It's difficult for a SCUP staff member to find time to attend concurrent sessions, I was able to enjoy two of them this year, each of them about strategic planning.

I was not able to attend the session — Are We Wasting a Perfectly Good Crisis? — presented by George P. Pernsteiner, chancellor of the Oregon University system. Luckily, Scott Carlson captured the session for The Chronicle of Higher… Continue

Michael F. McGoff and James Van Voorst of SUNY Binghamton shared how inter-unit cooperation and integration of planning solved a financial crisis for that institution's School of Literature, Sciences, and the Arts (LS&A). This image shows Michael:

Binghamton is a selective i… Continue

The University of Pacific was the recipient of SCUP's 2009 "Excellence in Institutional Innovation and Integration" ("Triple I") Award. Tursday morning, Robert Brodnick, Pacific's assistant provost for planning, innovation, and institutional assessment titled "Unleashing Innovation: The Power of a Strategic Plan."

Rob explained Pacific's work to make its strategic plan more than just another "recurring document." When the campus communities prioritized their traditional values, "innovation" ros… Continue

Yum. That's the word that comes to mind when I think back on my dinner at Rock Bottom Brewery. I was on my own, so instead of waiting for a table (it was a crowded Saturday night), I bellied up to the bar. Ordered their handcrafted porter. Delicious. Rich, chocolate flavor. Dinner was the pulled-pork sandwich. Melt in your mouth and tender. The bartender told me he used to live in Detroit at the Renaissance Center while his father worked on the installation of the city's Peoplemover. Friendly en… Continue

A small group of SCUP staff went to Old Town Pizza last week. The building is an old mariner's hotel and tavern. The ceiling has rough-hewn beams and the furniture is old and eclectic--wooden tables, old horsehair sofas, a big comfy chair or two. The pizza was excellent and reasonably priced. However, the thing that drew me was the ghost. A woman who was murdered in the building is sometimes seen on the second floor. I was disappointed that I did not see her but not disappointed by the food.