Dear Dr. Travis September 29, 2014 On behalf of the College Planning Committee, I am pleased to forward a revised Strategic Plan to you for review and consideration by the college s constituency groups. The College Planning Committee implemented the Strategic Plan Update Process outlined on page 9 of the College s Planning Guide to revise the Strategic Plan. The College Planning Committee undertook this review for the following two reasons: The first reason relates to the magnitude of changes in the environment that have occurred since the plan was last updated in 2011. The second reason is the recent modification of the College and District Planning Timelines. In particular, in order to integrate the planning components related to accreditation, the District will not be undergoing its next strategic planning process until spring 2016. Since the district plan establishes the framework for our plan, the college will not be able to undertake its next planning process until the fall of 2016, which means that our current plan will have expired. The updating process included the following steps: The committee conducted an audit of changes and factors in our external environment. These changes were mapped to goals, strategies and initiative areas in the current plan. A subcommittee met to review and draft modification (as needed) in the scope but not the intent of the related areas in the Strategic Plan to ensure they were responsive to and inclusive of the changes in the environment we had noted. The College Planning Committee reviewed each of the proposed changes and suggested further modifications. The resulting revised Strategic Plan was then reviewed and approved by the committee electronically. In order to facilitate the college-wide review and dialog of our recommended updated plan (which will be dated 2009-2016) I have attached the following documents: A document that that lists the environmental changes that informed our work cross-referenced to the related areas in the Strategic Plan. A document that shows the recommended edits to the current strategic plan with addition in red and deletion indicated by strikeouts. Thanks in advance for presenting this to the constituency groups for their review. Please let me know if you would like me to attend an upcoming Executive Committee meeting or if I can do anything else to support the review and approval of this important college document. Sincerely, Rhonda Farley, Chair College Planning Committee
Environmental Issues/Changes Considered (in no particular order) Environmental Change/Issue 1. Requirements for substantive interaction in DE courses 2. Regulatory/legislative changes (gainful employment, adult education, financial aid, repeatability, enrollment priorities, unit caps, accreditation, etc.) 3. Changes in the external environment (e.g. Common Core, open source educational materials and opportunities, enhanced competition, performance based funding, modification of our mission) 4. Changes in CTE Enhanced industry certification requirements Enhanced expectations from industry and legislature Enhanced need for responsiveness and customization to meet employer needs Enhanced expectations regarding employment/employability Increased regionalization Increased focus on pathways and linked learning Career pathway programs Where addressed (Goal) Access and Access and Community and Economic Development and initiatives 5. Increased competition Where addressed (Strategy) Strategy 1, initiative d Strategy 2, initiatives c and d Strategy 1, Initiative c Strategy 2, Initiative c Strategy 1, Initiative c Strategy 1, Initiative a, b Strategy 3, Initiative e Strategy 2, Initiative b Strategy 1, Initiative c Change (=yes N = no) N N, Access and Strategy 1, Initiative a and b 6. Student Success Act Student Success Strategy 2, Initiative b
7. Student Equity Plan Student Success Strategy 2, All initiatives 8. Continued scrutiny and expectations regarding basic skills access, success and Student Success Strategy 2, Initiatives c and d Strategy 1, Initiative d completion 9. Decreased availability of county resources Student Success Strategy 2, Initiative f 10. Student Population Changes (veterans, underprepared, mental health needs, increased DE enrollment, early prison release, poverty and related issues) Student Success Strategy 2 11. Enhanced accountability and increased expectations and the need to collect and use data (including outcomes assessment) 12. Requirements for integrated planning and budget and datadriven decision-making 13. Change in focus of professional development (focus on teaching not discipline expertise) 14. Increased focus on sustainability 15. Leadership success gaps and challenges 16. Organizational growth/strain/change Reduction in full time faculty and classified Student Success Organizational Student Success Organizational Student Success Organizational Organizational Organizational Strategy 2, Initiative d Strategy 2, Initiative a Strategy 2, Initiative d Strategy 2, Initiative d Strategy 2, Initiative a Strategy 2, Initiative d Strategy 1, Initiative ai Strategy 1, Initiative d Strategy 1, Initiative d Strategy 3, Initiative a, c, d Strategy 1, Initiative c Strategy 2, Initiative a, b, c Strategy 3, Initiative a. d N N N Some morale issues (relationships, trust, employee satisfaction, etc.)
Change from small to big college Strain on infrastructure (communication, etc.) Enhanced need for expertise in change management Increased movement to centralization in district and state 17. Change in DO leadership Organizational 18. Economic uncertainty Organizational 19. Structural and ongoing funding Community and gaps and need for increased Economic revenue streams. Development 20. Barriers to student transfer/goal completion including unit caps Access and 21. Enrollment challenges Access and 22. Civitas Access and 23. Data Security Access and 24. New/aging facilities Access and 25. Development and Center Access and Status for EG Center 26. Increased technology use and expectations (students and employees) 27. Not addressed at this time... BA program development Organizational Access and Strategy 2, Initiative c Strategy 2, Initiative c Strategy 3, Initiative f Strategy 3, Initiatives a, b and c Strategy 2, Initiative c Strategy 2, Initiative b Strategy 3, Initiative c, e Strategy 3, Initiative d Strategy 3, Initiative a Strategy 3, Initiative a Strateg2, Initiative a Strategy 3, Initiative c, Increase in reverse transfer/swirling
Retroactive awarding of degrees and contacting student who are close Regulatory/legislative changes (pension reform, affordable care act) (District issue)
Student Success As an institution that serves a diverse community, CRC strives to support student success, promote educational equity, and offer programs that empower students to achieve their educational goals and contribute to a just and democratic society as global citizens. CRC provides students with access to high quality services that support their success and facilitate their transition to work or further educational opportunities. CRC also offers instructional programs designed to meet the changing needs of industry and our global economy and programs that enhance student learning and promote educational equity. Finally, CRC supports and provides opportunities for student learning outside the classroom. Strategy 1: Enhance educational quality by extending our ability to offer excellent instructional programs and support services and ensuring that students seeking degrees, certificates, transfer and other educational objectives complete their goals in a timely manner. a. Expand the implementation and integration of instructional and student support programs to enhance student success, retention and persistence: i. Enhance CRC s professional development program to ensure it supports faculty and staff efforts to assess and adapt their practices to enhance student learning and success. ii. Continue to implement best practices, considering all factors such as age, culture, preparedness, and other factors. iii. Assess practices based on student outcomes. b. Ensure programs support skill development to meet the needs of students, the business community, industry and the global economy in the 21 st century. c. Assess and modify college processes to better support student success, and goal achievement. and student equity. d. Strengthen and enhance support services for, and the learning environments of, our distance education students. Strategy 2: Strengthen CRC s ability to respond to the needs of our student population (e.g. first generation, basic skills, full-time students under the age of 25, low socio-economic status students, traditionally underrepresented, veterans, etc.) by improving, expanding and enhancing student services. a. Ensure that existing and future student-service facilities are welcoming and service-oriented. b. Assess needs and implement changes to streamline, improve, coordinate, co-locate and/or integrate services in support of enhanced program quality and accessibility and the successful implementation of the Student Success Support Program and Equity Plans. c. Enhance student and staff awareness of and access to support programs. d. Expand the use of institutional and program-based qualitative and quantitative data, including the assessment of student learning outcomes, to improve program effectiveness, and student success and student equity. e. Continue and expand the use of best practices to develop strategies to meet the needs of full-time students under the age of 25 and encourage use of innovative and culturally responsive practices. f. Strengthen our ability to support students mental wellness.
Strategy 3: Enhance the student experience by improving support for learning outside the classroom. a. Increase access to spaces that support learning outside the classroom, such as the creation of dedicated spaces for study, campus meetings and events, and community events. b. Investigate options, such as the creation of a college hour and modifications in the academic calendar, and implement changes to enhance access to activities and programs. c. Enhance and diversify the on-campus and community-based outside-the-class learning opportunities for students. d. Improve the communication system to employees and students about outside-of-class learning opportunities.
CRC strives to provide the highest quality instructional programs in transfer, career technical education, basic skills, and general education, using the best current and emerging instructional methods and technology. CRC promotes collegiality, data-driven decision making, continuous improvement, innovation, and flexibility to support teaching excellence, facilitate educational equity, and promote the success of its diverse student population. Strategy 1: Enhance teaching excellence by expanding and improving support for teaching and learning. a. Expand access to resources and facilities that support exemplary teaching and learning. b. Provide enhanced support for activities that support instruction, including curriculum and program development, SLO development and assessment, and classroom-based research. c. Assess and modify practices, processes and resource allocations in response to the changing internal and external environments (such as increased workload, decreased resources, legislative changes, increased competition, new learning resources and paradigms, etc.) d. Assess and enhance CRC s professional development program, including the Center for the Advancement of Staff and Student, to ensure it is supporting faculty and staff efforts to assess and adapt their practices to enhance student learning and success, particularly in the areas of basic skills and online education. Strategy 2: Expand CRC s role as an innovative educational and community center by supporting the assessment and improvement of teaching and learning. a. Broaden the collection, dissemination and use of student and institutional data, program and course/activity outcomes SLO assessment, and classroom-based research to assess and improve teaching and learning. b. Increase the utilization and effectiveness of alternative delivery methods such as modularization, learning communities, distance education, and hybrid courses. c. Expand the utilization of teaching methodologies, culturally responsive practices, feedback mechanisms, classroom management strategies, student support practices, and communication methods that enhance student success, retention, persistence and goal accomplishment, particularly for groups that are not performing as well as others. d. Enhance teaching styles and methods for students enrolled in basic skills and online classes to enhance their learning and better support their success. Strategy 3: Strengthen CRC s role as an educational leader by enhancing collaboration.
a. Improve collaboration, cooperation and collegiality among the different employee groups and between instructional and student services areas. b. Enhance inter and intra discipline collaboration and cooperation in a variety of ways, including the full implementation of the outcomes assessment cycle. c. Identify and implement activities that develop a collective understanding of our students and our college community. d. Expand the participation of faculty and staff in campus events and activities. e. Strengthen the college s collaboration with K-12, transfer institutions and the business and external community to ensure we are providing clear and effective pathways for students, particularly for CTE and transfer students. Access and As a community-centered institution, the college strives to be responsive to the needs of its growing and changing community. To meet the challenges of a highly competitive postsecondary educational market, the college pursues every opportunity to enhance the student experience and increase community awareness of our teaching excellence, student success, and educational leadership. To respond to the challenges of population growth, the college is committed to expanding capacity through outstanding facilities management, the development of new facilities, the implementation of new instructional technologies, and the development of programs and services that improve student success. To facilitate educational equity, the college assures access by reducing barriers, promoting diversity, and offering programs and services that provide equal opportunity for all of our students. Strategy 1: Extend our role as an open access, student-centered, comprehensive community college by ensuring access to quality programs that meet the needs of our diverse students and the community we serve. a. Strengthen the college s ability to understand and adapt to changing student needs and interests. b. Implement effective enrollment management strategies (including schedule development scheduling, registration priorities, program development processes and alternative delivery methods) to maximize our ability to provide access during these challenging fiscal times. c. Ensure students can complete programs in a timely manner. d. Increase student access to financial support. e. Develop and implement cost saving strategies for students. f. Assess and improve the enrollment experience, including registration, assessment, orientation and placement, to ensure that programs and services can be easily accessed and used by all students. Strategy 2: Expand the college s role as an innovative educational and community center by developing an integrated and coordinated communication and outreach strategy. Initiative Areas a. Broaden relationships and partnerships with the community, including feeder high schools to increase awareness of the breadth and scope of opportunities at the college. b. Ensure optimal student enrollment by increasing Maintain outreach activities, particularly to underserved populations in our service area.
c. Enhance internal communications to students to increase persistence and retention and to ensure students understand the impact of relevant legislative changes (e.g. repeatability; enrollment priority, unit caps, and financial aid changes, etc.). Strategy 3: Support exemplary educational programs and exceptional student services by improving and expanding physical and technological resources. a. Design, fund and systematically modernize facilities (including the Elk Grove Center centers) to accommodate program and service growth and quality. b. Provide the resources needed to ensure the Elk Grove Center obtains center status by Fall 2015. c. Continue to assess and further implement the educational technologies necessary for program and service quality and growth. d. Assess and modify practices and technology to meet the increasing challenges with regard to data security. e. Investigate the implementation of technologies to assist students with their career development and educational planning processes and provide real time data to inform schedule development.
Community and Economic Development CRC seeks to promote the health and economic vitality of the region. As a community resource, CRC contributes to community life through partnerships, involvement in civic affairs, and programs that serve the community. CRC also supports economic development through career technical programs and partnerships with business, labor and industry. Strategy 1: Enhance our ability to contribute to the cultural, social and economic well-being of the region by expanding our understanding of community needs. a. Strengthen dialogue with the community about their economic, workforce and community development needs. b. Continue to increase communication with community-based organizations (civic, non-profit, business, governmental, etc.). c. Broaden our understanding of the changing demographic, economic, cultural, technological, educational and public policy environment. Strategy 2: Expand CRC s role as an educational and community center by improving our responsiveness to community needs. a. Develop effective, innovative and responsive programs, services and delivery methods. b. Expand reciprocal relationships and collaborative efforts with community-based organizations, the business community, labor organizations, public agencies, and other sectors of the educational community to ensure we are providing clear and effective pathways for students, particularly for CTE and transfer students. Strategy 3: Improve the effectiveness of programs and services by expanding capacity through resource development. a. Expand the capacity and utilization of the CRC Foundation. b. Develop new and expanded partnerships to support growth for existing and developing programs. c. Develop the infrastructure to increase the college's capacity to develop, utilize and manage grants and contracts. d. Enhance governmental relations and advocacy efforts.
Organizational CRC endeavors to be responsive to its changing and increasingly complex environment and enhance institutional effectiveness by continually assessing and improving its organizational processes. CRC also implements practices that are consistent with its values of collegiality, sustainability, fairness and mutual respect, innovation, participatory decision-making, fiscal responsibility and continuous learning. Strategy 1: Further CRC s culture by ensuring that our values are reflected by our processes and practices. a. Improve support for college and community service, such as scholarly endeavors and community/academic events. b. Enhance the assessment and recognition of college service and contributions to the community or one s discipline. c. Ensure participatory and collegial decision-making while continuing to strengthen trust and collegiality among and between employee groups. d. Increase the implementation of sustainable and environmentally sensitive practices and processes in the college s business procedures, operations, programs, and decision-making systems. e. Implement ethical and culturally competent practices and processes. Strategy 2: Promote continued excellence amidst rapid growth external and internal changes and increasing complexity by strengthening organizational processes and communication. a. Enhance our ability to understand and respond effectively to changing internal and external environmental factors (e.g. enrollment challenges, pressures for increased centralization/coordination, educational policy, etc.) and to use this information to make decisions. (switched order with previous) b. Implement strategies to support effective change management strategies manage change and fully institutionalize the Elk Grove Center. c. Improve the effectiveness of communication across the organization to respond to changes in the organization, growth of the college, and the inception of the Elk Grove Center d. Strengthen the effectiveness of CRC s planning processes by expanding the integration of its various components, including the assessment of student learning outcomes and the college s decisionmaking and budgetary processes. e. Strengthen the college's leadership development capacity to facilitate organizational effectiveness and promote leadership succession. Strategy 3: Improve our ability to serve students by enhancing organizational efficiency, cultural competence, employee satisfaction and participation. a. Assess and modify processes and systems to improve effectiveness and increase organizational flexibility and agility, particularly given the recent reductions in state support and staffing levels. b. Increase capacity through enhanced resource development and utilization and by ensuring equitable and effective workload distribution.
c. Ensure an effective organizational structure by clarifying the roles and responsibilities of all employees. d. Provide the support needed, such as professional development, effective orientations, training and mentoring, to maximize the potential of each employee and enable them to work effectively with our diverse student and employee population. e. Enhance policies, activities and professional development that promote workplace health, wellness and safety for employees, students and visitors. f. Strengthen our ability to support the innovation and institutionalization of new programs, processes and practices. g. Continue to exercise the prudent approach that has helped the college maintain its current financial stability.