A.

Central Piedmont Community College (Community College, NC)

B. University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (4 Year Public, NC)
C. Davidson College (4 Year Private, NC)
D. Strayer University (Proprietary for profit institution, National)
1) Compare and contrast the mission statements of each - what similarities are there; what
differences do you see?
Each institution has its own vision and goals of progression; however most institutions have some
common factors such as student achievement and commitment to education. Each institution mentions
educational advancement in their mission statements. Central Piedmont Community College and Strayer
University are vastly different when it comes to student body demographics, academic structure and
cost of attendance but in their mission statement a common factor is that both institutions market
flexibility. Davidson College is a private institution that clearly shows religious affiliation in its mission
statement and commitment to that belief. University of North Carolina Chapel Hill shows a commitment
to diversity in their student body and to research.
2) What stands out to you regarding the structures of these institutions? For example, what patterns
do you see? What do you notice about the names/titles of positions and offices?What do you notice
about reporting lines?
Leadership Hierarchy within each institution is also different based on the size and nature of the
institution. Piedmont Community College has an executive body of only 9 people with the President, his
assisting staff and vice presidents in charge of various departments. The community college executive
chart is very simple in terms of hierarchy. University of North Carolina Chapel Hill is different from other
4 year public research institutions. Chapel Hill is Part of the University of North Carolina system that has
17 branches under it. The chair of the board of governors and the President oversee all campuses. Each
University has a chancellor and vice chancellors that are supervised by the chancellor. Strayer University
is drastically different. Strayer University is a publically traded company so it runs more like a corporate
business than any of the other three institutions. Strayer has academic leaders such as the President, a
board of directors and management (Chairman and CEO).
3) How do you think Strategic Planning played a part in how the institution evolved into what you
see today?
Strategic planning plays a crucial role in the decision making, planning and progress of an institution. The
planning process starts with first assessing the needs of the institution. What student demographic the
institution is targeting, institutional funding, curriculum requirements, accreditation and many more
questions arise at this stage. A hierarchy is created when organizational units are determined. The
chosen leaders are than given responsibilities and committees are created. Each level of the strategic
plan creation plays a role in the evolution of the institution. For example, take Georgia State University,

the merger between GSU and GPC required a restructure in the institutions strategic plan and overall
leadership hierarchy.