Strategic planning: preparing for the twenty-first century.

If educational institutions for nursing are to survive these uncertain times and to experience new life in the advent of the 21st century, careful planning for the future must be undertaken. Strategic planning, a relatively new term in nursing education, is a concept designed to achieve goals in dynamic, competitive environments through the judicious allocation of resources. The primary purpose of strategic planning is to achieve success with mission while linking the institution's future to anticipated changes in the environment. Strategic planning enables an institution to function in such a manner that the acquisition of resources exceeds their depletion. The purposes of this article are to (1) provide an overview of the strategic planning process and (2) describe the strategic planning experience of one private, liberal arts college in a midwestern state. Although the case example focuses on a liberal arts college, the strategic planning process is applicable to other types of educational settings.