Throughout the social science research community, ICPSR is recognized as a leader across multiple dimensions: the quality and breadth of its data products and services; the excellence of its staff and their responsiveness to customer needs; its capacity to preserve and deliver data using the latest technology; the stature and comprehensiveness of its Summer Program faculty and courses; the growing involvement of the ICPSR staff in social science research; and the new field of data science.

Given the wealth of opportunities as well as new challenges on the horizon, the ICPSR leadership recognized that the time was right to develop a new strategic framework for future decision-making. ICPSR Director, Myron Gutmann, proposed to the Council that the organization begin a planning process. The purpose was twofold: to articulate the desired future for ICPSR, and to develop a strategic plan to be used as a roadmap for moving forward. The Council made the decision to proceed with the planning process and retained the services of Cambridge Concord Associates as consultants.

The Strategic Planning Committee

In the summer of 2007, ICPSR launched a strategic planning effort aimed at envisioning the future of the organization over the next five to ten years. The approach was a highly participatory one, designed to involve the Committee, Council members, ICPSR staff, and others. A Strategic Planning Committee was formed, consisting of the following individuals:

• George Alter, ICPSR
• Rita Bantom, ICPSR
• Bryan Beecher, ICPSR
• Linda Detterman, ICPSR
• Peter Granda, ICPSR
• Myron Gutmann, ICPSR
• Kathleen Mullan Harris, ICPSR Council, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• William Jacoby, ICPSR, Michigan State University
• Stacey Kubitz, ICPSR
• Paula Lackie, ICPSR Council, Carleton College
• Christopher Maxwell, ICPSR, Michigan State University
• Nancy McGovern, ICPSR
• Samuel L. Myers Jr., ICPSR Council, University of Minnesota
• James Oberly, ICPSR Council, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire
• Ruth Peterson, ICPSR Council, Ohio State University
• Mary Vardigan, ICPSR

Staff Input and Plan Development

Over the course of several meetings in 2007, the Committee updated the ICPSR mission statement and developed five strategic directions with supporting strategies and action steps. The initial meeting was a discussion session for all ICPSR staff in May 2007. The Strategic Planning Committee met with the Council in June to share expectations and ideas at the outset of the planning process. Committee meetings were held in June, July, August, and September, and the draft Strategic Plan was presented to Council in October. In March 2008 a new Council, which included six newly elected members, unanimously approved the Strategic Plan.

Broader Consultation

The planning process was informed early on by interviews with representatives of the research and funding community, ICPSR senior staff, current and previous Council members, and leaders of other data archive organizations, as well as directors of social science professional associations. In addition, a survey of member organizations' Official Representatives provided insights into how ICPSR could remain a critical resource for members.

Refinement and Implementation

In the fall of 2008, ICPSR staff further refined the plan and finalized a list of strategies and initiatives, thus defining the path to implementation of each Strategic Direction. Timing and resource requirements are being developed to allow for full-scale implementation of the strategic plan over the course of the years 2008-2010 and beyond.