Overview of 2005 Self-Assessment and 2006-2012 Strategic Planning Processes

 

THE FOCUS ››› Helping Students Learn

 

Historical Overview: The 1998-2003 Strategic Plan was last updated in the 2ndh quarter of 2003. Surveys were conducted in 2003 and 2004 for the next Plan. Committees were formed and met throughout 2003 and early 2005. Action halted in May 2005 when the previous College president announced his departure. Until the next Plan is adopted, the 1998-2003 has been serving as a guide.

 

Maintaining accreditation also requires vigilance. The North Central Association (NCA) granted SCC ten-year accreditation status in January 1999, with the next comprehensive self-study and site visit (now known as PEAK) due in January 2009. The NCA noted only two concerns in their 1999 report, both of which have been addressed by SCC staff with reports approved by the NCA. The concerns included general education requirements and assessment.

 

In 2000, the NCA (known now as the Higher Learning Commission or HLC), offered a new accreditation method called AQIP, or Academic Quality Improvement Process. In March 2005, the SCC Board of Trustees approved a team of seven SCC employees to attend an AQIP training workshop on Vital Focus self-assessment, sponsored by the Higher Learning Commission. Completion of the multi-step Vital Focus process will prepare SCC for AQIP or will inform the PEAK accreditation process. The decision to apply for AQIP participation has not yet been made, although the Board of Trustees has stated support for the process.

 

Planning Continuous Improvements: Listed on the last page of this document are members of the Strategic Planning Committee established in 2003 and the Core Accreditation Team reconfigured in 2005. Some of the individuals listed on the Strategic Planning Committee are no longer at SCC, thus the committees should be refreshed. Within the next six months, the Action Projects to be identified through the ongoing 2005-2006 Vital Focus self-assessment process and affirmed at the May 2006 AQIP Strategy Forum will likely become part of the 2006-2012 Strategic Plan. Following the activities of Conversation Day on October 14, 2005, we now understand the importance of keeping the dialogue open between the two parallel paths of Strategic Planning and the Continuous Improvement Process. Thus, we should encourage members of the broad-based Core Accreditation Team to join at least one Strategic Planning Committee, if they have not already done so.

 

To meet our College’s root purpose of helping students learn, our current process goals should be to: (1) reenergize the Strategic Planning process; (2) align the next Strategic Plan’s goals with the nine AQIP accreditation categories espoused by the Higher Learning Commission; and (3) place special emphasis in the Plan on the four AQIP categories that the 200+ SCC employees attending Conversation Day on October 14, 2005 agreed “mattered most” at SCC. The four AQIP categories that matter most to SCC employees are:

 

  1. Valuing People
  2. Leading and Communicating
  3. Supporting Institutional Operations
  4. Helping Students Learn

 

Our Conversation Day facilitators pointed out that SCC has significant opportunities for improvement in three process areas: 1) Planning Continuous Improvement; (2) Building Collaborative Relationships; and (3) Leading and Communicating. They also noted that we have room for improvement in measuring our effectiveness.

 

Valuing People, Building Collaborative Relationships & Understanding/Stakeholders’ Needs: To engage all those who may be affected by the goals and objectives of the 2006-2012 Plan (and its included AQIP projects), Strategic Planning Committee Co-chairs are encouraged to rekindle involvement in the process from interested SCC employees, students and stakeholders.

 

Understanding Students’ and Other Stakeholders’ Needs, Leading & Communicating, Planning Continuous Improvement, Measuring Our Effectiveness: To confirm the work done to date on the next Plan and to ensure inclusion of Vital Focus-identified elements, committees should feel free to continue to collect and analyze related data (internal and external scanning) as needed, including, but not limited to:

  • Regional demographics (a one click link to 2000 U.S. Census data by our four counties and the U.S. is available in footnote)[1]
  • local workforce trends[2]
  • SCC Annual Reports[3]
  • the list of college projects in-process[4]
  • 1998-2003 Strategic Plan (to see what was and was not accomplished[5]
  • Critical Performance Indicators (soon to be online)
  • Data from 2004 Strategic Planning Surveys of employees, students, business/industry, alumni and community[6]. (Note: The outcomes from the five 2004 Surveys have been charted to determine if satisfaction levels in 2004 were in alignment with the results of the more recent 2005 Vital Focus self-assessment process. See attached charts.)

 

For additional information, a partial list of data providers follows:

1.      Judy Houseal (institutional data) (jhouseal@scciowa.edu)

2.      Gwen Scholer (financial aid) at gscholer@scciowa.edu

3.      Ginny Dusanek (transcripts & student IPEDs data) at gdusanek@scciowa.edu

4.      Dick Springsteen (financial, facilities) at dspringsteen@scciowa.edu

5.      Michelle Foster (Human Resources) at mfoster@scciowa.edu

6.      Sherry Zeller (SCC’s historical annual reports, board policies and minutes) at szeller@scciowa.edu

7.      Gary Spencer (facilities) at gspencer@scciowa.edu

8.      Curt Blom (curriculum, instruction) at cblom@scciowa.edu

9.      Chuck Chrisman (Information Technology, Datatel) at cchrisman@scciowa.edu

10.  Joan Williams (student characteristics, enrollment data and activities) at jwilliams@scciowa.edu

11.  Becky Rump (AQIP-related information, retention data) at brump@scciowa.edu

 

Building Collaborative Relationships, Leading & Communicating and Supporting Institutional Operations: From November 2005 – February 2006, SCC employees and stakeholders will provide rankings and input on potential AQIP action projects, starting with 28 recommendations developed by attendees at Conversation Day. By February 13, 2006, Core Accreditation Members will have enough information to recommend 5-6 (and a “priority three”) possible action projects to the SCC Board of Trustees. Those recommendations will form the basis of a Strategy Workbook that a 12-member team comprised of SCC employees and trustees will take to the HLC’s AQIP Strategy Forum in May 2006. Before or after attending the Forum, the Core Accreditation Committee will decide whether to apply for AQIP participation. It is expected that the major outcome of the Forum will be to provide a final determination about the College’s actual readiness to participate in AQIP.

 

Between December 2005 and May 2006, the Administrative Cabinet should utilize much of the data being used to inform the Vital Focus self-assessment process and the Strategic Planning process to update the institution’s Critical Performance Indicators (and reinstate goals and measurable objectives) and review the institutional effectiveness plan. To complete these tasks, the Administrative Cabinet may need to meet over a work session.

 

Before the 2006-2012 Strategic Plan is finalized for adoption by the SCC Board of Trustees, the Cabinet should sponsor a series of focus groups to share information on the College’s proposed directions and gather feedback from stakeholders.

 

The Nine AQIP Quality Categories (In a Continuous Feedback Loop)

1. Understanding Students’ and Other Stakeholders’ Needs >>>>

2. Valuing People>>>>

3. Leading and Communicating>>>>

4. Supporting Institutional Operations>>>>

5. Planning Continuous Improvements>>>>

6. Building Collaborative Relationships >>>>

7. Helping Students Learn>>>>

8. Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objectives>>>>

>>>>9. Measuring Institutional Effectiveness>>>>

 

Principles of High Performance Organizations

  1. A mission and vision that focus on serving students’ and other stakeholders’ needs
  2. Broad-based faculty, staff and administrative involvement
  3. Leaders and leadership systems that support a quality culture
  4. A learning-centered environment
  5. Respect for people and willingness to invest in them
  6. Collaboration and a shared institutional focus
  7. Agility, flexibility and responsiveness to changing needs and conditions
  8. Planning for innovation and improvement
  9. Fact-based information gathering and thinking to support analysis and decision-making
  10. Integrity and responsible institutional citizenship

Proposed Timeline for Strategic Planning & AQIP Processes

 

  1. Nov. 16, 2005: Review and revise overview document and timeline
  2. November 16, 2005: Receive analysis of Provocative Propositions rankings
  3. November 17, 2005: Put Provocative Proposition Rankings on SCC webpage, inform employees via email and public via news release
  4. November 18 – December 2, 2005: Employees invited to pick top 3-5 of 5-10 highest ranked Provocative Propositions
  5. November 21: Analyze Quick Fix rankings
  6. November 23: Next Core meeting? Receive analysis of Quick Fix rankings
  7. November 21 & 29, 2005: Take document to PEC, then to Administrative Cabinet for discussion and approval
  8. December 12, 2005: Provide update to SCC Board of Trustees
  9. December 5, 2005: Put document on SCC webpage (Public Information, Strategic Planning)
  10. December 5, 2005: Inform our employees via email link the public through a news release
  11. December 5, 2005: Analyze second ranking of Provocative Propositions
  12. December 7, 2005: Core Committee receives analysis and discusses
  13. December 8, 2005: Share results of second ranking with employees (email link) and public (news release)
  14. December 9, 2005 – May 2006: All five Strategic Planning Committee start meeting Dec 2005. Provide Strategic Planning overview. Ask each to:
    1. Review/discuss Strategic Planning & AQIP data as relates to Plan in its current state
    2. Discuss rankings of the Provocative Propositions (may result in Action Projects)
    3. Fold final Action Projects into appropriate Plan goals and objectives
  15. December 12 - 16, 2005: Core Committee sponsors at least one mini-conversation on each campus/site for employees to discuss Propositions rankings results (email, posters)
  16. December 13, 2005: Cabinet discusses Propositions, Critical Performance Indicators and Committee Structure (make plans for a work session on institutional effectiveness)
  17. Core Committee encourages other SCC standing committees and affiliated organizations to discuss proposed Action Projects
  18. Keep Quick Fix updates part of Administrative Cabinet agendas and minutes
  19. Encourage submission, review, assignment, completion and communication of new Quick Fix ideas
  20. January 9 – January 20 2006: Core Committee invites input from standing committees (via email using standardized format to be created) to determine the 5 or 6 action projects to take to the Strategy Forum in May 2006 and the top 3 to be the focus of the Strategy Forum
  21. January 12-13, 2006: Core Committee presents at In-service to solicit input
  22. January 9 – 20, 2006: Core Committee sponsors large open forums and web forums to solicit input on the top 5-6 and priority 3 (and share progress on Quick Fixes and that ongoing process)
  23. January 20 – February 13, 2006: Core Committee collects input and meets as needed to develop recommendation on top 5-6 and priority 3 proposed action projects to present to the Board of Trustees on February 13.
  24. March 2006: Core Committee writes Strategy for Action plan that SCC’s 12-person team will take to the Strategy Forum in May 2006
  25. May 2006: Team attends Strategy Forum
  26. Pre- or post-May 2006: Decide whether to apply for AQIP. Note: AQIP’s goal is to build our internal and external ability to turn conversation into action, not to make us forever dependent on an externally-facilitated process. We may want to consider bringing our Conversation Day Facilitators back to help us work through the feedback we receive and to integrate the Action Projects into our Strategic Plan and workplans.
  27. September 2006 or January 2007: Whether or not we “go AQIP,” consider conducting the HLC’s Examiner Survey each year at the same time. It is a “tighter,” more advanced survey than the Constellation survey, from which we can get comparative results from other institutions. Use outcomes to help in resetting benchmarks in Critical Performance Indicators and in updating/revising the Strategic Plan.
  28. October 2006 and each year thereafter: Hold a short Conversation during Professional Development day to share information from Examiner and progress on Quick Fixes, updates on Action Projects and other elements of the Strategic Plan
  29. Strategic Planning Committee invites Core Accreditation Committee to quarterly update meetings.
  30. At least annually, perhaps at Inservice Day or Professional Development Day, the Core Accreditation Committee will invite submission of proposed Action Projects to replace any “retiring” Action Projects. Those ideas will be discussed with Strategic Planning Committee at the next quarterly update meeting.
  31. If SCC adopts AQIP as its accreditation and continuous improvement methodology:
    1. Core Accreditation Committee submits application
    2. Share information concerning progress on current Action Projects annually with AQIP
    3. Maintain a System Portfolio (initially created within three years after joining, or by 2009) organized around the nine AQIP Quality Criteria, describing the processes used to achieve institutional goals and presenting performance results
    4. Every four years (starting 2010), assist AQIP in conducting a Systems Appraisal that evaluates institutional strengths, identifies opportunities for improvement and provides concrete actionable  feedback for improving processes and performance
    5. Strategic Planning Committees use data from 31.b., c., and d. to inform the strategic planning process (longer range objectives)*
    6. Administrative Cabinet uses data from 31.b. and c., from annual Examiner survey, and from 31.d every four years to revise the Critical Performance Indicators and institutional effectiveness plan (annual objectives)*
    7. Every 7 years: Have accreditation reaffirmed based on a pattern of successful participation in the AQIP process

 

 

*Note: 31e. and 31.f. are examples of how the institution can successfully measure its own effectiveness by “closing the loop” in the our approved continuous feedback assessment model of Plan (gather data), Do (implement informed plans), Study (determine effectiveness), Act (revise as needed).

 

Strategic Planning Committees (to be revised)

 

Academic Planning Group:

Louise Orozco (Co-chair), Curt Blom (Co-chair), Bill O’Neill, Eloise Olson, Larissa Conner, Connie Geiser, Steve Rheinschmidt, Jim Bowles, Tom Gardner, Dana Garnjobst, Tammy Reichelt, Patti Sallee, Peg McCreight, Carlene Woodside, Jean Kelly, Suzie Messer, Monica Hinkle, Lanny Hillyard

 

Facilities Planning Group:

Chuck Albright (Co-chair), Rex Widmer (Co-Chair), Arlyn Musselman, Dan Ring, Gary Spencer, Jim Webb, Ken Allaman, Terri Bonar, Ruth Smith, Amy O’Brien, Nancy Ramsey, Brenda Rubey, Tim Ahern, Jeff Heland

 

Institutional Advancement, Economic Development, & Community Planning Group:

Gwen Baker (Co-chair), Kari Bevans (Co-chair), Deanne Enderle, John Smith, Gloria Warner, Pam Bradley, Donna Lee, Lee Busselman, Glenda Ferguson, Debbie Leone, Sherry Zeller, Merilin Jones, Kim Moore, Janet Fife-LaFrenz, Cindy Hardin, Linda Gidley, Dale Jordan, Phil Hecht, Amy Franz

 

Student Planning Group:

Becky Rump (Co-chair), Dennis Marino (Co-chair), Barb Blow, Beth Oldfield, Anne Heitz, Sherry Swanson (student), John Lenahan, Lori Dvorak, David Haas (student), Janet Deehring

 

Technology Planning Group:

Julie Rursch, Chuck Chrisman, Rob Dengler, Michelle Foster, Russ Glasgow, Tim Gray, Barb Altheide, Rebecca Hannum, Bruce Huddleson, Jeanette Kline, Lucinda Larson, Lynne Lipper, Brian McAtee, Cindy Murphy, Annette Peterson, John Phipps-Winfrey, Adam Raub, Teresa Scott, Richard Wamsley, Brian Roth, Sally Wood

 

Core Accreditation Team

Dr. Tim Ahern

Camille Anderson

Curt Blom

Karen Cahill

Jerri Dean

Robert Dengler

Glenda Ferguson

Janet Fife-LaFrenz

Donna Lee

Laura Menke

Suzanne Messer

Tammy Reichelt

Becky Rump, Chair

Dr. Beverly Simone

Joan Williams

Sherry Zeller

 

 


[6] http://www.scciowa.edu/information/strategic/, go to 2004 Survey Data drop down menu