My recent nuptials have me thinking long term.  I started thinking about buying a house, getting a dog (as practice for), raising a family, and soon found myself thinking about student activities. Perhaps your brain jumps around quite like mine does, so this leap from raising my own kids to developing the ones I work with on campus everyday makes sense to you.  Here I am wondering: how to we get our students thinking long term?  How do we get students to focus on the bigger picture when ultimately, they won't' be around to see the effects of their hard work?  A few things come to mind that might help as you work with your programming boards to devise long term goals.

Have you ever played the "if we had a million dollars" brainstorming game with your activities board?  You know the one: committee members dream big about what programs they would offer if money were not a factor.  Take this same concept and brainstorm "in a perfect programming world."  Encourage students to think about what their organization would look like, how their programs would differ and how they would get to that point.  When we take away the roadblocks, the potential for creative change is much greater!  This activity will also allow students to focus on things that could change, rather than only creating a list of negatives.

One of the reasons long term goals can be so daunting for an organization is that there is no guarantee things will not fall apart when current leaders leave their positions and/or graduate.  Have students map out the steps they envision to see their goal to completion.  This map will be helpful for a number of reasons.  It will clearly define the end goal and give steps along the way.  Students will be able to retrace steps of former leaders and better understand the thought process of their organization.  Often new leaders step into task halfway through the process and end up scratching their heads, "why did they do it that way?"  The map will answer these questions and foster continued steps in the right direction.

Along with that handy map/outline have student leaders reflect on their progress throughout the process.  Keep this information in a journal or binder.   If the long-term goal is to restructure the Homecoming Week planning and collaboration, it will be important to have notes from not only the programming board members, but also all of the other stakeholders who help make that week a success.  Reflection on the process from multiple view points will ensure a clear understanding and may contribute to reaching the goal more quickly than anticipated.

As advisors, we are in the unique position to remain a constant even as years come and go. Help your students realize their goals and keep them engaged by creating an alumni newsletter or hosting reunions that will allow you to update former students on the progress of the programming board.  By ensuring that current stakeholders will be in the loop even after their tenure on campus has come to an end, you will increase the likelihood that major goals are completed.  

So, what long term goals will your students start working on this year?