities aspire
to build their distinguished strategies and create an innovative future.
Goals Consistency in top ranking
Serving the nation
World-leading research and impact
Providing opportunities to all irrespective of cultural differences
Support student satisfaction
Most chosen Australian University
Full engagement of the Melbourne people
Transforming students into thoughtful and accomplished graduates
Embedding sustainability leader
In-depth connection with business, government bodies and community
Objectives To support
Learning and teaching
Research works
Engagement
Reconciliation
Sustainability
Targets To be an emerging world leader in future. The ‘Growing Esteem 2015-2020’
is the means of achieving the pre-fixed targets. Some major targets include
Encouraging indigenous students to join the campus
Strengthening internationalized curriculum and providing better student
experiences
Governmental aid reconsideration
Developing world-class learning space
Going green to support eco-friendly education opportunities
Upgradation of student accommodation facilities and
Increased student networking and community engagement

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Activity 2
Policy design and strategy formulation
Policy designing Strategy formulation
Instruction
Melbourne model
implementation
Development of conducive teaching learning environment by
the help of functional classroom setting and supporting fair
enrollment irrespective of cultural differences will help in
success of the policy designed (Kramar 2014).
Research and extension
Growing esteem 2015-2020
Incorporation of sustainable work principles will support higher
benchmarks for teaching, learning, student experience and
research that is globally recognized (Popkova, Chechina and
Abramov 2015).
General administration
Ambitious infrastructure
program
Reshape the existing campus infrastructure in the most cost-
effective manner by supporting fund endowment.
MODULE 4
Activity 1
Instruction program
Four projects Activities undertaken
Manpower training Equal Employment Opportunity (compliance, diversity and
affirmative action)
Recruitment and selection
Paperwork and orientation
Performance appraisal
Wage administration and compensation benefits
Health and safety hazard-based training through the training
platform TrainME.
Recording and reporting
Online module sessions
Face to face direct sessions
Responsibility training sessions
Job analysis
HRIS
Support staff education through staff education scheme
The online platform of Train ME will support better work
environment by supporting relationship building (Sikora and Ferris
2014).
Curriculum
development
Writing of learning outcomes
Capstone experience development

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Nexus of teaching and research work
Increased interaction between domestic and international students
Mental well-being enhancement of students
The Melbourne curriculum is developed to support both campus-
based community learning and virtual learning (Zepke 2014). The
curriculum has both disciplinary depth and academic breadth. The
Growing Esteem 2015-2020 will support ‘Melbourne offer’ that
offers the most distinct student experience.
Faculty development Advanced skill development for sessional teachers
Providence of Melbourne teaching certification
Online induction programs for sessional teachers
Teaching @ Melbourne program participation
Seminars for teaching and learning
Emerging leader and manager program
Membership of the Melbourne Academy
Open program support for executive education
Participation in Community Access Program (CAP)
Option for university publishing
LMS workshops and events for better learning environment
Professional development programs for staffs and faculty members
by MCSHE (Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education).
LMS workshop will support faculties to deliver quality education to
students and will improve their knowledge as well (About us 2019).
Program accreditation Master of Engineering- accredited under European Union
The Faculty of Business and Economics hold accreditation to
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
Melbourne Business School holds accreditation to European Quality
Improvement System (EQUIS)
The Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences is accredited to
American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and is also
accredited to the Australasian Veterinary Board Council (AVBC)
The overall credit rating achieved by the University of Melbourne is
AA+ which reflects its quality education and overall degree of
program accreditation.

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MODULE 5
Activity 1
Programs and projects undertaken for asset generation and capital accumulation
As the President of the University I would like to undertake budgeting-projections and cash flow
as part of enhancing asset generation and capital accumulation capabilities of the University of
Melbourne. Budgeting is the most crucial financial planning process where both planning
council and Budget council work together to decide upon the most effective strategic plan
(About.unimelb.edu.au 2019). Cash flow will help rationalizing the budget terms and conditions.
So, both will help in maintaining the not for profit status of the university and will help in better
sustainability. Based on the cash flow annual action plan will be developed and fund allocation
will also be done. Financial projection will help evaluation of last five-year data and results will
show future direction of progress of the institution. If any cost cutting is required that could also
be done based on the projected data analysis results. The University operates in a low margin
environment and for this financial management need to be strong (About.unimelb.edu.au 2019).
The budget projection and cash flow of recent years is provided in the appendix.
MODULE 6
Activity 1
Questionnaire to evaluate Institution’s strategic plan
1. Is there a definite framework to find the direction of Universities’ flow in achieving its
set objectives?
Yes……………. No…………….
2. Do all university constituencies participate to work together in achieving the desired
goal?
Yes…………… No……………
3. Are the aims of aligning the university to its environment met?
Not at all……………
To some extent………….
Don’t know……………
Yes definitely…………….
Don’t want to comment……………….
4. Do participants and staffs encouraged to raise the vision and work to support strategic
direction?

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Yes……………. No………………
5. Do the mission and vision statements tally with strategic planning and are they achieved
till date?
No not at all…………….
To some extent…………….
Do not know…………….
Yes definitely…………….
Don’t want to comment…………….
6. Is the ‘Growth Esteem 2015-2020’ achieved till date?
No not at all…………….
To some extent………….
Do not know………….
Yes definitely………….
Don’t want to comment…………
7. Is the Melbourne Curriculum effective in adding quality to education and community
support?
Yes………… No…………….
8. How do you rate the overall success of the strategic plans?
1 (poor)………….
2 (not satisfactory) …………….
3 (average)…………….
4 (satisfactory)………….
5 (excellent)………….
9. Are the 10 goals articulated in strategic planning met considerably?

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Yes………… No……………
10. Do student satisfaction and opportunities to students provided holistically to increase
their participation?
Yes…………. No…………

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References
About us. (2019). About the University of Melbourne. [online] Available at:
https://about.unimelb.edu.au/ [Accessed 28 Feb. 2019].
About.unimelb.edu.au. (2019). [online] Available at:
https://about.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/28104/2017-annual-report.pdf
[Accessed 28 Feb. 2019].
Arkoudis, S. and Baik, C., 2014. Crossing the interaction divide between international and
domestic students in higher education. HERDSA Review of Higher Education, 1, pp.47-62.
Bryson, J.M., 2018. Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations: A guide to
strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement. John Wiley & Sons.
Coates, H. and McCormick, A.C. eds., 2014. Engaging university students: International
insights from system-wide studies. Springer.
Dawson, P., Henderson, M., Mahoney, P., Phillips, M., Ryan, T., Boud, D. and Molloy, E., 2019.
What makes for effective feedback: Staff and student perspectives. Assessment & Evaluation in
Higher Education, 44(1), pp.25-36.
Esmaeilikia, M., Fahimnia, B., Sarkis, J., Govindan, K., Kumar, A. and Mo, J., 2016. Tactical
supply chain planning models with inherent flexibility: definition and review. Annals of
Operations Research, 244(2), pp.407-427.
Hollenbeck, J.R. and Jamieson, B.B., 2015. Human capital, social capital, and social network
analysis: Implications for strategic human resource management. Academy of Management
Perspectives, 29(3), pp.370-385.
Jackson, S.E., Schuler, R.S. and Jiang, K., 2014. An aspirational framework for strategic human
resource management. The Academy of Management Annals, 8(1), pp.1-56.
Kramar, R., 2014. Beyond strategic human resource management: is sustainable human resource
management the next approach?. The International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 25(8), pp.1069-1089.
Popkova, E.G., Chechina, O.S. and Abramov, S.A., 2015. Problem of the human capital quality
reducing in conditions of educational unification. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 6(3
S6), p.95.
Sikora, D.M. and Ferris, G.R., 2014. Strategic human resource practice implementation: The
critical role of line management. Human Resource Management Review, 24(3), pp.271-281.
Zepke, N., 2014. Student engagement research in higher education: questioning an academic
orthodoxy. Teaching in Higher Education, 19(6), pp.697-708.

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Appendix
University resources profiling
(About.unimelb.edu.au 2019)

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Statement of cash flow for the year ended 31 December 2017
(About.unimelb.edu.au 2019)

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Income statement (5-year financial summary)
(About.unimelb.edu.au 2019)

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Underlying income and expenditure
(About.unimelb.edu.au 2019)