With a bottom line of student success, Kansas City Kansas Community College has unveiled a strategic plan for the next three years.
Presented by a 14-member development team comprised of administrators, staff and faculty, the plan was unanimously approved by the College’s Board of Trustees at its May meeting Tuesday.
The plan falls within the structure of a 10-year strategic agenda approved by the Kansas Board of Regents for the state’s public higher education system in 2010.
Entitled Foresight 2020, that plan sets long-range achievement goals that are measurable, reportable and ensures the state’s higher education system meets Kansans’ expectations.
KCKCC President Dr. Doris Givens said one of the key elements of the KCKCC plan is that the plan is measurable and answers such questions as 1) Are we doing the right things to achieve our mission? 2) Are we doing those things well? 3) What actions do we need to improve? And 4) How will we know if improvements have occurred?
“The bottom line is we want our students to be successful,” said Brian Bode, Vice-President of Finance and Administrative Services. “For example, we will be taking an aggressive approach to help our students. We will identify issues they might be having early in the semester and assist them with heading off any problems.”
“Everything we do will be to help our students progress toward graduation,” said Dr. Denise McDowell, Dean of Enrollment Management and Registrar. To further that goal, Dean of Business and Continuing Education Dr. Marvin Hunt said the College’s Workforce Development plans to increase its efforts to not only have graduates job ready, but also help business and industry in creating new job opportunities.
In presenting strategic direction in the areas of Student Success, Workforce and Community Needs and Organizational Effectiveness, committee members also outlined their strategic choices for reaching those goals and key performance indicators in reaching the goals.
The goals:
Student Success and Academic Achievement
Student success in developmental education – Developmental education curriculum will be re-designed and enhanced; additional technology and information support will be provided in classrooms and a developmental track sequence mandated.
Improve quality of student learning outcomes - Through enhanced student learning outcome assessment data, curriculum can be modified, teaching and learning improved and career course learning outcomes mapped to program learning outcomes.
Enhanced commitment to student success – Students will be provided a more robust student orientation; student advising will be intensified, continuous degree audit and planning implemented and a Student Early Alert System improved. In addition, changes designed to improve student services will be tracked and evaluated, and a seamless process for students from point of entry through goal achievement will be created.
Workforce and Community Needs
Enhanced employ-ability – An integrated and comprehensive workforce and career system developed; credit and non-credit workforce development strategies integrated; partnerships with business and industry increased and green job training opportunities explored; student internal and external internships increased; and more workforce and career training events developed.
Organizational Effectiveness and Culture
Organizational culture focused on excellence – Enhanced internal communication, promotion of cross-functional teams for college-wide committees and solicitation of input and feedback to be provided constituents regarding committee activities.
Organizational effectiveness – Technology and facility plans linked to budget, sustainability and initiatives will be updated; technology leveraged to improve resource utilization and expanded service delivery; and environmentally sustainable practices promoted for all areas of campus operation.
Change/shape institutional image – Social media sites will be leveraged and monitored to enhance the College’s public image and its dual identity as a liberal arts/transfer college and a technical education college. In addition, an external communication plan will be developed as well as a Listening Project Survey to assess community awareness and response to targeted messages.
“This is already a great college,” said Board Chairman Dr. Ray Daniels. “With this all in place, it will be even greater.”
The plan, which will continue through the Spring of 2015, will be updated as needed and the committee will continue to meet and communicate with constituents. In addition, there will be a fall in-service presentation, on campus focused forums and six-month updates provided the Board of Trustees.
Members of the Strategic Plan Development Team included President Dr. Doris Givens, Vice-President Brian Bode, Provost Dr. Tamara Agha-Jaffar, Deans Dr. Marvin Hunt, Dr. Denise McDowell, Dr. Sangki Min and Cliff Smith; faculty members Dr. Curtis V. Smith, Karisse Whyte, Tanya Townsend and Jessie Johnson; Staff Senate Representative Karalin Alsdurf; Student Senate President Leslie Monarres; and from Cosgrove and Associates, John Cosgrove.
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PHOTO: Kansas City Kansas Community College President Dr. Doris Givens and Board of Trustees chairman Dr. Ray Daniels listened intently as a 14-member development team presented a strategic plan for 2012-15 at the May meeting of the Board of Trustees Tuesday. (KCKCC Photo by Alan Hoskins)
