Chapter 3 - The Distinctive Organization
A redhead. A golf swing. A foghorn. A baby’s cry. These four images and sounds are at once familiar but also unique. Consider college, specifically the community college. Over the past few decades, this two-year version of higher education has not only provided access, but it has come to provide excellence and the path to a better life available to everyone. The American community college system and theme of the open door resonates the vision and spirit of its origins. As a form of adult learning, it is being emulated around the world–a “flat world” that is reshaping borders, changing the economic landscape, and demanding ever-changing knowledge and skills of its citizens at an unprecedented pace.
Now consider the community. An international bridge reaches across Lake Huron linking the small city of Port Huron to the industrial, growing cities of Point Edward and Sarnia , Ontario , Canada . Struggling downtown merchants inhabit the beautifully restored brick stores of their predecessors. Benefactors, entrepreneurs, and community leaders combine efforts to bring business, culture, and activities to the Blue Water area. Families dot the expanded boardwalk at The Landing. Couples choose Acheson Ventures as the setting for their wedding reception. They can even marry on a tall ship. When the weather becomes cold and the Port Huron to Mackinac race is a summer memory, residents and visitors can stop for a favorite beverage at Quay Street restaurant or the Raven Coffee House, see local artists’ work at Studio 1219 or even take a yoga class. An area rich with culture, members of area clubs, churches, and civic organizations support charities, offers opportunities for growth, and sponsors events that keep the Blue Water area moving forward without losing its traditions of the past.
The communities surrounding St. Clair County, comprising the College’s constituencies, contain both rural and urban elements. The College family mirrors the families being served. African-American, Hispanic, and Irish-American churches, clubs, and culture play significant roles in educating, entertaining, celebrating, and sharing identity. Many employees of the College attended the institution when it was known as “JC” for Port Huron Junior College from 1928-1967 or “SC4” as it has been known since then. Both terms are still in the local lexicon, and while first-time college students and the non-traditional learners continue to be a population for whom the College cares deeply, great pride is taken in annual commencement stories showing parents and children in caps and gowns. It is not uncommon to have siblings, husbands, wives, and even grandparents taking the same class to learn, support one another, and share the experience of going to college.
Many visitors to the area and the College find both charming, a reflection of tradition and character. However, anyone who has taken on a restoration project knows that the upkeep of tradition and character has a price. One of the College’s many fiduciary concerns is keeping up with physical plant needs given difficult choices made in the past. Consistent downward turns in state funding, a property tax base lower than two-thirds of Michigan’s other community colleges, rising expenditures in human resources, and reaction time for making critical budget adjustments for these changes have necessitated tough choices. [1] Immediate infrastructure issues approaching $40 million in a community that resists major tuition and fee increases, coupled with dependence on continued millage support, compete for funding with operational expenses. Efforts to manage and contain costs have helped the organization maintain services as budget structures are revised. While the College has much to be proud of in terms of its distinctive qualities, a weakened infrastructure is an attribute that stakeholders would prefer to have addressed.
Anyone visiting the campus sees a College in flux, striking a critical chord for growth while resonating with the traditions that made it special then and now. Significant renovations made to the Clara E. Mackenzie and the College Center buildings, along with the contemporary M-TEC Center , provide students improved learning environments and access to technology. Yet the friendly brick face of the Main Building and the smooth lines and curves of the Fine Arts Building house vital programs and energetic people. The College has a vision that captures the future but cherishes the past.
Merging the tradition of the past with challenges of today and the anticipation of the future, the College has established its distinctiveness within its community. To demonstrate this distinction, the College must:
- Have an unambiguous mission
- Appreciate diversity
- Be accountable
- Be self-reflective, and
- Be committed to improvement
Evidence of these are examined below, along with an analysis of how well the College meets these attributes.
The Distinctive Organization Has an Unambiguous Mission
It is impossible to make the changes necessary for organizational growth without the commitment and dedication of those involved. Recent efforts to align all stakeholders of the College community are evident. The Board has adopted statements of mission, vision, values, and goals that clearly and broadly define the organization’s purpose and direction. After the Institutional Planning Committee reviewed previous strategic planning documents and revised the concepts presented in previous reports, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to adopt the revised mission, vision, core values and strategic goals for the College in April 2005. This adopted version connected these statements and defined the varied internal and external constituencies the organization intends to serve. These statements are the foundation that defines the College’s distinctiveness and exemplifies the clarity of its mission.
Mission is Clear (1a)
The College’s most recent mission documents have been assembled as the Ship’s Logbook. The publication and distribution of the Ship’s Logbook focuses on several integral components. One primary focus was to make sure the mission documents include a strong commitment to high academic standards that sustain and advance excellence in higher learning. The mission of the College describes providing quality learning opportunities while offering a future-focused curriculum, preparing students for the changing global economy, and advocating for lifelong learning. The vision statement of the College aligns with this mission, describing how the College will be learner-centered, proactively adapt to the changing environment, embrace change, nurture innovation in the delivery of instruction, and continually challenge the status quo. The core values outline how the College believes in innovative instruction with integrity, respect for diversity, and a working environment characterized by collaboration, responsibility and accountability. The strategic goals of the College define how the College will continuously engage in strategic planning to provide quality education for students; to meet the changing needs of a diverse student population; to foster diversity in employment practices, educational programs and services, cultural and artistic events, and partnerships; to provide educational experiences that enhance global awareness; and to continually assess all of its functions and employees to assure it meets the needs of the communities it serves.
There are several examples of the College’s desire to nurture the goals outlined as part of the strategic plan in the Ship’s Logbook. Recent efforts to deliver blended courses, as well as offer new certificates and degrees show that College administration and faculty understand the importance of meeting needs now rather than later. In order to link the academic environment to experiences today’s students will need, the mission documents include goals for the learning environment that will help students achieve educational goals.
Analysis
The mission statement has been written and driven by the community, especially through the use of advisory committees. While it is apparent that the mission is utilized by the College’s employees, individual members of the community may not be as aware, and some employees have expressed concern about efforts to achieve goals when enrollment turns out less than promising for new programs, events, and classes. The overall recommendation based on these revised efforts to create a proactive culture concerns future evaluative efforts. While the College solicited input from all employees, the Board of Trustees, M-TEC Advisory Board, Foundation Board, Alumni Association Board, and the Student Government through a confidential strategic planning survey, there appears to be no standard for measuring the effectiveness of the process as the College moves forward. However, institutional effectiveness criteria, monitored as a Score Card, are under development and have been facilitated through a consultant and the hiring of an executive director of institutional effectiveness.
The Distinctive Organization Appreciates Diversity
In its mission documents, the College appreciates the diversity of its learners, other constituencies and the greater society it serves. The College has proactively made many efforts to strengthen its commitment to understanding and supporting diversity in and out of the classroom. The importance of this issue is represented by the College’s Strategic Plan Goal III: Appreciate and Understand Diversity. In pursuit of this goal, the College recognizes the diversity of its students and the need for its curricula to meet the challenges of a diverse society. Responding to its constituencies in consideration of the demographic profile of the community also prepares the College with an effective measure of institutional effectiveness.
Recognizes Diversity (1b)
The College has been striving to enrich levels of staffing, students, curriculum concerns, and community awareness by recognizing the diversity of constituencies. For example, the “Our Stories” section of the College’s website shares the narrative of a local African-American family. This story highlights a former local principal who remembers experiences at Port Huron Junior College . Despite the racial tensions of the times and a lack of people of color attending the college, this alumna reported good relationships and support. Her daughter also attended the College, transferred to University of Michigan-Flint, and also reported positive experiences and strong preparation for transfer. Examples such as this frame the College’s initiatives to complement the diverse influences of the community, increase diversity awareness through committees, and broaden diversity through enhanced hiring practices.
Efforts to attract and develop resources that enhance diversity are often limited by a community’s demographics. Based on 2005 data issued by the U.S. Census Bureau, St. Clair County residents totaling 171,000 residents were represented as:[2]
- 95.6% white
- 2.2% black
- 2.6% Hispanic or Latino/Latina
- 0.5% Native American or Alaskan natives
- 0.5% Asian
While efforts are taken to recruit minority students and employees, it is difficult to attract diversity to an area with a small base of population as represented in these statistics.
Although the College’s staffing and student population do not reflect the diverse nature of larger cities, the College and the community enjoy the influences of strong African-American, Latino/Latina, Native-American, and Irish-American communities. As members of the College’s advisory councils and other committees, representatives from these groups serve as mentors and connectors to helping the college reflect a diverse culture. In this way, the College has the “distinct” advantage of not only reaching out, but also learning from its constituents.
The Minority Affairs Advisory Committee (MAAC) is a group established by the President and focused on the College’s mission to promote excellence through diversity. As a collaboration of College staff and community minority leaders, the MAAC has implemented several initiatives. A Martin Luther King Day community event was held as the first county-wide event of its kind. The cooperation between the College and the MAAC led to many groups performing and attending this celebration of the life of Dr. King. The evening program is taped and played on the cable education channel and covered by local media. The MAAC also hosts a workshop, “Women in Education.” In another event, minority honor students have been recognized by this committee during a special reception. In 2006, a minority affairs professional was hired under the recommendation of the MAAC on a contracted services basis to assist with the recruitment of minority students. Through these initiatives, the College strives to keep individuals informed of diverse experiences and opportunities.
Internally, the College has made considerable efforts to improve hiring practices in regards to diversity. For example, a training session was conducted by an outside professional to promote awareness of fair hiring procedures. Reports available in the Office of Human Resources show that hiring of minorities has increased over the past ten years. The College has worked hard to advertise in journals relevant to minorities. While improvement is needed in the ability to attract and retain talented minority candidates, the College has often listed this priority. Advisors have said this problem may be due to a lack of economic opportunities here and improved quality of life available in other geographical areas. It is important to evaluate the procedures being using; however, progress in this area may be slow.
The College has identified that diversity is a strategic priority. Initiatives, both externally and internally, recognize how diversity can enrich the lives of the community and students. While initiatives are undertaken to increase diversity, efforts are also needed to maintain curriculum that is relevant to the diverse society where students will live and work.
Curricula are Assessed (4c)
The College has made efforts to revise and enhance its curriculum to reflect its commitment to appreciating diversity. For example, the Academic Review Committee added the global awareness competency as a core requirement for a student to graduate with an Associate’s degree. To meet this requirement, students must successfully complete two courses identified as meeting this competency, such as Political Science 101 and Sociology 101.
The strength of this competency is that it ensures that all students have some exposure to a global curriculum, gaining the knowledge that the future lies in connected economies and cultures. At the time of this self-study, the global awareness competency and courses meeting this competency are being reviewed by campus leaders, Academic Review Committee members, and other interested faculty to assess how many disciplines and courses beyond those listed in the 2006-07 Catalog infuse global themes into the curricula. At the same time, new opportunities are being created. A new program, International Business, was adopted by the Curriculum Committee in 2005-06. While the global awareness competency broadens each graduate’s global knowledge, the International Business program prepares students for work in a global business environment.
Other changes made to reflect the global economy involve not only updating courses and programs, but developing and enhancing relationships that contribute to diversity at the College. An example of progress is an articulation agreement that was signed with Port Huron ’s sister city in Guatemala , facilitated by members of the faculty, administration, and Board of Trustees. As a result of this agreement from the initial visit made by the Academic Dean and a faculty member, plans are currently underway to host the President of San Carlos University in Chiquimula and two colleagues for a visit to the College campus. One of the many possible steps is to sponsor some of the nursing faculty to travel to Guatemala to assist with medical needs and exchange information. Opportunities such as this represent how the College continually assesses its curriculum and addresses the need of its constituencies to live in a global world.
Responsive to Constituencies (5c)
The designation of the MAAC to recognize diversity also represents a collaborative relationship between the College and minority community leaders. While recognizing diversity through its events, the MAAC also provides guidance on the responding to the needs of constituencies. This consultation complements activities established through an internal committee and partnerships with an international neighbor.
The International Cultural Education Committee sponsors campus activities and informs faculty and students of educational and exchange opportunities. November’s Global Awareness Day coincides with International Education Week and features panels and lectures on global issues and culture. Last year’s event featured a lecture on China . Previous topics have included archeological findings around the world, Middle East politics, and economic changes in Europe . A subcommittee, the Global Awareness Task Force, is comprised of community leaders, College faculty and retirees. This task force funds many College efforts and supports faculty and student exchange. This group is also developing a roster of past exchange students and would like to develop communication links so the students can stay current with the College community and perhaps help to locate others who might like to participate in future exchanges. The larger goal of this group is to promote understanding and friendships that transcend barriers of language, culture, faith, or political interests.
An established partnership with Lambton College in Sarnia also exists that offers tuition at an in-district cost to support an exchange of students across the international border. The College also supports faculty and administrative staff travel to Canadian professional development institutes and is exploring other ways to partner with Lambton College . Other faculty opportunities include incentives to assist with the global awareness program and to attend or present at Midwest Regional Institute, a consortium of colleges devoted to international education. The College has maintained its affiliation with the Institute since the last accreditation. Affiliations with such organizations provide an opportunity for the College to measure its effectiveness in appreciating diversity against external counterparts.
Assessment Provides Evidence of Institutional Effectiveness (2c)
Responding to a diverse student population presents challenges in providing effective non-traditional student support. Some programs have changed in the past ten years. Federal funding has been cut for displaced homemakers and sex equity programs. Socioeconomic indicators show that the College needs to focus on the problem of income and education in addition to minority and ethnicity issues. While 82.6% of adults in the county have high school diplomas, only 14.1% have a Bachelor’s degree or higher. [3] In order to connect diversity with its distinct identity as a community college, the College needs to lead a cultural change promoting the value of education within the county and providing an avenue and a purpose to help students get to campus.
Another concern is the students who are fearful of attending college and are challenged to stay once enrolled. Outside distractions, such as problems with jobs, families, and decisions about careers and other related issues appear to be constant barriers for many students. These factors are difficult to control. Further, many of these students need additional developmental skills and have difficulty succeeding.
Analysis
While College initiatives have been complemented by the strong influences of diverse groups, the fairly homogenous demographics of the surrounding community provide challenges in attracting minority students and employees. Although efforts have been made to study minority retention, subcommittees are trying to find ways to mine the data to improve in this area. Yet, it is the responsibility of the College to provide a learning environment rich in globally diverse concepts and examples. The global awareness competency requirement places diversity prominently in the curriculum. However, consistent assessment of student learning related to this competency must be documented, monitored, and used for continuous improvement. While the establishment of the International Business program is a positive step in broadening learning opportunities for students, enrollment has been low. The ability of such a program to meet the needs of constituents must be assessed and recommendations for possible revisions considered. Finally, the diversity of the College’s students is not only characterized by ethnicity. The socio-economic variables of the surrounding community necessitate programs and support services that meet the needs of this diverse community to which it is accountable.
The Distinctive Organization is Accountable
The College earns the mark of distinction through evidence that its performance is evaluated against the mission and goals set forth. This evidence is found through a review of the support provided for its mission as well as examples of its integrity in carrying out that mission. Learning outcomes set the stage for the College’s performance, which is then exemplified in its learning environment. These elements must be valued by constituencies if the College succeeds as being accountable to its mission.
Mission is Supported (1c)
Most have heard the phrase, “It’s all in the details.” As noted earlier in this chapter, the College is actively engaged in the process of not only aligning the mission, vision, and strategic goals internally and externally, the College focuses on planning and enacting the details to carry the College forward. In order to make sure the Board, administration, faculty, staff, and students understand and support the mission to provide quality learning opportunities, actions congruent to the mission must be visible. Internally, the organization’s constituencies make efforts to articulate the mission in a consistent manner. This is seen in departmental planning, budgetary processes, and shared governance practices.
As evidence of the mission, the goals of administrative and academic departments are also congruent with the organization’s mission. For example, each of the departments in Student and Instructional Support Services has a current business plan that identifies departmental goals, which are aligned with the overall College goals and initiatives in support of the mission. The goals in the plan are monitored for progress monthly and are reviewed at least annually to maintain relevancy to the overall College mission and goals. These departmental plans are also used to support budget requests.
The College continually focuses on the organization’s planning and budget processes that flow from support of the mission and strategic goals in pursuit of the vision. The last few years have required zero-based budgeting. Departments must provide support for budget requests which are submitted annually to the Vice President of Administrative Services and approved by the President and the Board of Trustees. While the annual budget has been reported to all constituencies of the College on a regular basis, recent changes to the process of requests for resources have garnered criticism as the changes and procedures were not communicated adequately and as universally as in the past. As restructuring continues, ways to enhance communication regarding resource allocation need to be developed and a feedback loop needs to be established. The new processes are unclear to some department chairs.
The 2006-07 academic year has been one marked by efforts of members of the administration and faculty to address interests connected to shared governance. The budget process may be clarified as the implementation of shared governance continues. Finding common ground has been difficult due to different points of view, interpretation of the faculty contract, changes in personnel, and competing priorities. While progress in renovations and the development of new programs demonstrates the College’s commitment to moving forward, accountability and improvement are possible only when an organization is able to face difficulty and discover ways to learn about itself and the many points of view comprising the groups that shape the institution’s climate. Through the effective application of shared governance, the College’s mission can be fully supported and uphold the integrity of the institution.
Upholds and Protects Integrity (1e)
The College is accountable to its mission through actions that are consistent with the mission, goals and policies it has documented to represent it. The College is founded on legal parameters of its environment as well as policies defined by the Board of Trustees. Beyond the laws and policies, the actions of the College in regards to its activities and constituents define it as an institution with integrity.
The College has legal authorization to grant degrees and to operate an institution of higher education from the State of Michigan through the Michigan Department of Education, granted when the College was established. This information is found in the 2006-07 Catalog, numerous legal documents and the meeting minutes of the College’s Board of Trustees. M ichigan ’s system of community college institutions was established to provide open access to students of the state with quality postsecondary educational services within commuting distance. The community colleges are governed locally by an elected board of trustees.
Information for policies and authorization are in a document issued for the Board of Trustees called the Policy Handbook, available in the Vice President of Administrative Service’s office. In the Policy Handbook, Act 331-Public Acts of 1966 states the principal act relating to community colleges, and Act 331 appears on the front cover of the handbook. The M ichigan Department of Education publication, Laws, Statutes, and Constitutional Provisions Affecting Establishment and Administration of Community Colleges (1978), provides complete details.
Issues of governance are based on these parameters of authorization. According to the Policy Handbook, the College’s Board of Trustees published the Bylaws governing the organization and procedures of the organization in accordance with Act 331-Public Acts 1966. Election to the Board of Trustees is governed by the M ichigan Department of Education. In its Policy Handbook, the Board of Trustees has established its legal procedures for election to the Board. Additionally, it specifies expectations of the Board in Article V, Sections 1 & 2, for example. Section 1 states, “The Board of Trustees shall act as a collective body and individual members shall assume no authority to act independently without the prior approval and direction of the Board.” Section 2 states, “No member of the Board shall have any financial or professional business with the College by which he/she shall receive a pecuniary reward or compensation out of the funds of the College, but each Trustee, in the discretion of the board, shall be reimbursed for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the discharge of his/her official duties.”
The Board of Trustees conducts its meetings in accordance with the Open M eetings Act, Act 267 of 1976. The Open M eetings Act is the basis for Article I of the Board’s By-Laws which regulates meetings. The language states: The organization understands and abides by local, state, and federal laws and regulations applicable to it (or bylaws and regulations established by federally recognized sovereign entities). The posting of open meetings is in compliance with the Open M eetings Act.
The Policy Handbook also specifies matters including Board Policies, Internal Policies and Procedures, and External Audit(s), such as financial procedures and Workers’ Compensation. Also specified is that “the organization consistently implements clear and fair policies regarding the rights and responsibilities of each of its internal constituencies.” The College operations follow a prescribed course of action established first by the Act 331-Public Acts 1966, secondly by the Policy Handbook, and thirdly by internal policies and procedures based on the Act and handbook. The internal policies and procedures are issued and maintained through the College’s public folders and available through the offices of the Vice President and Chief Information Officer.
Policies related to auxiliary activities are also facilitated by the Vice President of Administrative Services. Recent changes to three key areas of the College have taken place in the auxiliary services. The bookstore, food service and information technology are contracted to outside vendors. A process for reviewing contracts that includes advisory committees is in place. In all cases, faculty, staff, and the community were invited to meetings to share concerns, ask questions, and view presentations. These changes, although difficult, took place after many meetings designed to assure internal and external constituencies that those affected would have employment and changes to service would be enhanced rather than disrupted.
Procedures are also in place regarding fair treatment of students. As active participants in the learning process, students have direct access to faculty through dedicated office hours and are provided with a syllabus for each course, as specified in the current faculty agreement. Information regarding additional procedures is made available to the student through the College Catalog and the website. These procedures address classroom conduct, sexual harassment and anti-discrimination. Additionally, the student complaint and grade appeal processes are referenced in the catalog and articulated in detail on the Student Services area of the website. The student complaint process provides the recommended steps to address the complaint. The Student Grade Appeal Process is established for situations where the student believes that the grade is based on a calculation error or did not follow the criteria in the course syllabus. The process clearly defines the actions to be taken and the time frames implemented to manage the process in a timely manner. During 2005 and 2006, there was only one grade appeal that required action under the guidance of the current Dean of Students.
With these laws, policies, and procedures in place, the integrity of the College to operate responsibly and honestly is established. Documentation of routine activities, such as Board meetings, is evidence that the College conducts operations according to these regulations. The College is represented externally in many ways but most notably by the role of the President on significant community boards – Economic Development Alliance (Board of Director and Executive Committee member) and Downtown Development Authority (Board member), to name just two. Both internally and externally, constituencies can be assured that the positive reputation of the College will be upheld and the educational experience of students will be congruent with the College’s mission.
Clearly Stated Learning Outcomes (3a)
Learning outcomes provide a means by which the College can measure its accountability to student learning. These outcomes are necessary at both the program and course level and require governance through established committees and procedures. The previous chapter detailed the College’s procedures and progress on assessment. Here, it is critical to discuss assessment in terms of accountability as a distinct characteristic of the College.
The College has certain committees established to monitor and assist with assessment–the Assessment, Academic Review, and Curriculum Committees. However, the majority of the dedication to assessment is witnessed at the department or discipline level. Those responsible for individual courses are developing mechanisms to assess the outcomes. For example, the Communications Department has an assessment subcommittee that meets regularly during the semester. Members review the procedures that the department put into place for assessment of the composition class (ENG 101) and based on the data collected from the review, discuss the findings and make recommendations to the department. Currently, the department is focusing on studying, identifying, and assessing performance of developmental students (ENG 050) and working with faculty and staff from the Academic Achievement Center to provide additional student support for learning. The department ensures that learning can be optimized through appropriate curriculum and support services.
The College continues to strive for assessment of learning outcomes but conflict by some faculty about the purpose and value of assessment has been a barrier. Some of this weakness appears to be at the department level. An April 2006 professional development event provided the opportunity for various disciplines to showcase what some were doing in the form of assessment and how it was affecting the teaching and learning in the classroom. Yet, not all disciplines and not all faculty were represented. It was also evident that the benefits of what faculty were doing in non-occupational areas was not previously articulated to others. A showcase such as this provides a forum for expanding the understanding and application of assessment at all levels. Because of its success, a similar event was presented at the January 2007 Professional Development Conference.
The learning outcomes at both the program and course level are clearly stated for many disciplines, yet there is certainly opportunity for improvement to maintain consistency. The Academic Review Committee and Curriculum Committee assist disciplines in the creation and maintenance of stated outcomes. The Assessment Committee assists in monitoring the success in student learning of these outcomes through documented assessment. Procedures in place to create, review, and assess the outcomes and the procedures provide the framework for measuring the College’s accountability and encourage improved student learning.
Effective Learning Environments are Created (3c)
With learning outcomes addressed, ensuring an effective learning environment in other regards is a critical aspect in being accountable to the College’s most significant constituents–the students. To provide a safe learning environment, a Chief of Campus Patrol was hired in 2004. The College has enhanced 911 capabilities on all telephones and added lights to the parking lots. Plans have been developed for emergencies such as terrorism, avian flu pandemics, and other serious threats to the campus and community.
Despite the need to reduce costs and increase efficiency, students need to know that learning is the priority of the College. The overall maximum class sizes range from 20-30 students. This class size is conducive to positive teacher-student and student-student interaction that is critical to learning in the classroom. In a Fall 2004 Alumni Survey conducted by the Student Success Center , alumni gave the College near-perfect ratings for the attitude and helpfulness of staff. [4] Currently, a “Stop-Out” survey is being developed to learn what the College can do to support students who have not been retained and how to encourage matriculation. Through the responses, the College may have the opportunity to make adjustments that will make it more distinct as the preferred educational choice. All of these pieces lend itself to an institution that is accountable to its constituencies by valuing the learning environment.
Responsive to Constituencies (5c)
The College has historically responded to the needs of those constituencies that depend on it for service. While not always able to address every need, under the current administration the institution has made significant progress in this area. The College is now proactive versus reactive and takes a holistic approach, still addressing academic needs, but including economic, social, physical, and emotional needs as well. Academic needs include new programs for the typical college student, as well as innovative opportunities that meet the needs of constituencies at multiple levels from K-12 through advanced higher education. The College also is accountable to needs beyond academics, enriching the community in many ways.
New academic programs that make the College distinctive are Water
Quality Technician, seminars in sustainability, and Alternative Energy
certificates and degrees, as well as certificates for Early Childhood and
Paraprofessionals. Two innovative programs are responsive to environmental
concerns of the local community and potentially beyond. First, the Alternative
Energy Technology program is intended for persons who wish to develop a working
knowledge of alternative energy power generation and delivery systems. It is
expected that students in this program intend to pursue a career that includes
the design, building and maintenance of more energy-efficient systems such as
wind energy, passive solar energy, photovoltaic power, and hydrogen-fueled
systems. Second, the Landscape Design, Turf and Greenhouse
In an all-staff meeting in September 2006, the President noted that demographic studies show the local K-12 population is due to drop in the next ten years and efforts made to position the College as a higher learning choice early in these students’ lives may help bridge the gap. Significant efforts are made to strengthen its connection to the K-12 community. While in K-12, students may participate in the Reach Out for College Credit program or dual enroll for college credit. Additional opportunities include participation in the Learning Train or tutoring. For some students, high school may be bridged to College enrollment through the Freshman Institute.
The Reach Out for College Credit program that has been offered on the College’s main campus and at the Huron County site as well. Typically, 15-20 courses per year are offered in Port Huron and 4-8 per year in Huron County . Middle and high school students can register, and those who successfully complete receive one college credit per course. Enrollment in the Reach Out for College Credit program in recent years has ranged from 118-227 students in Port Huron and 21-54 students in Huron County . Over 99% of students who enroll earn credit. Attempts are made to schedule at least one class through each college department. During the past two years, Reach Out has offered classes in lab sciences, computers, engineering, robotics, journalism, languages, music, ceramics, and anthropology. The program specializes in presenting college-level material in a format that is appropriate for younger students.
High school guest students can enroll in the College while still in high school. Typically, 100 students per year have taken advantage of this dual-enrollment option. The concept is positive and has helped these students to pursue advanced academics. In some cases, the student will actually complete a College degree in the same year as high school graduation. Given the likelihood that this special population will continue to grow, the College is currently undertaking a study of these students’ successes, failures, and special needs if any, and hopes to enter into dialogue with the local high schools. Consideration should be given to the following: gathering data appropriate to determine needs for these students, designating a specific person to monitor the program, developing a specific dual enrollment orientation to prepare students for college learning, tracking these students systematically, identifying a program advisor, and defining program guidelines for entrance requirements as well as program disqualifications. For fall 2006, a comparison was done of FTIAC and high school (Early Start) students. [5] The study showed that early start students performed comparably to the FTIACs, and it could not be concluded that the early start students are under-prepared.
Another special learning experience offered by the College was participation in the annual Michigan State University Learning Train. Developed, implemented and directed by faculty, the Learning Train is a successful K-12 outreach project typically serving over 1,000 children per year. It incorporates approximately 50 activities geared to increase the participants’ social and cognitive abilities. Additionally, many current Early Childhood and Education students benefit from this experience as classroom learning is applied to a real-life situation. In general, the College’s responsiveness to the Port Huron area K-12 education system is also noted in the continued provision of free tutoring support by the Phi Theta Kappa members. From 2000–2005, it is estimated that over 20 community children benefited from this service.
A new endeavor during the summer of 2005 was the Freshman Institute. Working collaboratively with the Regional Education Services Agency, Citizen’s First, a locally-owned financial institution, and Port Huron area high schools, the College provided a free week-long orientation and skills preparation program for a target population of 50 high school graduates. The goal was to assist those students who desired to attend college after high school but were identified as at-risk with an average (2.0) academic performance level. The program’s successes included developing better communication with the high schools, active participation of over 20 faculty and staff members on a variety of levels such as development, course instruction, and mentoring. For the students, the benefits included learning how to succeed academically and interacting with current college students. A major area of concern is that there were fewer participants than expected despite a great deal of administrative, staff, and faculty effort. Based on feedback from the original pilot, many changes were instituted for the 2006 Freshman Institute. However, enrollment remains low so the program may not continue.
At the other end of the education spectrum, the College continues to develop higher educational opportunities by increasing the number of quality programs available for students aspiring to four-year degrees without leaving the community. The College currently has eight University partners on campus offering programs in a wide range of disciplines. Additionally, many seamless transfer programs are in place for those students following a four-year degree program.
Meeting the academic needs of constituents goes beyond the credit program offerings.
Several innovative opportunities are offered to students and the community:
- Senior citizen discount on tuition
- Free College Day (more than 900 participants in 2006)
- Let’s Get to Work (more than 100 participants in 2006)
- “College as an Adult…Let’s Talk About You” seminar
- Financial Aid workshop
- Enrollment Action Week
- Online Admission chat
Additionally, the College encourages success through athletics (over 100 participants in 2006), student clubs (over 200 participants in 2006), and outside classroom learning seminars. An ongoing educational service since 2002, open to all who are interested, is Phi Theta Kappa’s monthly “Satellite Seminars.” These live, interactive seminars connect the audience with an individual or panel of experts on a variety of topics ranging from health issues to social conundrums.
There are other ways the College encourages students and reaches out to the community. The President’s semi-annual Honors Reception is one way in which the College encourages positive social interactions between students and faculty. The College is also represented in the community’s Santa and St. Patrick’s Day parades. Staff and students pass out treats to all that attend. Other well-attended social programs include the Noon-Time Concert Series, The Traveling Children’s Theatre, Martin Luther King Day, The Red Carpet Affair, The Friends of the Arts Brunch, the Patterns art and literary magazine readings and student reception, and Global Awareness Day.
In terms of noncredit programs and the College’s ability to respond to needs, the Workforce Training Institute created an M-TEC Oversight Board made up of business and industry leaders. This group formally adopted a new strategic plan with goals and objectives to guide its public offerings and customized training. The Economic Development Alliance is located in the M-TEC building and works directly with the College in assisting in the economic growth of the community. While the College wants to continue to provide needed community and business training, potential ways to market these programs needs to be explored. Articulation of workforce training programs to further higher educational opportunities should also be expanded.
Outside formal academics, the College family plays a significant role in meeting other needs in support of students and the community. The College has a staff campaign to raise funds for the United Way . In the 2005 campaign the College exceeded the goal. Many employees are dedicated to specific organizations. In addition to this work, another component that contributes to the College’s success in meeting the many physical needs of the community is Phi Theta Kappa. Service projects undertaken by this group in the past include:
- March of Dimes Jail ‘n Bail, Walkathon, and Blue Jeans for Babies
- Salvation Army December “Ring the Bell”
- Clothing Drive
- Humane Society Mutt March
- Regional Cancer Walk
- Port Huron Hospital ’s Monthly Pediatric Parties
- Food Drives for the Rice Bowl, collecting nearly 9,000 pounds of food and $1,000
Analysis
To succeed as accountable, there are challenges that the College must address to display performance that meets its mission. The Student and Instructional Support Services department was provided as an example of extending support of the mission and goals to the department level; yet, the use of such plans does not yet exist in all departments of the College. Recent changes to the budget process and implementation of shared governance practices have not been fully supported. While the laws, policies and procedures established for the College represent it as a distinctive organization, efforts must continue to improve for greatest consistency among constituencies in support of its mission.
The College continues to pursue its distinctive identity as a small college with many opportunities to grow, yet struggles with enrollment in new program offerings. During infancy, these programs challenge administration, faculty, and staff to create ways to help students and the community understand the cutting-edge technologies and higher skill levels required to succeed. The College may need to continue its campaign to increase awareness of the Governor and Cherry Commission’s initiatives [6] to prepare students for a more competitive economic arena.
While resources have been scarce, staff and faculty have risen to the occasion, offering services on a volunteer basis for events such as Free College Day or Let’s Get to Work. Each event requires hours, days, and weeks of preparation behind the scenes to coordinate. One avenue worth exploring may be partnering with area businesses and organizations to co-sponsor activities as a way to share these demands and avoid losing programs or attendance. As these events recur, the College must reflect on its participation in order to be most accountable for its decision to host the event again.
The Distinctive Organization is Self-Reflective
The prominence of the College in the community is portrayed as a provider of higher education, an employer, a participant in cultural events and contributor to the economy. Collectively, many positive contributions have been made. To maintain this distinction, however, it must reflect on its successes and challenges. While this self-study has provided an additional opportunity for self-evaluation, the College has processes in place that also provide input on a more frequent basis. The goal of this self-reflection includes ensuring the mission is clear, the institution is effective and the quality of service is continually assessed.
Mission is Clear (1a)
The strategic planning process recently undertaken included ample opportunity to thoroughly reflect on the status of the College and the vision of the future. As part of that the process, internal and external leadership representatives began with the mission statement from the 1999 strategic plan. The constituencies evaluated it against the current environment of the College and recommended the change to the mission statement presented to the College and its community in 2005.
The process of review did not end with the publishing of the Ship’s Logbook, however. Dialogue continues among leadership teams and with the College as a whole. At the President’s Strategic Update in September 2006, the President updated staff on the status of initiatives derived from the strategic plan and charted the course for the upcoming year. The session ended with a request to consider where the College will be in the future. This entails identifying the College’s niche and potentially creating an image of distinctiveness that is yet undefined. As this dialogue continues, staff are challenged to help define the future. The choice may be change or may be to remain on course. Nonetheless, each is a choice that will determine how the College will measure its effectiveness.
Assessment Provides Evidence of Institutional Effectiveness (2c)
The College has demonstrated its understanding of the need to learn about itself. Goal VI, Assess Institutional Effectiveness, prioritizes this perspective. Systems are being developed based on analyzing needs and focusing on recommendations provided by consultants and advisory groups. As pointed out earlier, each functional area within Student and Instructional Support Services has a business plan that outlines goals and objectives aligned to the College’s strategic goals and supports budget requests. Monthly administrative reports are submitted to the Vice President, Provost, and President that outline accomplishments and data to support goal statements.
Departmental goals and objectives are often identified from evaluative data from surveys and other data collection efforts. Examples include the Noel Levitz Student Satisfaction Survey that is done every three years (last done in March, 2004). Further data are collected in the graduate surveys as well as in-house surveys compiled for feedback on services provided by advisors and the Academic Achievement Center . Issues related to retention have also been researched to include questions raised by the Developmental Taskforce on student success, trend analysis, developmental placement review and evaluation, and student departure. Consultants include Farnum Consulting and ACT Consulting and results have been utilized to provide additional feedback to the Student Retention and Success Committee. Within the past two years, the Academic Review Committee has become even more proactive in contacting all departments and modeling ways to assess student outcomes and plan for future learning. However, with limited resources, and numerous responsibilities, staff are being asked to make difficult choices as programs and processes are aligned to respond to changes created by a weakened economy.
Curricula are Assessed (4c)
Perhaps most obvious to achieving self-reflection is the nature of assessment itself. In the process of gathering data and preparing assessment reports, the disciplines are measuring the effectiveness of instruction on student learning. It requires those involved in the instruction to consider that the methods used might not be the best and to be challenged to consider alternatives to improve. Perhaps this accounts for the number of missing reports in some disciplines, but the fact that the participation has increased over the past couple of years shows that faculty are becoming more aware of the importance of this process for all involved.
Additional measures in the form of surveys, administrative reports, and committee projects also represent how the College measures its effectiveness in assessing the educational experiences of the students overall and the effectiveness of the operations that sustain the learning environment. Other areas of this self-study explore in more detail the amount of data that the College is collecting and has noted the risk involved in a poor system of data management. It is mentioned here to acknowledge that the College cannot react to each set of data but must review the overall data to provide input for more effective decisions.
Analysis
While the strategic planning process that the College has implemented builds the review of the mission into its process, there is still room for improvement. It has been cited that the need to change the mission from 1999 to 2005 has not been understood by all constituencies or that the revised mission has not been fully embraced. The College must continually work to reduce this discrepancy. While it is impossible to involve everyone, the next cycle of revision should consider how the College can achieve the most comprehensive collaboration.
Discussion of the assessment of institutional effectiveness has increasingly involved the use of survey data. While this is direct input from constituencies, the quantity of data can be overwhelming. As future surveys are administered, the College should take caution to ensure that the data does not already exist, that the appropriate constituencies are being surveyed, and the most effective questioning is included in the survey. The other piece of assessment is the internal assessments of learning. Individual disciplines have the opportunity to reflect on the outcomes. However, missing reports mean that continuous cycles of data collection are not available for the most comprehensive institutional review, and therefore decisions for improvement at this level must proceed with caution.
The Distinctive Organization is Committed to Improvement
In studying the College as a distinctive organization, characteristics related to its mission, diversity, and accountability have been reviewed, as well as considering activities outside the self-study as examples of self-reflection. It is inherent in each of these that the outcome of the review is input for continuous improvement. Otherwise the exercise would be futile. To maintain its own distinctiveness, the College must be committed to improvement in all aspects of operations. Specifically, it must foster improvement activities related to institutional effectiveness, learning outcomes, and effective teaching and learning environments.
Assessment Provides Evidence of Institutional Effectiveness (2c)
The College is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, the recognized regional accreditation agency, thus supporting the transfer of credit to colleges and universities throughout the United States . The College has membership or affiliation with the following organizations:
- American Association of Community Colleges
- American Council on Education
- Association of Community College Trustees
- Council of North Central Two-Year Colleges
- Michigan Community College Association
- Michigan Community College Athletic Association
- Michigan Community College Virtual Learning Collaborative
- National Institute for Staff & Organizational Development
- National Junior College Athletic Association
- North Central Association’s Higher Learning Commission
- State of Michigan Board of Nursing
These memberships and affiliations lend itself to the mark of a distinctive organization. They also provide opportunities to benchmark with leading organizations on institutional effectiveness.
Assessment related to learning has been evaluated in various points of this self-study; yet, the College also pursues other areas of assessment to measure overall effectiveness. An example of a placement tool used by the math department is called the M ath Students’ M obility, a placement test available in the M ath department. Other assessment tools include Early Intervention Grades made available to students via the WAVE, graduation rates, placement rates, transfer rates, and report from the National Student Clearinghouse of Financial Aid, university reports on alumni performance, evaluations of non-credit programs, and M ichiganWorks! feedback. The College also maintains the reporting, administrative review of effectiveness, Curriculum Committee forms for program submission, and strategic plans in occupational disciplines.
Within Student and Instructional Support Services, evaluations are provided by students utilizing Student Success Center and Academic Achievement Center services. Each distribute a survey card at the time a student receives services. The instrument uses a Likert scale to rate how useful a student found the service received that day. This tool provides immediate feedback on performance that can support improvement. The Academic Advisors, for example, report each month on the ratings for services rendered. In January 2006, the advising area received an overall rating range of 3.84 to 3.97 on a 4-point (strongly agree) rating scale. This high rating of satisfaction has been consistent over the past academic year.
Output from these assessment tools and more provide data that the College can use to measure institutional effectiveness. Affiliations with outside organizations provide data from comparable institutions. Particularly helpful are relationships developed through the Michigan Community College Association and related subgroups. Statewide meetings and email distribution lists provide quick access to valuable input from a variety of Michigan community colleges. Decisions made for changes to promote improvement are often based on, or at least supported by, this comparison. The effect of the change can then be evaluated as well to ensure effectiveness.
Clearly Stated Learning Outcomes (3a)
Improvement in student learning is always a critical objective of the College. While the process and procedures in place for program and course outcomes have been cited, an area of recent emphasis can further exemplify the College’s commitment to improvement in this area. For the past couple of years, the success and retention of students with developmental needs has received the attention of departments and committees. With a significant proportion of students needing developmental-level math, reading and/or English, improvements to the learning in these courses could yield a high rate of return on student success.
Developmental courses are available to students that score below defined ACT or COMPASS scores. Mandatory placement is required in English and in math. Reading courses are highly recommended. A Developmental Taskforce was established as a subset of the Student Success and Retention Committee (SSRC) to gather data that help address student success and retention. Although the Task Force is not meeting during the 2006-07 academic year, the SSRC continues to gather data and consider recommendations for affected areas. Furthermore, PLATO and SkillsTutor software have been added to the Academic Achievement Center (AAC). The College hired a consultant, formerly from ACT, to do a complete review of the ACT and COMPASS cut scores in relationship to student outcomes and nationally-normed data. Recommendations were given to English, math, and reading disciplines for review and action.
Internal data collection efforts have complemented this review. Course placement for FTIAC (First Time in Any College) students by academic program from 2001 to 2005 represented the following incoming student developmental needs:
- 40% of FTIACs placed into developmental English (ENG 050 or 075)
- 37% of FTIACs placed into developmental reading (RD 050)
- 63% of FTIACs placed into developmental math (MTH 050, 101, 102, BUS 058, or BUS 158)
Research in developmental course placement and student success has been conducted by the Developmental Taskforce. Questions were developed to gather data and formulate findings. The findings indicated that for each of the developmental-related classes examined, successful performance in a related course was not contingent upon successful completion of a developmental course.[7]
The SSRC has been in the process of reviewing options for improving student success and retention. While the data obtained clearly defines the student population, the improvement actions needed to impact success are more challenging to determine. This is partnered with process changes occurring simultaneously. The AAC recently moved to a new facility, with changes being made to tutoring options. The Communications Department Assessment Subcommittee is in the process of studying the needs of developmental students and is working with the AAC to make assessment recommendations. Changes to tutoring processes have created some conflict, with faculty members in the communications area having concerns about maintaining the level of tutoring support for students. To ensure changes prompt improvement in student learning, measures of effectiveness will need to be monitored.
Other collaborative activities between the AAC and academic departments have focused on improved student learning. In the winter 2005 semester, the Student Success Center and AAC partnered with a developmental writing faculty member to develop a pilot project to implement the Personal Education Plan. The goal of the project was to provide additional support with advising and career information and to evaluate the merit of a career-focused curriculum in a developmental class. Students prepared portfolios including a resume, cover letter and career-interest statement. A debriefing at the end of the semester showed that students used the portfolios to obtain jobs and found that component useful. However, retention was just over 50%, showing that more work needs to be done to learn how best to increase this figure.
Most students cited personal problems, remaining undecided about the future, boredom, and academic struggle as barriers. In addition to continuing efforts to help students with career exploration, the project has been revised to address areas of weakness including personal learning styles, early additional assessment and intervention. Collaborative learning activities have been added to alleviate boredom or lack of motivation. Students will be held accountable in terms of preparing portfolios for assessment and writing materials that will be published for others to read to emphasize that writing well is a critical skill used everywhere, and it is evaluated by the community and is not simply the province of the instructor.
With such a significant number of students not prepared for college-level math, reading and/or English, the College has seized this as an opportunity to positively impact student learning. The scope of the project, however, is very large. The establishment of the SSRC is a positive resource to coordinate the efforts. As the SSRC considers data and recommends improvements, the changes will necessarily involve the appropriate support of teaching and learning to be successful.
Effective Teaching is Supported (3b)
The clear designation of learning outcomes assists in the direction of instruction. While teaching must continually be updated to different learning styles and more modern course content, the College prides itself on the consistent and high quality of instruction provided by its faculty. It also must acknowledge the importance of supporting teaching in its overall effort to be an excellent educational provider. Outside of the routine needs of performing in the classroom, the support of effective teaching includes faculty recognition, professional development, and faculty evaluations.
Many of the faculty have taught at the College for the majority of their careers and have reputations as leaders for state higher education initiatives, serving on K-12 and community boards, presenting at professional conferences, and most importantly, focusing on the needs of the students. Many are proud to say that students not only become successful, but several have returned to the College as full-time and adjunct faculty, providing a sense of continuity and reflecting a rich teaching culture and tradition. Furthermore, the College has faculty experts on learning disabilities; global/social issues; terrorism; programming and troubleshooting technology used in manufacturing, sustainability and alternative energy; economic development; and of course, education.. Professors from the College have been designated textbook editors, authors of chapters, and Presidents and Program Chairs for scholarly organizations. Many are travelers, bringing back necessary information from educational, industrial, and social interest groups around the world.
Awards are also part of the College culture in recognition of the accomplishments in teaching. The Blessinger Award offers monetary support to full-time and adjunct faculty to reward teaching excellence. The Distinguished Faculty Award recognizes a full-time faculty member at the College commencement ceremony each year, as well as providing a monetary award. The awards recognize the accomplishments of faculty, while providing stipends to assist with future professional development.
The College’s support for excellence in teaching centers on professional development opportunities. The faculty Professional Development Committee consults with instructors regarding topics of interest in support of teaching and has sponsored Friday workshops for many years. The Office of Instruction has supplemented these programs with financial support for additional professional development events. Speakers with a national reputation for excellence who have come to the campus in the past few years include student retention expert Vincent Tinto, futurist Mark Milliron, formerly of the League for Innovation, as well as assessment experts Barbara Walvord and Tom Angelo. Other College efforts include increased orientation and support offered to adjunct faculty.
In terms of budget allocation for professional development, full-time faculty are each allotted by contract $300 in travel to attend conferences. The College provides partial additional support for attending the state community college conferences, TRENDS and LAND. In addition, faculty may apply for supplemental funding for conference or professional development reasons from the Travel and Conference Fund. Sperry Fund awards are made annually for professional development. The Perkins and Blessinger funds also contribute to faculty professional development.
Professional development funding is often applied towards initiatives related to the use of technology as a tool to support instruction. The College is continuously upgrading the technology available, but the faculty must also be supported in the use of technology and its application for effective instruction. The College has committed to extending the classroom onto the web through the use of a learning management system, Educator by Ucompass.com for instruction adapted to this new environment. All new online faculty may participate in a faculty training course, WEB199, that best prepares the faculty to deliver online courses. This element continuously enhances the capacity of the instructional staff. Some ways the College has moved forward are by continuously offering professional development opportunities, providing the necessary tools needed online, and a stipend to support the time and effort needed to develop an online course.
Faculty are also supported in professional development through the evaluation process and mentoring program. Accountability measures are a consistent norm when it comes to evaluating teaching. Faculty members are evaluated based on employment status as full-time probationary, full-time continuing status, or adjunct.
Probationary-status faculty members are evaluated for a minimum of three primary semesters to a maximum of five semesters. A committee made up of department chairperson, departmental faculty member and the Dean is assembled. At the end of the evaluation period the committee recommends continuing status, extended probation, or dismissal. The evaluation process consists of classroom observation, student evaluation, self-evaluation and contractual evaluation by the department chairperson.
Continuing-status faculty members are monitored every five years after the probationary period has ended. The evaluation process is accomplished through an evaluation committee and includes a self evaluation, peer evaluation, student evaluations and a Dean’s summary evaluation. At the present time, the evaluation process is being reviewed to consider more frequent feedback to faculty.
Adjunct faculty evaluations are performed for each course taught in each of the first two semesters of employment and every four years thereafter. The evaluation committee consists of the department chair and one other faculty member. The process includes a self evaluation, classroom observation, student evaluation and contractual evaluation. An adjunct faculty member failing to achieve an overall score of 4.0 or better (out of 6) is either mentored by the committee or not rehired.
The noticeable distinction in the evaluation is the interest that colleagues, the faculty association, and administration take in assisting with the faculty member’s development. Since the College is relatively small, it is impossible for a faculty member to “get lost” in the system. The mentor program, developed by a faculty member, provides new faculty with the opportunity to get advice, socialize and discuss professional concerns with a “seasoned” faculty member. Colleagues across campus are known to be generous in sharing syllabi, methods, supplemental texts and pedagogical approaches. For example, before the recent development of the mentor program, biology faculty met both formally and informally with the department chair. While different elements were emphasized in instruction and labs, collegiality and a sense of collaboration in terms of promoting student success in the sciences led to common ground and a sense of continuum in that area. Although that Chair has retired, the tradition of fostering teaching by developing strong professional relationships and informal opportunities to talk about teaching continues. The mentoring program has simply formalized a specific relationship between new and existing faculty members. This dedication to support effective teaching in so many ways helps to create an effective learning environment for students.
Effective Learning Environments are Created (3c)
In addition to software applications used to supplement instruction, the College employs, when appropriate, new technologies that support instruction and enhance effective learning environments for students. The college has 30 computer labs that contain 800 workstations. There is one interactive television classroom that can broadcast courses to various locations within and outside the county. The classroom is also used by the University Center partners to allow the local residents to take upper-level courses close to home and work. The College also has 41 multimedia rooms located throughout the campus with every building housing at least one multimedia room. Faculty also have access to portable multimedia stations, when requested. A technology fee per contact hour has allowed the college to enhance technology on campus. A technology taskforce reviewed requests for proposed technology with funding of approximately $300,000 each year available for projects, maintenance, licenses, and other technology enhancements. Due to a new technology plan and advice through the College’s information technology service provider requests will be handled via a new mechanism, the IT Governance Council, that has been communicated to the College’s Leadership Briefing Team by the Vice President of Administrative Services and to faculty and staff by department chairs, directors and supervisors. Full implementation of procedures for the council is in process.
Analysis
Improvement by nature involves change, which impacts staff, procedures, and processes in multiple ways. Therefore, there are several items to consider when it comes to improvement. Measures of institutional effectiveness will continually challenge the College to collect data relevant to its operations that appropriately represents its constituencies. Organizing and reporting data have not been overly effective for the College. However, the recent establishment of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness will assist this effort. Data on student outcomes related to the development education evaluation have contributed to a significant initiative to improve student learning and will continue to be the focus of improvement efforts. Actions put into place may have a considerable effect on teaching and will require additional support. These improvements must result in providing an effective environment for student learning.
The Distinctive Organization: Conclusion
As Trudy Bers’ article, “Assessment at the Program Level,” [8] points out, assessment of programs and student outcomes at community colleges is still in the beginning stages. The need to establish good practices, multiple measures, and systemic documentation remain hurdles for most institutions. In “Implications of State Performance Indicators for Community College Assessment,” [9] Burke and Minassians note that part of the assessment problem may be due the flow of information. “All these reports [cited in a public policy report, measuring up] fail to measure down academic departments as well as up to states, systems, and institutions.” If this is a conclusion that can be drawn from a study of several states and community colleges, barriers to assessment within the College may need to be investigated. Are accountability measures and standards of practice clearly articulated throughout the College? Has each area considered state policies and recommendations? For instance, how many areas and disciplines in the College reviewed the recent recommendations of the Cherry Commission? In this document, higher education becomes universal. All educational systems, K-12 and higher education organizations are to set higher expectations and there is a ratcheting up of requirements. Given the lower percentage of adults with earned degrees in the area and a weak economy, the College is going to have to meet some heavy demands.
As part of the evaluative process in discussing the mission, vision, and supporting objectives, the distinctive organization committee used a common rubric as a conversational tool to generate evaluative comments reflecting the diverse professional experiences and different areas of expertise as administrators, staff, and faculty (See Appendix B). Using the scale: 1-Beginning, 2-Developing, 3-Proficient, and 4-Exemplary, the averages of the committee responses are as follows:
| Vision: To be the Preferred Choice for Post-Secondary Education | 2.5 |
| Mission: To Provide Quality Learning Opportunities | 2.70 |
| Goal I: Position the College for Success | 2.50 |
| Goal II: Increase the Quality and Accessibility of Education | 2.65 |
| Goal III: Appreciate and Understand Diversity | 2.85 |
| Goal IV: Enhance Global Awareness | 2.50 |
| Goal V: Insure the Innovative and Effective use of Technology | 2.65 |
| Goal VI: Assess Institutional Effectiveness | 1.00 |
| Average: |
2.42 |
The average places the College as “Developing” in terms of progress towards implementing its vision, mission and goals. While there is need for improvement, there are points of pride as well. The Ship’s Logbook reminds internal and external stakeholders that the six strategic goals of the College represent far more than a wink and a promise. Despite the inherent tensions of learning how to be a stronger and more responsive institution, St Clair County Community College has the “distinction” of both facing and embracing change.
| Page | Evidence |
| “Financial Summary for NCA Report,” Fall 2006 | |
| Port Huron Michigan Census Information | |
| Port Huron Michigan Census Information | |
| St. Clair County Community College Alumni Survey, Student Success Center, 2004, pp. 9-12. | |
| “Statistics on the Academic Performance of FTIACs versus Early Start Students at St. Clair County Community College,” Fall 2006. | |
| Affolter-Caine, Britany, and Daun-Barnett, Nate. “Achieving the Vision: The Cherry Commission One Year Later.” Education Policy in Review, Dec. 2006, pp. 1-6. (pdf, 232K) | |
| Marcotte, Donald, PhD., Wayne State University, 22 March, 2006 (available in the physical resource room) | |
| Bers, Trudy. “Assessment at the Program Level.” New Directions for Community Colleges, 2004. (pdf, 58KB) | |
| Burke, and Minnasians, “Implications of State Performance Indicators for Community College Assessment.” 2004, p. 63. (pdf, 72KB) |
