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Strategic planning drives our vision, linking ambition with action. We build a vibrant community by seizing opportunities and preparing for challenges.
Our Current Plan
Creating a Stronger Future 2025 (CSF2025) is a three-year plan that leverages our century-long dedication to delivering quality education to our community. This plan will transition to our next plan midway through 2025.
What’s Next
In 2025, we announced that we are joining the Reimagining Community Colleges Design Challenge. A multi-year initiative, this challenge will empower our college to create and implement a strategic, human-centered transformation plan.
Connecting the dots
Our mission, vision, and values fuel the strategies we develop. These strategies allow us to relentlessly pursue our goals and uphold our commitment to racial equity, vibrant communities, and thriving economies.
Annual Planning
Budget Planning
Current Strategic Plan
Creating a Stronger Future 2025
Launched in September 2023 after a year-long collaborative effort involving various stakeholders, Creating a Stronger Future 2025 (CSF2025) is a three-year plan that leverages our century-long dedication to delivering quality education to our community. Positioned to adapt to the dynamic demands of today’s workforce, this strategic plan is imbued with our commitment to anti-racism and trauma-informed practices. CSF2025 outlines four strategic directions to chart the College’s course to 2025 and beyond. To explore our progress, strategies, and the impactful changes we aspire to make, delve into these key three resources.
Creating a Stronger Future 2025
Uncover the beginnings of our strategic plan, Creating a Stronger Future 2025 (CSF2025), through this news story that captures the excitement and collaborative effort that marked its launch in September 2023.
Story Map of the Plan
Navigate through the strategic landscape of CSF2025 with our interactive StoryMap. This visual guide provides a comprehensive overview of the plan’s key elements, strategic directions, and the trajectory it sets for our college’s future.
Annual Progress Report
Delve into the details of our achievements, strategies, and the impactful changes we aspire to make by reviewing our 2023 Annual Progress Report
Mission Alignment
Planning, in all its forms, is the vehicle through which we transform our mission from aspiration to reality. By carefully crafting and executing strategic, operational, and tactical plans, we ensure that every action we take directly contributes to fulfilling our mission.
What to Expect
Over the next five years, we’ll be deeply engaged in a process of innovation and redesign. We’ll be working together to build a Saint Paul College that is even more responsive to the needs of our students and community, while strengthening our ability to adapt to the evolving demands of the workforce.
Who’s Involved
This is a collaborative effort involving not only our internal community but also external partners. We’ll be working closely with Education Design Lab, whose expertise in human-centered design and community college innovation will be invaluable. We’ll also be collaborating with other community colleges across the nation, sharing best practices and learning from each other’s experiences.
Why It Matters
This initiative will help Saint Paul College enhance student success by creating clearer pathways and providing relevant learning experiences. It will also strengthen our community by ensuring the college remains a vital resource for students and employers. By participating in this national initiative, we will be at the forefront of innovation in community college education.
Our Timeline
This timeline provides a roadmap for the Reimagining Community Colleges Design Challenge, guiding stakeholders through a structured process to create a new strategic plan that will drive sustainable and equitable solutions for Saint Paul College.
Annual Planning
Annual Planning enables each department to set objectives, outline actionable tasks, and demonstrate how they support College goals. It justifies budget requests and aligns allocations with strategic priorities.
Budget Planning
The annual operating budget at Saint Paul College is a monetary plan aligned with Board policies and system procedures. The Finance Department aims to support the College’s mission through a budget process that secures long-term financial health.
The College will make planning, budgeting, and decisions based on a commitment to the College’s budget planning principles:
Principle 1: The annual budget is informed by the annual priorities established by the College. For the budget process to be strategic, decisions related to resource allocation must be grounded in the annual planning process and support the identified college priorities.
Principle 2: Budget development utilizes and prioritizes decision made from a data-informed process. The budget must be balanced. The planning of the annual budget must be done in a way that anticipated expenditures do not exceed anticipated revenue. Annual evaluation of spending patterns including a critical review of past spending decisions and the impact on strategic priorities is considered.
Principle 3: All final budget decisions are based on a fair and equitable evaluation of both cost and strategic prioritization. Once budgets are approved, departments are expected to operate within the annual budget, unless unforeseen circumstances arise (e.g., state appropriations reductions, enrollment changes, unfunded mandates etc.) occur during the year. If costs arise that were unplanned and/or unexpected, departments are expected to evaluate how the costs could be absorbed with current, available resources prior to requesting additional funds.
Principle 4: Maintain transparent, timely, factual, and honest communication throughout the college community. The College will provide timely information and updates about the budget and planning process including Shared Governance Committees, college-wide town hall discussions and department/division feedback.
Principle 5: Focus on long-term strategic outcomes. Budget and planning requires a multi-year perspective on attaining strategic objectives, priorities and goals.
Principle 6: Minimize the impact cost to students whenever possible. The budget is planned to limit the additional costs to students that may occur due to new initiatives and services/programs. Use of one-time funds to off-set these expenses are made whenever possible.
Please see the following budget resources for more information:
- Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Finance Division
- Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Budget
If you have questions or comments about the Saint Paul College Budget process, please send an email to Scott Wilson.