This paper addresses the problem of shaping new strategies in the face of current enrollment declines at many colleges and universities. It describes an approach that applies a long term planning model that can incorporate the short-term realities of lower enrollments and budget constraints with projections for new strategic initiatives. The paper notes that too often the immediate budget pressures pushes creative strategic planning aside, therefore, it is necessary to have some sort of linkage in the planning process between long range strategic alternatives and the immediate market demands and budgetary realities. This article describes an approach to linkage that focuses on attaching numbers to strategic ideas. The paper argues that ideas are empty if not grounded in a pragmatic context where enrollment and financial projections can be intermingled with strategic factors to simulate a variety of future scenarios. The planning model presented assists a dean in anticipating the college's future while forcing a disciplined and comprehensive perspective of strategic alternatives. A sample simulation is provided following discussions of the model's construction, usage, and outcomes. (GLR)