NACA Strategic Plan - 5-10 Year Planning Horizon

 Assumptions About the Relevant Future
Assumption statements help NACA purposefully update its strategic plan on an annual basis.  Since the outcome-oriented goals that will form the basis of the long-range strategic plan will be based on the vision of the future that appears in this section, an annual review of this vision will be an appropriate method of determining and ensuring the ongoing relevance of the goals.

 Social/Demographics:

1. The diversification of the student demographic in terms of age, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation will create a less homogenous student population/audience, resulting in the need for more diversified programming.
2. The increased variety of forms of education (e.g. 2-year, for-profit, distance) will result in changing needs and formats for student activities.
3. The end of the enrollment boom for traditional-age students may decrease student populations and further fragment the student audience.
4. Higher expectations from students, families, and administrators will place increasing demands on programs and activities staff.
5. Changes in the parental relationship with educational institutions will continue to challenge expectations of higher education and student activities.
6. Increases in political polarization and the influence of religion will impact student relationships and how and what is programmed.
7. Changes in technology will continue to affect entertainment delivery.
8. Changes in entertainment delivery will result in more rapid shifts in the types of entertainment students demand, and will challenge institutions and the Association to remain current/relevant.
9. Student activities professionals must be able to demonstrate learning outcomes for assessment purposes.

 Legislative/Regulatory Trends & Economic Climate:

1. As society continues to become more litigious, the costs of insuring performers/events will increase, resulting in rising costs to the budgets.
2. As institutions work to become compliant with relevant legal decisions, institutions will be forced to implement more regulations of the use of student activity fees.
3. Because activity fees are becoming increasingly scrutinized, student activities professionals will need to demonstrate outcomes and/or communicate value to institutions.
4. Considering the rising costs of tuition, student activity fees will not keep pace with rising costs resulting in the need to secure supplemental funds.
5. Escalating regulations of e-mail will require the Association to find new and legal ways to communicate with members.
6. Financial aid to students will decrease, further causing students to seek employment to support themselves (and habits), resulting in a decrease in campus involvement.
7. Growth in the number of states charging entertainment taxes will result in increases in artist/event fees.
8. Higher travel and operational costs will greatly impact the access of entertainment to member institutions, resulting in the emergence of more local services and talent.
9. Increased pressure from University administrations to build more residence halls will change/impact the student culture on college campuses, resulting in the need for more student-centered events.

 Collegiate Entertainment Industry Trends:

1. Enhanced delivery and experiential technologies may result in less demand for live events and human interaction, as well as a heightened expectation for more immediate access to information, services and programs.
2. Increases in activities fees will not keep pace with the growing cost of entertainment.
3. Expensive entertainment will limit the ability of an individual school to hold major events.
4. Students will demand more recognizable talent (i.e., bigger names and/or niche groups with a following).
5. Tours of multiple artists will increase in number.

 Technology:

1. Technology will continue to impact how we deliver entertainment.
2. Members will expect speedy and easy access to all types of entertainment and booking resources.
3. The ability to identify fads vs. long-term trends will be critical to success.
4. Delivery mechanisms will continue to evolve.

 5-10 Year Planning Horizon: Mega Issues
Mega issues are issues of strategic importance that represent challenges the organization will need to face in defining the ultimate direction of its long-range plan. These issues form a basis for dialogue about the choices facing the organization. These questions can also serve as an ongoing menu of strategic issues that the Board can use – in a knowledge-based approach to gathering insights relative to NACA’s strategic position and directional choices – to create regular opportunities for strategic dialogue about the issues facing the profession.

The following themes were articulated as barriers to success by participants in the pre-session web survey. 

Overall Mega Issue Themes

• Membership Research: who does the Association serve, what do they need, how are needs determined, and how effective is the Association in meeting and forecasting those needs;
• What is the appropriate role of volunteers within the Association;
• How should the Association effectively respond to and utilize changing technology to meet member needs;
• How can the Association improve the educational aspect of its programs and services;
• How can the Association best address issues of affordability and funding.