SUSTAINABLE STRATEGIC PLANNING PRINCIPLES OF COLLEGES

At present, the concept of sustainable development is the key issue in all documents, including educational development planning guidelines, at the global, European and national levels. Sustainability has become a decisive factor for choosing strategies, drawing up development, action and investment plans. Sustainable development planning involves the use of many variables, forecasting and implementation of a systemic approach. Colleges develop their long-term development strategies for a certain period of time. A college mission could, in this case, be considered the "cornerstone" of an educational institution. Apart from defining a mission, it is indispensable to set strategic planning methods, principles and, not least important, vision and values. The aim of the article is to reflect and analyse the three main elements within the sustainable strategic planning of colleges - mission, vision, and values. Under the frame of sustainable development planning at colleges, the task of this article is to draw attention to mission and vision of colleges, to analyze mission and vision from the aspect of their definement and simultaneously to conduct a research of mission and vision of all colleges in Latvia and their correspondence definitions and objectives revolved on them. Within the framework of the research, general scientific research methods have been used: analysis, synthesis and logical construction methods.