Bentley University strategic plan

The Strategic Planning Process 2019 was launched by President Alison Davis-Blake to develop a new and comprehensive strategic plan that will move Bentley to the next level of excellence in business education. It is a fully inclusive process that provides opportunities for faculty, staff, students, alumni, corporate partners and all members of the community to shape Bentley’s future.

Since its launch in September 2018, the Strategic Planning Process has included workshops in which hundreds of faculty, staff, students, trustees, donors, Global Alumni Board members, alumni and corporate recruiters brainstormed and identified key success factors for Bentley’s future. In April 2019, President Davis-Blake shared an update on the Strategic Plan during two open sessions, as well as at Faculty Senate and at the Bentley Staff Advisory Council. The final draft plan was presented to the General Faculty Meeting on May 1 and the General Staff Meeting on May 2.

The Strategic Planning Process to date has produced these items:

A clear and aspirational university mission statement.
A set of core values that will guide us as we strive to achieve that mission.
A set of strategic assets that are desirable to our key constituents, distinctive from our competitors and difficult to imitate.
A set of tactics, goals and metrics to develop each strategic asset.
A group of enabling features that will help us to develop the strategic assets.

Core Values

To help frame the Strategic Plan under a common set of values, a working group of staff and faculty conducted a survey of community members about the Bentley Beliefs, garnering 230 responses, and held two open focus groups and a community forum to incorporate that feedback into a revised set of Bentley Core Values.

Mission Statement

President Davis-Blake convened a cross-university group of faculty and staff to review the university's current mission statement, the new core values and data collected in the Strategic Planning Process to develop a new draft mission statement that reflects Bentley’s identity and values and provides a new, aspirational direction for the university as we begin our second century. The University Marketing and Communications Council drafted a revised mission statement that incorporated feedback from the Cabinet, deans, president and faculty leaders as well as data collected from faculty, staff, students, trustees, donors, Global Alumni Board members, alumni and corporate recruiters. President Davis-Blake previewed a draft of the mission statement at open sessions on-campus, and the University Marketing and Communications Council held two open forums on campus in April and May to invite comments. The mission statement was revised based on that feedback.

Strategic Assets

Based on feedback from the community, the Strategic Planning Process has so far identified three strategic assets that are desirable to our constituents, distinctive and difficult to imitate—all of which help create a competitive advantage for Bentley. Along with each asset, we have identified the university leaders responsible for developing the related tactical plans, goals and metrics over the coming months.

Bentley’s transformative undergraduate learning experience. We will offer students a learning experience that stretches from their first contact with Admissions to a lifetime membership in our alumni Falcon Family. Learning at Bentley occurs inside and outside of the classroom and helps our students to develop not just skills but a curious, adaptive mindset, too. We will provide an integrated experience that connects curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular learning. Responsible stakeholders: Provost, vice president of student affairs, Faculty Senate Planning Committee.
Fully integrated corporate relations. Our approach to corporate partnerships will focus on developing mutually beneficial, multi-faceted partnerships with companies. This effort will be led by the newly created position of vice president for external relations, overseeing a new division that includes Career Services, Executive Education and the Center for Women and Business. A search committee of Cabinet members and faculty leaders has been working with the Korn Ferry consulting firm to conduct the search. Responsible stakeholder: Vice president for external relations.
Faculty and staff invested in Bentley’s future. At Bentley, we will develop and recruit faculty and staff who are excited about our mission and core values. We will invest in their professional development and success to encourage continuous learning of new ideas and approaches and the development of new knowledge. We will work to align rewards and recognition with individual and group performance in a way that engages our faculty and staff and strengthens their commitment to the university. Responsible stakeholders: Provost, vice president of human resources.

Tactical Plans, Goals and Metrics

For each strategic asset, clear and related tactical plans, goals and metrics will be developed over the coming months.

Enabling Features

To help Bentley realize the opportunities related to these strategic assets, five enabling features have been identified by the Cabinet as drivers for our success. These are fundamental elements of what we do that must clearly support the Strategic Plan in purpose and focus and must operate at a high level of effectiveness. Members of the Cabinet are responsible for developing a clear long-term plan for each enabling feature.