Development of case statements in academic administration: a proactive method for achieving outcomes

The complex nature of higher education presents academic administrators with unique challenges to communicate vision and strategic direction to a variety of internal and external audiences. The administrator must be prepared to engage in persuasive communication to describe the needs and desired outcomes of the academic unit. This article focuses on the use of the case statement as a communication tool for the nursing academic administrator. The case statement is a form of persuasive communication where a situation or need is presented in the context of the mission, vision, and strategic direction of a group or organization. The aim of the case statement is to enlist support in meeting the identified need. Fundamental assumptions about communicating case statements are described, as well as guidelines for how the academic administrator can prepare themselves for using the case statement method.