STRATEGIC PLAN

FOR
INSTITUTIONAL
EFFECTIVENESS

2014-2017

522 N Old Carriage Road • Post Office Box 7488 • Rocky Mount, NC 27804-0488

Telephone (252) 443-4011 • Fax (252) 451-8201 (252) 451-8401 • Internet Web Site:

An Equal Opportunity/Affirmation Action Institution

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Mission Statement

Nash Community College’s mission is to provide an educational environment meeting students where they are and preparing them for successful college transfer and rewarding careers. Through quality instruction, support, services, technology, work force development, research, and community partnerships, Nash Community College fosters lifelong learning opportunities for individuals, communities, and organizations.

SUMMARY

Nash Community College (NCC) engages in ongoing, institution-wide research-based planning and evaluation. The NCC strategic planning and institutional effectiveness (IE) processes are designed to improve quality, make proactive improvements, and adhere to the college’s mission. The Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) is comprised of the President, all Vice Presidents, Associate Vice Presidents, Deans, Associate Deans, Department Chairs, and Directors. The SPC considers the collective outcomes and achievements of the College to assess progress towards meeting college-wide goals and objectives. As part of the strategic planning process, the SPC met several times during 2013 to review and evaluate the progress and outcomes of the 2010-2013 Strategic Plan. The Committee analyzed the college’s strategic goals and associated strategies and made recommendations for improvements including the development of specific objectives for the goals, strategies to achieve the objectives and goals, and measurable outcomes for each of the goals. As part of the planning process, NCC faculty reviewed the planning document and provided input, which was incorporated into the final document. The SPC will conduct an annual review of the strategic plan, which will include an evaluation of the measurable outcomes associated with each of the goals. Based on the findings of the annual review, the Committee will make recommendations and develop an action plan that will reflect a cycle of continuous improvement for the duration of the2014-2017 Strategic Planning Cycle. The SPC will also report its findings and recommendations to the President each year. In an effort to fulfill the mission of Nash Community College the SPC has developed the following strategic goals, objectives and outcomes.

Goal #1:
To deliver comprehensive programs of study focused on educational effectiveness and maximum student achievement.
Rationale:
In an effort to respond to the evolving dynamic student learning needs it becomes imperative to provide an educational experience that is both relevant and responsive to those needs.
Objectives / Strategies
  1. Provide best practice instruction, both traditional and technology-based
/
  • Increase flexible, individualized instruction (i.e. Tank and Studio)
  • Increase use of research-based instructional strategies (i.e. AVID)
  • Provide supplemental instruction in all FYE related classes
  • Implement a reflective/evaluative process for the assessment of instructional strategies effectiveness

  1. Increase availability of technology in all classrooms, mobile labs or hard wired
/
  • Provide high quality access (i.e. wireless access)
  • Research emerging issues related to technology in the classroom
  • Professional development related to technology in the classroom
  • Consistent, campus-wide use of technology (similar to tank and studio)

  1. Enhance First Year Experience
/
  • Continue to develop orientation, and implement online version, perhaps make it mandatory
  • Develop and implement FYE effectiveness measures
  • Encourage all student to enroll in ACA 115 first year
  • Build a first semester course of study for all students
  • Cross-campus common read

Measurable Outcomes:
  1. Instructors will implement at least two (2) AVID strategies in each course.
  2. At least two (2) technology oriented workshops will be offered each year as determined by the technology committee.
  3. Increase participation in FYE activities by 10% annually.
  4. Increase student completion rates (certificate, diploma, and degree) by 10% annually.

Goal #2:
Utilize institutional practices that support learning and growth, and ensure fiscal responsibility.
Rationale:
As a part of the daily and normal operations, the College is accountable to its students and community stakeholders. The Institution is challenged, and required, to wisely, responsibly, and completely utilize human, fiscal, and physical resources. The achievement of Goal 2 will enable the College to respond to those demands in a pragmatic manner, and build an environment that promotes efficiency.
Objectives / Strategies
  1. Implement planning, budgeting, and management systems that are flexible, effective, and efficient
/
  • Maintain sound fiscal and resource management practices
  • Maintain a budget review process
  • Zero balance budget expenditures annually

  1. Ensure accurate reporting of FTE(Continuing Education and Curriculum).
/
  • Conduct regular/on-going internal audit of FTE recording
  • Address errors associated with internal audit
  • Review policies and procedures
  • Use web attendance where appropriate to track attendance and recordkeeping
  • Develop and implement consistent practice to make up classes/assignments due to inclement weather or other interruptions.

  1. Implement institution-wide human resources (HR) policies and procedures that meet the needs of the college
/
  • Adhere to and update policies as required
  • Clarify, enhance and communicate policies regularly
  • Review policies annually

Measureable Outcomes:
  1. Zero (0) percent of the college’s budget will be reverted as a result of underspending.
  2. Budget audit will result in zero (0) exceptions.
  3. Annual FTE audit will result in zero (0) exceptions.
  4. 100% of faculty will document make-up class dates and assignments associated with missed classes.
  5. HR policies will be reviewed annually, and 100% of employees will receive policy overview/updates.

Goal #3:
Provide opportunities for professional development
Rationale:
NCC expects its students to be prepared and has a moral obligation to be prepared as well. Lifelong learning is a part of NCC’s mission statement and this relates to its employees as well as the students. In addition, this goal supports every employee’s need to be more effective. The field of education is ever-changing and it is mission critical to stay current.
Objectives / Strategies
  1. Develop and implement opportunities for instructional professional development (PD)
/
  • Schedule regular, consistent and ongoing PD, and include subject specific application
  • Track implementation of PD strategies through observation and evaluations
  • Offer online PD sessions
  • Create opportunity and expectation for adjunct participation PD
  • Include all employees, (not just instructional faculty)
  • Add accountability measures to PD
  • Schedule PD into yearly calendar
  • Reflect on professional learning
  • Subject area application for PD

  1. Develop NCC internal PD experts and a sharing of best practice
/
  • Implement Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)
  • Develop repository
  • Reflections opportunities
  • Assess best practice knowledge
  • Peer review and feedback
  • Continue to record and post PD activity sessions and send notification when they are posted.
  • Develop master instructor criteria
  • Award master instructor certificate
  • Develop presenter/facilitator criteria

  1. Develop internal leadership
/
  • Implement leadership academy
  • Leadership mentors
  • Leadership application/nomination process

Measurable Outcomes
  1. 90% of all faculty will attend fall orientation/adjunct orientation.
  2. 100% of faculty and staff will attend a minimum of one (1) PD session per semester.
  3. 100% of instructional faculty will attend two (2) PD sessions per semester

Goal #4:
Provide programs and services that represent the diversity and needs of the community
Rationale:
Adhering to the College’s mission, it is important to reflect and ensure that the programs and services offered by the College accurately reflect the needs, both current and future, of the individual student, employers, and the service area (stakeholders) as a whole.
Objectives / Strategies
  1. Assess program and service diversity and needs
/
  • Increase communication and feedback (surveys)
  • Report out
  • E-newsletter
  • Develop subcommittee
  • Add measurable outcomes

  1. Engage all areas of campus
/
  • Implement instructional focus (FOCUS, AVID, ACA) across entire campus
  • Clear, concise, and COMMON language for communication

  1. Engage alumni
/
  • Identify
  • Contact
  • Communicate
  • Spotlight
  • Inform
  • Recruit/invite alumni to speak in classes (speakers bureau)

  1. Improve stakeholder awareness
/
  • Assess (survey) stakeholder needs
  • Capitalize on TV, internet, billboards, info booths, attend events, create and host events
  • Recognize college volunteer of the year

  1. Increase student involvement
/
  • Develop cohort support groups
  • Student community calendar of events
  • Student Moodle

Measurable Outcomes:
  1. 90% advisory committee survey respondents will indicate that NCC is meeting diversity and needs
  2. 90% of employer survey respondents will indicate specific programs are meeting diversity and needs
  3. 90% of participating clinical and/or worksites indicate the College is meeting diversity and needs
  4. The college will add programs, at least one, each year in response to stakeholder feedback and input.

Goal #5:
Conduct ongoing assessment, planning, and evaluation to improve student learning.
Rationale:
The collection and assessment of data is critically important to evaluating the institution’s effectiveness. Assessment is an integral part of planning, decision making, and continuous improvement. Data analysis both inside and outside of the classroom ensures the best holistic outcome for the student’s educational experience.
Objectives / Strategies
  1. Assess student retention and persistence
/
  • Collect data-grades, attendance, W, and WA
  • Collect student withdrawal reasons
  • Develop and implement a consistent instrument to gather information with regard to W’s
  • Increase supplemental instruction
  • Track/survey students

  1. Assess student learning
/
  • Develop consistent common course syllabus and learning outcome
  • Develop assessment strategies to monitor ongoing progress
  • Program evaluations that reflect strategic planning goals and the mission of the College
  • GESLOT implement additional components/measures to be more inclusive of all campus programs

  1. Ensure program validity/efficacy
/
  • Maintain current and add third party credentialing and/or accreditation

  1. Assess the quality of instruction
/
  • Monitor/evaluate the implementation instructional strategies, including online instruction
  • Conduct peer to peer observations and review

Measurable Outcomes:
  1. Collect data with regard to W/WA from at least 75% of those students each semester
  2. GESLOT will meet and report SLO at least two (2) times each semester
  3. At least one (1) instructional observation of each faculty, including online, will be conducted annually
  4. Annually meet or exceed third party credentialing requirements

Systematic Review

NCC's Strategic Planning Cycle is centered on continuous assessment, improvement, planning, intervention, and evaluation (APIE) of programs and services to determine how well the mission of the College is being accomplished. Using the Annual Planning Cycle, below, NCC evaluates all aspects of the College by conducting a number of assessments. Through advisory committees, each program conductsa SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis to ensure that the mission and goals of the College are being met. In addition to the institutional goals and objectives, individual programs will develop outcomes based upon assessment results from the previous year's performance. The collective result is continually benchmarked against requirements of external accrediting agencies, expectations of the community or workforce, relevance to the College mission, and alignment with strategic planning. All employees are provided the opportunity for departmental and college-wide input. Students are provided the opportunity to critique instruction and college services through course evaluations. These are then incorporated into program evaluations by the appropriate instructional personnel. Program evaluation results are utilized in the college-wide strategic planning process to determine necessary action to improve the effectiveness of the College's instructional programs, student achievement, and college goals and objectives. Program objectives are then revised accordingly, and as necessary.

The Institutional Services Evaluation process mirrors the Instructional Programs Evaluation review. Each area evaluates the effectiveness of stated objectives and outcomes using a SWOT analysis and data analysis of survey results. From the assessment, improvement needs are identified; strategies are developed to address those needs. Resources required to address identified needs and to enhance improvement of the institutional service are specified for purposes of strategic planning and budget considerations.

All College employees are also evaluated annually. Evaluations of each fulltime and permanent part-time instructional and non-instructional employee are conducted by the appropriate immediate supervisor in March each year. Based on their evaluation, employees develop professional development plans that are aligned to their needs, and to the goals and mission of the College. As a part of the annual evaluation process, department chairs and directors conduct instructional observations of teaching faculty. Additionally, all employees of the College submit a summation of their activities for the past year to be included in a College Year-In-Review publication.

NCC has a number of committees assigned to analyze and make recommendations with regard to improving the quality of service provided, and to ensure that the College’s mission remains the focus of all campus activities. The General Education Student Learning Outcomes Team (GESLOT), for example, meets at least quarterly to evaluate the data collected on general education competencies. Additionally, the Technology Committee meets to evaluate technology needs as identified in the instructional programs and institutional services evaluations. The Faculty Workload Committee convenes to review and evaluate the workload requirements for faculty. A biannual faculty/staff meeting is held to reflect on the past year's accomplishments and lay ground work for expectations and initiatives for the upcoming year.

Through the work of individuals and committees, NCC conducts systematic/systems ongoing assessment and analysis of all programs and services. The goal, of course, is to ensure that the College enhances the cycle of continuous improvement.

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Nash Community College Annual Strategic Planning Cycle

NOVEMBER
OCTOBER / ♦Advisory Committees / DECEMBER
♦Curriculum Committee / ♦Assessment Committee / ♦Instructional Program Evaluations
♦GESLOT Assessment Comm. / ♦Technology Committee / ♦Institutional Services Evaluations
♦Student Recognition Program / ♦Professional Development Committee
Institutional
Mission and Goals
↕
/ JANUARY
SEPTEMBER / ♦Review of Programs &
♦Biannual Faculty/Staff Meeting / Services Evaluations
♦Curriculum Committee
♦Review NCC Mission & Goals
♦Year-In-Review
AUGUST / ♦Strategic Planning Committee
♦Evaluation & Update of
Instructional & Institutional
Services Objectives / ♦Excellence In Teaching Process
begins
♦GESLOT Assessment Comm.
♦Technology Committee
FEBRUARY
♦Departmental
Budget Preparations
♦Technology Committee
♦Purpose Review Committee
JULY / ♦Faculty Workload Committee
♦Begin New Fiscal Year / ♦Alumni Award Process Begins
♦Strategic Planning Committee / ♦Biannual Faculty/Staff Meeting
♦Review Employee Procedure
Manual
MARCH
JUNE / APRIL / ♦Employee Evaluations
♦Update Budget Requests
♦Instructional Program Evaluations / MAY / ♦Budget Hearings
♦ SPC / ♦PDPs
♦Critical Success Factors & / ♦GESLOT Assessment Comm. / ♦Cont. Ed. Accountability Plan
Performance Measures / ♦Technology Committee / ♦College Calendar Update
Report / ♦State Operating & Capital
Outlay Proposal / ♦County Budget Requests
♦GESLOT Assessment Comm.

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