Capital Rising
Strategic Planning Glossary
A common language for planning, implementation, and performance. These terms are used consistently across the University’s strategic plan, cascading plans, public dashboard, and supporting pages.
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01
The Planning Framework
Mission Statement
A statement of the purpose and ongoing commitment of Capital University — why the institution exists and whom it serves. All plan elements should trace back to the mission.
Vision
A description of the desired future state of the University — what Capital will look like if it achieves its full potential. The vision sets the horizon toward which pillars and goals are directed.
See also: Mission Statement; Values.
Values
The guiding principles and beliefs that shape how the University conducts its work, treats its stakeholders, and makes decisions.
Strategic Plan
The product of the University’s strategic planning process: a document that records the fundamental decisions and actions that shape what Capital University is, what it does, and why. Defines institutional pillars, goals, and priorities over the planning horizon.
Integrated Planning
A sustainable approach to planning that builds relationships, aligns the organization, and emphasizes preparedness for change. Connects the University strategic plan, cascading plans, budget, and operational work into one coherent system.
Cascading Plan
The strategic plan developed by each school, division, department, or office that aligns to and advances the University strategic plan. Cascading plans identify the specific pillars, goals, and initiatives through which each area contributes to institutional priorities.
See also: Pillar; Goal; Initiative.
Planning Horizon
The period of time covered by a plan. Capital University’s strategic plan and cascading plans operate on a five-year planning horizon.
Alignment
A state of agreement and cooperation among people, plans, and processes about what should be done, how, and why. Vertical alignment connects outcomes from the mission down to operations; horizontal alignment coordinates work across schools, divisions, and departments.
Implementation
The process of putting a plan into action — translating pillars, goals, and initiatives into resourced, scheduled, and accountable work.
See also: Work Plan; ARCI Model.
Pillar (Level 1)
A major thematic focus that guides the strategic direction of a school, division, department, or office. Pillars are aspirational and directional — defining where energy, attention, and resources should be focused over the life of the plan. An area typically identifies three to six pillars.
Goal (Level 2)
A strategic outcome a school, division, department, or office seeks to achieve within a pillar over the five-year planning horizon. Goals translate the aspirational direction of a pillar into specific outcomes that guide action, measurement, and accountability. Most areas develop three to six goals within each pillar.
See also: KPI; OKR; Priority Status.
Initiative (Level 3)
The strategies, projects, and coordinated actions undertaken to achieve a strategic goal. Initiatives translate goals into concrete, time-bound work — new programs, pilot efforts, operational improvements, partnerships, policy changes, technology implementations, or capital projects.
See also: Goal; Priority Status; ARCI Model.
02
Measurement Terms
Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
A measurable value that indicates how effectively the institution is achieving a key strategic priority or objective. Well-defined, quantifiable, and tracked over time to demonstrate progress toward strategic goals. Each goal in a cascading plan should be supported by at least one KPI or OKR.
Objective & Key Result (OKR)
A clearly defined outcome that demonstrates a specific action has been completed or a key milestone achieved. At Capital University, OKRs are action-based and often binary (achieved / not achieved). Where a KPI tracks a trend over time, an OKR confirms that a defined commitment was delivered.
Measure
A unit-specific, quantifiable description of performance used to track progress within a school, division, department, or office. Measures may inform or roll up to institutional KPIs.
See also: Metric.
Metric
A quantifiable measure used to track, compare, and evaluate performance or processes.
Benchmark
A specific performance indicator used to compare the institution or a program against established criteria or peer institutions — for example, OAC or CUPA-HR comparisons.
Milestone
A significant date, event, or deliverable during the implementation of a plan, used to mark and report progress.
Outcome
A description of the desired results or impacts of work performed. Outcomes, taken together, should help the institution make progress toward its desired future state.
03
Accountability: The ARCI Model
ARCI Model of Accountability
A framework used to clarify roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority for strategic initiatives and operational work. ARCI ensures that every project and priority has clearly defined ownership, eliminates ambiguity, and strengthens coordination across teams and divisions. Each goal and initiative in a cascading plan is assigned ARCI roles.
A
Accountable
The person or stakeholder who owns the work — typically a single cabinet-level officer. Ultimately answerable for the outcome.
R
Responsible
The people or stakeholders who do the work. Several cross-functional leaders can be jointly responsible. They execute tasks and develop deliverables.
C
Consulted
The people or stakeholders who must give input before work can be signed off. A two-way role — active participants engaged in dialogue to inform the work.
I
Informed
Individuals or groups kept aware of progress, decisions, and outcomes but not directly involved in execution or decision-making.
04
Priority Status
Priority Status
A designation (Level 1 through Level 5) reflecting the relative institutional importance, complexity, scope, and urgency of each strategic goal or initiative. Priority status guides sequencing, resource allocation, accountability, and leadership oversight. Priority Level 1 represents the highest level of institutional importance.
Priority 1 — Goals
Transformational Institutional Goals
Mission-critical strategic outcomes essential to the University’s long-term health, sustainability, and success. Span multiple years; require coordinated leadership across divisions and carry significant financial, operational, or reputational implications.
Priority 2 — Goals
High-Impact Strategic Goals
Goals that play a significant role in advancing institutional priorities. Support delivery of Priority 1 goals; often involve multi-year work and cross-department collaboration with moderate resource commitments.
Priority 3 — Goals
Strategic Development Goals
Goals that support institutional learning, innovation, or incremental improvement — often research, assessment, pilot programs, or early-stage development work with limited cross-area complexity.
Priority 4 — Goals
Area-Level Strategic Goals
Goals that primarily advance the work of a single division, department, or functional area. Align with the broader strategic plan but require limited institutional coordination and modest resources.
Priority 5 — Goals
Targeted Operational Goals
Focused, short-term improvements (often under one year) that support local effectiveness with minimal institutional complexity and limited strategic impact.
Priority 1 — Initiatives
Strategic Enterprise Initiatives
Complex, mission-critical projects necessary to advance the University’s most important strategic goals. Span multiple years; involve multiple divisions or external partners; require sustained executive oversight. Constitute the University’s Annual Plan.
Priority 2 — Initiatives
Major Institutional Initiatives
Initiatives that significantly support institutional priorities, often involving multiple departments or schools on a one-to-two-year timeline. Require coordination but are narrower in scope than Priority 1.
Priority 3 — Initiatives
Developmental or Pilot Initiatives
Pilots, feasibility studies, or exploratory projects that test ideas or develop strategies that may later scale. Contribute to innovation and institutional learning with limited resources.
Priority 4 — Initiatives
Operational Improvement Initiatives
Department-driven initiatives that improve efficiency, quality, or service delivery within a specific area, with limited institutional coordination and modest scope and resources.
Priority 5 — Initiatives
Focused Tactical Initiatives
Short-term, straightforward actions (often under three months) completed within a single department or team, requiring minimal coordination within existing workflows.
05
Integrated Planning Terms
The following terms are adapted from the SCUP Integrated Planning Glossary and connect Capital’s framework to language recognized across higher education.
Campus Planning
Planning that sets the long-term direction of the physical campus, including open space, buildings, circulation, and utilities. Ensures the highest and best use of land in service of the University’s academic and outreach missions.
See also: Campus Master Planning; Capital Planning.
Campus Master Planning
Longer-range recommendations documented in a formal report guiding physical development of the campus, typically over a ten-year horizon.
See also: Campus Planning; Facilities Planning.
Capital Planning
The process by which the University decides which long-term investments to make in future buildings, major renovations, and remodeling, within the context of the strategic plan and campus master plan.
Facilities Planning
Planning that establishes goals and uses for all owned and leased space, including short-term tactics and the prioritization and funding of annual facility projects.
Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM)
The University’s coordinated effort to identify, recruit, enroll, retain, and graduate a student body consistent with its mission and goals while maintaining fiscal sustainability.
Environmental Scanning
The exploration and analysis of external factors affecting the institution — social, technological, economic, environmental, and political forces — used to inform planning.
SWOT Analysis
A structured method for evaluating internal strengths and weaknesses alongside external opportunities and threats affecting the institution, a division, or a project. Typically used early in a planning cycle.
SMART
Characteristics of a well-constructed goal or objective: Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic, and Timebound.
Stakeholder
An internal or external person, group, or organization that affects, or is affected by, the University’s choices and actions.
Strategic Issues
Pressing problems or significant opportunities that must be addressed strategically for the institution to fulfill its mission and vision and remain operationally viable.
Operational Planning
The process for determining the day-to-day operations of the institution or a unit over roughly the next one to twelve months. Operational work is distinct from the strategic change captured in goals and initiatives.
Gap Analysis
A method for assessing the current state, the desired future state, and what the institution needs in order to move from one to the other.
Communication Plan
A document outlining how the institution will inform, engage, and seek feedback from a plan’s stakeholders, including audiences, messages, delivery methods, and frequency.
Budget, Capital
A plan of funding and expenditures for future buildings, major renovations, and remodeling.
Budget, Operational
A plan of revenue to be generated and expenditures from that revenue over a finite period, such as a fiscal year.
06
Strategic Planning Software Terms (Envisio)
Capital University uses Envisio as its strategic planning and performance management platform. The following terms appear in Envisio and on the public dashboard and progress reports it generates.
Checklist
A list of smaller, detailed tasks or steps required to complete a larger action item or project, helping ensure all components are addressed.
Cloned / Mapped
Actions or tasks that have been duplicated (cloned) or linked (mapped) to other parts of a plan, supporting consistency and alignment across sections.
Completed
Status indicating that a task or action item has been fully finished.
Contributor
An individual or team member who assists in completing tasks or achieving plan elements but is not primarily responsible.
See also: Owner.
Discontinued
Status used for tasks or projects that have been permanently halted and will not be completed.
Major Disruption
Status signifying that a task faces significant challenges likely to cause delays or prevent on-time completion.
On Track
Status denoting that a task is progressing as planned and is expected to be completed by the target date.
Owner
The individual responsible for the completion and progress of a specific task or plan element.
See also: ARCI Model.
Reporting Dates
Specific dates set for providing updates on the progress and status of tasks or plan elements, ensuring regular and timely reporting.
Some Disruption
Status highlighting that a task is experiencing minor issues that could cause delays if not addressed.
Status Pending
A system-generated status indicating that a progress update is awaited from the action’s Owner or Contributor.
Tags
Labels or keywords assigned to plan elements to facilitate organization, search, and reporting within the platform.
Tracking Status
A feature indicating the current state of an action item within a plan, allowing users to see quickly whether tasks are on schedule, at risk, or completed.
Upcoming
Status for tasks scheduled to start in the near future that have not yet begun.
Work Plan
A comprehensive document outlining the tasks, timelines, and resources needed to achieve specific goals or objectives within a project.
07
Acronyms & Institutional Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ABSN | Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing. |
| ACE | Adult and Continuing Education. Includes adult undergraduate and education licensure (continuing education) students. |
| Cap Cupboard | Capital University’s on-campus food pantry providing free food and basic-needs items to students. Unique-student usage is tracked as a basic-needs indicator. |
| Composite Score | U.S. Department of Education Financial Responsibility Composite Score. Range −1.0 to +3.0; a score of 1.5 or higher indicates the institution is financially responsible. |
| CUPA-HR | College and University Professional Association for Human Resources. Source of benchmark salary survey data for faculty and staff compensation. |
| Envisio | The strategic planning and performance management platform selected by the University. |
| FCI | Facilities Condition Index — the ratio of deferred maintenance cost to current replacement value. |
| FTE | Full-Time Equivalent — full-time headcount plus one-third of part-time headcount. |
| FTIC | First-Time-In-College. A student with no prior postsecondary enrollment after high school. |
| HC | Headcount — the total number of distinct enrolled students. |
| HIP | High-Impact Practice — internship, practicum, undergraduate research, study abroad, service learning, and similar experiences. |
| NACE | National Association of Colleges and Employers; source of First-Destination Survey standards. |
| NPS | Net Promoter Score — a standard loyalty metric on a scale of −100 to +100. |
| NSSE | National Survey of Student Engagement. |
| NTR | Net Tuition Revenue — gross tuition less institutional aid (discount). |
| OAC | Ohio Athletic Conference — Capital’s NCAA Division III athletic conference; also the peer group used for faculty pay and academic benchmarking comparisons. |
| Tenure / Tenure-Track | Tenured faculty: full-time faculty whose tenure has been awarded by the Board of Trustees. Tenure-track (TT) faculty: full-time faculty on the probationary path to tenure but not yet awarded. |
| TUG | Traditional Undergraduate (day, degree-seeking). Excludes ACE and ABSN. |
Terms marked “Adapted from SCUP” and entries in Section 5 are adapted from the Society for College and University Planning, Integrated Planning Glossary (scup.org), and tailored to Capital University usage. All other definitions are Capital University planning framework terms.