Wilkes University

Problems Solved: Antiquated and Poorly Integrated Technologies, Obsolescent Facilities, and Anxiety Over Change.		Strategic Focus: Leading/Navigating Change, Crafting/Executing Strategy, Leveraging Technology, Reinventing Processes and Realigning Programs, Transforming Facilities Design, Discovering Expeditionary Products, Transforming Organizational Culture, Developing Staff and Organizational Capacity, Enhancing Revenues.
Project Team:  Donald Norris, Rhea Blanken, Jon Gunn, and Phil Taylor.

Wilkes University is a private university in Wilkes-Barre, PA serving over 4,000 students.  Over the past several years, Wilkes has established a bold plan for its future under the rubric of “Vision 2010.”  This vision was to be achieved through three strategic initiatives:

1. Mentoring/Branding which will establish pervasive mentoring as Wilkes’ signature experience;
2. Digital Wilkes which will implement new technologies including enterprise portal, calendaring, and e-mail; reimplementing ERP, and accepting the best practice processes embedded in ERP; and
3. Enrollment Growth which will enable Wilkes to grow enrollments in targeted areas. 

Strategic Initiatives is working with Wilkes leadership to weave these three initiatives together and drive pervasive process reinvention to achieve the goals established in Vision 2010.  Strategic Initiatives and Wilkes staff are co-creating a Change Management Plan that is shaping the process reinvention activities.  This plan weaves together the implementation and leveraging of technology with continuous process improvement.  Changes in performance, productivity, and value are being measured and compared with the goals set by Vision 2010. 

This change process will enable Wilkes to develop a significant resources pool from new resources/cost savings, to be reinvented in a series of strategic programs:

1. the strengthening, expansion, and enhancement of the mentoring culture at the University and its leveraging to build competitive standing;
2. achieving market-competitive salaries and benefits for faculty and staff, as well as professional development and recognition opportunities;
3. assuring significant investments in the number of faculty and in academic programs, library, and equipment to enhance the quality of the academic experience;
4. improving campus facilities, achieved through new facilities, consolidating existing facilities, and reduced deferred maintenance; and
5. supporting a robust, sustainable university marketing program that will strengthen competitive positioning.

These resource allocations are a key intermediate outcome of the strategic initiatives and are essential to achieving and maintaining the University’s targeted competitive standing for 2010 and beyond.

Part of the Wilkes solution is an innovative approach to facilities utilization and planning.  Refurbishing an abandoned call center adjacent to campus, Wilkes is moving all of its administrative and academic support services to the UCOM.  This open, team-focused approach will dramatically reduce the number of support staff required and realign job descriptions, roles, and responsibilities.  As a result, between five to seven buildings across campus will be demolished or repurposed. In addition, Strategic Initiatives is assisting Wilkes in the programmatic planning for an innovative Science, Health, and Engineering Building (SHE).