Episode Title: Strategy, Direction, and Magnitude: What We Really Mean by Strategic Planning

Podcast: Accreditation Unlocked: Navigating Higher Education Compliance

Host: Dr. Ken Clough, Accreditation Expert

Episode Summary: What’s the difference between a strategy, a goal, and a task? It’s one of the most common—and confusing—questions in higher education planning. In this episode of Accreditation Unlocked, Dr. Ken Clough breaks down what strategy really means and why it’s more than just a plan on paper.

Drawing on decades of experience in academic leadership and accreditation, Ken explains that strategy is about direction and magnitude—choosing where your institution is heading and how far it’s willing to go to achieve its mission. He explores why teams often get lost in confusing terminology, how to tell if your institution actually has a strategy, and why every great strategy should ultimately read like a story.

From clarifying goals and objectives to rethinking how strategy is communicated across campus, this episode offers a clear, actionable way to transform your planning process from compliance-driven to purpose-driven.

Key Segments:

• Why Planning Terminology Causes So Much Confusion
• Defining Strategy Through Direction and Magnitude
• How to Tell If You Really Have a Strategy
• Strategy as Story: Turning Plans into Institutional Narratives
• Five Signs of a Strategic Institution

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