Strategic higher education resource planning and analysis: school of nursing case study

This study is based on a project commissioned by the Dean of the Faculty of a post 1987 Victorian University to focus on the problems, issues and possible future strategies with respect to resource allocation and planning within the School of Nursing. The key objectives of this study are as follows: • To consider current and future external financial forces facing the School in terms of the macro environment. • To analyse the existing deployment and utilisation of human and financial resources within the School with a view to diagnosing any key problems and concerns. • To compare the resource utilisation data with other academic organisational units within the University and the Higher Education system as a whole, subject to availability of information. • To synthesise possible resource allocation and planning strategies for the future with respect to the School of Nursing. It may be possible that these suggestions may be also taken up by the Faculty and indeed the University as a whole. In this paper, the key findings of the project are analysed and their relevance to academic organisational units of the University and other higher education institutions facing similar concerns are postulated. [Introduction]