This detailed guide outlines a strategic planning approach uniquely suited to the academic environment and proven effective in numerous institutions around the country. The authors address the complex nature of stakeholders and conflicting purposes in an academic setting. Their approach leads to?rather than starts from?the institutional mission statement, and includes realistic methods of negotiating the political barriers that often obstruct the development of a strategic plan and its implementation. This informative book is particularly effective when used with the companion workbook Working Toward Strategic Change.