Chapter 5 The Future-Oriented Organization

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To be effective in the future, an organization must trust in the foundation of its history, be led by its mission, plan for change, and adapt through its vision. St. Clair County Community College succeeds as a future-oriented organization because it has engaged in a planning process that is built upon its rich history and has focused its mission towards the future. The plans for change branch from the strategic plan, yielding only to the vision of being "the preferred choice for post-secondary education."

A citation of the Ship’s Logbook, the Strategic Planning Report, may most apply when considering the College as the future-oriented organization: "…the ship’s log, where a course is plotted, and the crew is watching the barometer for pressure systems that could bring about change, anticipating ways in which we can adjust the sails or alter course in order to maximize our ability to move through the weather smoothly." The future continually changes and the College must adapt as the sail must adapt to the weather.

In evaluating the success of the College as a future-oriented organization, five questions were asked:

Does the College engage in planning?
Is the College driven by the mission?
Does the College understand the impact of social and economic change?
Is the College focused on the future of constituencies?
Does the College integrate new technology?

Each of the above received considerable review, analysis, and evaluation to determine the effectiveness of the College as a future-oriented organization. The chapter continues with a detailed report of the strengths and weaknesses that were highlighted by the evaluation of each focus. Particularly important as a future-oriented organization, opportunities for continuous improvement have also been suggested.

The Future-Oriented Organization Engages In Planning

To prepare and most effectively succeed in the future, an organization must define its vision and methodically delineate the goals and objectives for meeting that vision. The College’s strategic planning activities have been documented through a written report at two points in recent history–1999 and 2005. Each was produced following a process that analyzed current conditions and resulted in realistic and achievable goals to take the College into the future. It is the process, and not the report, that demonstrates the College’s current capacity and readiness to fulfill its mission in the years ahead.

In preparation of the 2005 report, the College first evaluated its accomplishments from the 1999 plan. The vision, mission and core values were revised to reflect an anticipated future for the College given changes in the environment over the previous five years. A measure of accomplishment was taken, finding that all of the goals and objectives from the 1999 plan were completed and/or ongoing into the future. This review provided the basis for moving forward with the 2005 cycle of strategic planning and updates occur annually. The details of the recent strategic planning cycle are evaluated below in respect to environmental trends, the College’s resources, institutional effectiveness, and alignment to the mission at all levels of the organization.

Future Shaped by Trends (2a)

The organization realistically prepares for a future shaped by multiple societal and economic trends. The planning processes included internal and external scans to identify trends, opportunities, and challenges that helped shape the strategic plan. This was accomplished by involving a variety of employee and community members for input, conducting surveys of constituencies, and evaluating research that exists regarding the societal and economic trends of the College’s community, locally, and globally. The "Tough Questions, Honest Answers" survey from the 2005 process included the following questions:

What do you see as the primary mission (reason for existence) of SC4?
Where should the College focus its energies in the next 3 to 5 years?
What are some of the external forces of trends that have potential of impacting SC4 that are both challenges and opportunities?
What are some things that SC4 will have to do to be successful in the future?
What are the things that make SC4 unique or "special?"

Collectively, these questions incorporated the history of the College, considered forces affecting the College, and assisted in the formulation of a plan for a successful future.

The plan will continue to be challenged as the College moves into the future. The top five external forces reported in the survey responses were government spending, economy, competition from other colleges including online options, poor job market, and unemployment. Financial trends significantly affect planning and decision making at the College.

These external forces contribute to the internal challenges that impact the College’s success in the future. Turning introspective, the strategic planning survey mentioned above also asked what the College will have to do to be successful in the future. The top responses to that question were: to review and adjust curriculum and teaching to meet the current and future needs of constituencies, to improve internal communication and build external partnerships, to keep up with technology, to create a customer (student) centered culture, and to remain affordable. While several of these are discussed in other areas of this chapter and overall study, it is summarized here to show how the planning process has integrated the external and internal trends with the goals and objectives for moving the College forward. For example, Goal V states: "Ensure the Innovative and Effective Use of Technology," whereas "keeping up with technology" is partnered with the decision to partner for information technology services to optimize resources. These trends influence the decisions made for change, and change affects the management of the College’s resources to sustain quality educational programs.

Resources Support Quality (2b)

The College’s resource base supports its educational programs and its plans for maintaining and strengthening their quality in the future. As a service organization, the financial resources are predominantly allocated for the acquisition, maintenance, and development of human resources. The Vice President of Administrative Services routinely updates College personnel and the Board on the current and projected financial conditions. A report, "Financial Summary for NCA Report," has been prepared to summarize revenue and expenditures for the past 10 years, along with a near-term forecast for consideration.[1]

Historically, the revenue for the College has been nearly split into thirds with funding primarily from State aid, property taxes, and tuition and fees. The portion of revenue from State aid has decreased from 35.6% in 1996-97 to 24% in 2005-06. While an operating millage was passed in 1999 and renewed in 2003, the College’s property tax levy is lower than over two-thirds of Michigan community colleges. The millage is up for renewal again in 2007. The rate of tuition has followed inflation, but fell below state average for tuition and fee revenue per fiscal year equated student (FYES) in 2003-04. In 2004, a tuition increase was minimal at the request of the state. In turn, additional funding was to be received from the state but was withdrawn. Overall, the College is below the state average for revenue per FYES in all three funding categories.

Because the revenues are below average, the College maintains expenditures below state average as well in order to balance the budget. With personnel costs accounting for approximately 72% of the budget, the remaining funds are limited. Whereas technology was a discretionary purchase ten years ago, it has become a necessary component for the College to be successful. This is continually balanced against the need to cover accumulating infrastructure costs.

The near-term forecast identifies a gap between revenue and expenditures that needs to be addressed to maintain a balanced budget. The reduction in State aid is not anticipated to rebound, so the College must evaluate its processes for optimal performance and seek alternative sources of revenue. For example, a program fee was recently implemented for an out-district program that has been operating at a loss. The increased fee did not impact enrollment and the program now supports itself. The College has also sought additional resources through the capital outlay projects, millage renewal, fundraising campaigns, bond campaigns, legislative interactions, and grants. While not all efforts yield a positive return, it represents how the College is proactively seeking additional revenue sources.

Operating within these financial constraints, the College must monitor expenditures closely. While practices for effective human resource management are discussed in greater detail below, it is important here to recognize the link this has to expenditures. Partnerships for providing bookstore and information technology services have been implemented to allocate resources while capitalizing on the resources of these partners. Additionally, the budgeting process encourages a clear representation of expenditures based on an alignment to the strategic plan. Once aligned, allocation is dependent on prioritizing activities.

The initiatives taken to manage the resources must support the "quality learning opportunities" that are the focus of the College’s mission. This includes the budgeting process, human resource management, and professional development, along with the recent re-purposing of buildings for academic and learning resources.

The College builds its annual budget using the zero-based budgeting model. By utilizing this method of budgeting, the College is able to achieve an optimal allocation of resources. Initially, budgets are developed at the departmental level and then later combined by business units to develop the College budget. Managers must combine both planning and budgeting into a single process. This expands management participation in planning and budgeting at all levels of the organization. When presenting the budget, whether it is departmental, unit, or overall, the allocation of funds must be directly in support of a strategic goal of the College.

A significant piece of being successful at the integration of the strategic plan and budgeting is the effective management of the College’s human resources. The overall organizational chart must include the right positions to achieve the goals and the right people in those positions. Of course, defining ‘right’ for both positions and people requires ongoing analysis and evaluation. This is evidenced by three example situations: President’s Leadership Briefing Team (LBT), needs analysis for vacant positions, and succession planning.

In December 2004, the President established the LBT to serve as a further enhancement to existing avenues of communication. The LBT focuses on strategic and major operational directions and issues. Over the summer of 2005, members of the LBT were given the book titled Now Discover Your Strengths.[2] Each of the team members performed the online activity to identify each individual’s top strengths. As suggested in the book, the College’s executive leadership is working towards making sure all employees are working in a position which allows them to capitalize on their strengths. For example, a faculty member with the strengths of achiever, learner, deliberative, arranger and harmony recently became the Dean of Instruction.

The effective use of human resources is also demonstrated in the review of vacant positions. An open administrative position, for example, is not automatically filled. Instead, a needs analysis is performed to determine where the resources are needed the most. For example, when a high level administrator retired recently, two lower paid positions were created using the same dollars. In addition, when a full-time faculty member retires, the position is not automatically filled. Once again, the discipline with the most demonstrated need, a designated discipline, will be granted the opportunity to hire someone new.

Decisions regarding employee positions are not always the result of a vacant position. During the summer of 2006, the College partnered with SunGard Higher Education to provide technology services. As a result of this partnership, the College employees became SunGard employees. Although the College technology staff no longer works for the College, the anticipated return on investment greatly exceeds what the College would have been able to enjoy on its own. SunGard is positioning the College to compete technologically with much larger colleges, managing a similar staff locally as the College did while leveraging corporate resources around the country.

Throughout its human resource management activities, the College administration does emphasize succession planning whenever possible. The emphasis is on promoting from within and developing someone to take each manager’s position. Administrators proactively identify and mentor potential leaders. When a position is then available, someone who may not have otherwise been prepared will be afforded a promotional opportunity. Examples of this occurred recently with the Dean of Workforce Development and two faculty members who served as administrative interns. One of these interns is now the Interim Dean of Instruction.

Having employees in positions utilizing their strengths and optimizing the greatest need for the College is perhaps only valid for a short time due to the changing nature of higher education and society in general. For the College and its human resources to continually improve, professional development must be supported. This is evidenced through the allocation of funding for the continuous development of employees to meet the challenges of current positions and aspire to promotional opportunities.

As negotiated in the faculty contract, full-time faculty members are allotted $300 each annually to be used for professional development. Additional support may be received through funds such as Perkins Fast-Track, the Faculty Travel Fund, the Sperry Grant, and Blessinger Award. Sabbaticals can also be approved by the Board. Each year, ten faculty members are sent to the Trends in Occupational Studies conference. Full time faculty members are required by contract to complete a minimum of ten hours of professional development each year. Administrators in the President’s Executive Leadership Team are allotted $2,500 each year for professional development. Other employee groups also have professional development funding allocations. For example, Career Plan employees can apply for an Educational Grant of up to $600 per year. Sperry Grants are also available at a variable rate. In addition, employees are able to take classes at the College at no cost. All employees are encouraged to attend conferences and seminars to keep themselves current and prepared to help move the College forward in the future.

The College coordinates professional development opportunities through a committee, as well as special topics sponsored by administration. The College’s Professional Development Committee provides five professional development opportunities each academic year for faculty. The committee is composed of faculty and administrators who plan the topics around teaching and learning, plus other topics critical to the success of the organization as a whole. Two workshops are scheduled per semester, which are typically two hours in length. The fifth activity takes place right before winter semester starts and is typically an all-day conference with a special speaker in the morning and several breakout sessions in the afternoon. Periodically throughout the year, the administration also brings in special speakers to speak on topics that explore issues important to the College as a whole. Recent topics included assessment with Barbara Walvoord and Tom Angelo, "Generation X" with Mark Taylor and "The Learning Dialogues" with Mark Milliron. Futurist Willard Daggett is scheduled for February 2007 as a community event. These professional development opportunities are well-attended and videotaped for those who are unable to attend.

A discussion of the strengths of the College in terms of resource allocation cannot be concluded without recognition of the Capital Outlay project spanning the past several years. The outcome of this project is the repurposing of the Clara E. McKenzie (CE M) and College Center (CC) buildings. With the completion of the project, the CE M has been renovated to expand into all areas with updated math, science, and engineering facilities. The classrooms have been redesigned to provide an improved teaching and learning environment. The CC received an addition that houses the Learning Resources Center (library). The existing portions of the building were updated to merge the Academic Achievement Center with the library and create a student commons area with wireless technology access, adjacent to the existing food service and cafeteria facilities. The goal was to improve the quality of the learning opportunities and support for the students in these areas, and this goal is being realized in the fall 2006.

No matter how many positive attributes can be cited, the allocation of resources to most effectively meet the mission of an organization is always a moving target. This presents many challenges. Budgeting decisions do not always meet the needs of everyone and the change in costs over time affects projects such as the Capital Outlay described above. Human resource management is impacted by the need to acquire new knowledge through professional development in an environment of continuous change.

The implementation of zero-based budgeting is a relatively new concept for the College. This change has come with its own set of resistance, confusion, and misunderstandings. While an evaluation of the implementation would see an improvement towards the desired target from the first year to the recent budget activity, gaps can be seen at both ends of the process. As described above, the process begins at the department level. At this level, the individuals are not always versed in the appropriate accounting practices. While the strategic plan may be available and understood at this level, the ability to effectively connect and/or communicate the connection between a budget item and a College goal may be less than optimum. At the top level of budget synthesis, decisions must be made to provide a balanced budget given revenue projection. The impact of a decision that alters a department-level budget submission is not always understood or communicated on a timely basis so that plans can be adjusted to meet the revised allocation.

Part of this adjustment does impact the management of the College’s human resources. A decrease in budget required the elimination and re-alignment of several positions in 2003 in order to balance the budget. While the decisions were necessary, this has affected the culture and overall morale for many of the employees of the College. To help improve these conditions, annual strategic initiatives have included enhanced communications. Publications such as an internal e-newsletter, Campus Connection, and an external mailing, Community Connection, have been created, but the use of these is still evolving to meet the needs of communication. As the need to re-align positions continues in order to strategically position the College for the future, this will continually be a challenge.

Management of human resources does, of course, also involve current employees in existing positions. Some placement decisions are driven by the guidelines of union contracts and limit the flexibility in decision making. For employees in existing positions, consistent review of job descriptions to reflect the needs of the position does not seem to occur on a timely basis. The Educational Support Personnel (ESP) group has recently undergone a review of current positions, and changes are being implemented as this is written. While there are timeframes for employee evaluations specified in employee contracts and agreements, the measurable evaluation of employee performance to the job description does not always lead to effective improvement plans for the employee. A clearer process for feedback would help employees better identify areas needing improvement through planned development and more frequent performance feedback.

While the administration as an advocate for lifelong learning has clearly emphasized the importance of professional development for all employees, the overall effectiveness of the training is affected by an inconsistent process. Management of the professional development activities is decentralized. While funding exists for different employee groups, an overarching mechanism for the documentation of training, alignment of training to current or future positions, and the application of the training afterwards does not currently exist.

A recommendation in support of the College’s resource base is a more centralized oversight of human resource practices. The coordination of decisions and activities in regards to human resources, some cited as example above, would promote consistent outcomes across the College. This consistency would also help to optimize the allocations for human resources, as personnel costs account for the majority of the budget.

Assessment Provides Evidence of Institutional Effectiveness (2c)

Support of the College’s resources directly affects its institutional effectiveness. The ongoing evaluation and assessment processes provide reliable evidence of this effectiveness and clearly informs strategies for continuous improvement. The College collects and evaluates data in academic, student service, and administrative areas. Decisions regarding change implementation consult this data.

Data used in the academic area include internal and external information. Internally, there are ongoing evaluations of programs, courses, and faculty that provide input into the effectiveness of programs. Program and course outcomes are evaluated on an annual basis by the Dean of Instruction and full-time faculty. From this data, decisions are made to continue programs or make revisions in courses and/or programs to more effectively align the programming with the needs of constituents and job market demands. Full-time and adjunct faculty are evaluated on an established schedule to assess their professional performance.

To make a more comprehensive evaluation, data are sought from external entities as well. Employer and alumni surveys are conducted to measure the effectiveness of programs in meeting the needs of the employers and the goals of the alumni. Advisory committees with representatives from the field exist for all occupational programs. They meet yearly, with intermittent consultation as needed, to provide input to the department for course and program improvements. For example, the computer information systems department recently discussed with its advisory committee the need for the program to respond to rapid technological change. "Special topic" courses were established to enable the College to offer instruction in new areas more quickly.

Similar data collection methods are used in respect to student services. Various surveys have been conducted to measure student satisfaction with services such as registration, advising, financial aid, bookstore, library, and tutoring. A summary of responses is provided to the directors in these various areas. Depending on the nature of the responses, the reaction to these data may include updating staff, changing processes, or creating documentation.

Survey data, along with researching practices at comparable community colleges, resulted in a significant process change implemented in summer 2004. The independent offices for advising, registration, financial aid, and business office were relocated to a new building, creating a "one-stop" student service center. While the advising area is still located separately, it is across the hall from an area where the student can register, determine financial aid, and make payment all in one visit. In an effort to continuously improve, the bookstore was moved a year later adjacent to this center. This process change has helped to reduce the amount of runaround students often experience, thus improving student satisfaction with these procedures.

The College has identified that student satisfaction with class scheduling options is an important variable for success. A survey was recently conducted to obtain data on the satisfaction of current students. [3] It identifies problems created when classes are cancelled due to insufficient enrollment or when core program courses overlap in the schedule. The College recently cancelled courses in order to reduce the number of sections that were held in the past with very low enrollment. While there was frustration with the unexpected cancellations, it was the first step in making changes to scheduling patterns. In scheduling for a future semester, the College is reviewing the number of sections available at the start of registration and the number of courses during a given semester that compete for enrollments to meet certain program requirements. A guide for students was created that lists when individual classes are typically offered. It is available to students online to assist in schedule planning. While this is one facet of operations, optimizing class schedules is a good example of continuous improvement at the College.

Opportunities for possible improvements are identified through an administrative assessment process. Many administrative units submit monthly administrative reports. Director-level personnel submit departmental reports to the appropriate Executive Leadership Team member, who in turn submits a consolidated report to the Provost and President. These reports are an administrative review of the performance of the unit, particularly in progress towards departmental goals that are aligned with the College’s strategic plan.

Over the past several years, the College has improved in the collection and coordination of data. This has most certainly been encouraged, in part, by the anticipation of this self-study report. However, there are certainly deficits on how these data are organized, managed, and used to effectively make decisions. Most significantly, the College has not had an institutional research office. An institutional effectiveness (IE) position was vacant for several months before being filled in November 2006. In the interim, the College had contracted with a research assistant who has helped to centralize and coordinate some of the existing data collection efforts. This interim process was not sufficient to help move the College into the future.

With the recent hiring of an Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness and establishment of a formal Office of Institutional Effectiveness, it is expected that the College will move forward in this area. Existing data need to be coordinated into a retrievable and usable manner. A review of routine data collection needs to be done to reduce redundancies and identify gaps. Once a procedure and a pattern of collection are established, employees need to understand how these data are to be used and documented to support decisions. From there, a coordination of new data requests will optimize the accuracy and effectiveness of the collection efforts.

An additional recommendation is to establish a regular evaluation cycle for the existing and established data collection processes. This would prevent doing things on the basis of past practice and would encourage performing processes with a future focus. For example, the five-year faculty evaluation has been in place for a long time, but it is currently under review. Representation on committees is randomly reviewed for revised membership. While these reviews are a positive step, a system with an established cycle of review would more effectively promote continuous improvement in the future.

Planning Aligns with Mission (2d)

The efforts of the College evaluated thus far have related planning, resources, and institutional effectiveness. All levels of planning align with the organization’s mission, thereby enhancing its capacity to fulfill that mission. It is not the intention here to repeat what has already been presented, but rather to connect the pieces already presented to represent the alignment of all levels of planning with the organizations mission, "…to provide quality learning opportunities."

The College’s strategic planning process was initiated by the current President, culminating in the August 2005 Ship’s Logbook. This document includes the mission, vision, core values, goals and objectives of the College; it has been the driving force behind many subsequent planning processes. A common remark in organizational meetings and decision making is, "How does this align to the strategic plan?" This demonstrates that the culture of the College is institutionalizing the strategic plan, is indeed practicing planning, and is "future-oriented."

Examples of activities aligning to the strategic plan and specifically the College’s mission are:

Occupational disciplines strategic plans
Student services sub-unit business plans
Zero-based budget submissions
President’s strategic initiatives for 2006/07
Marketing/communications plan
Faculty annual Professional Reports
Provost strategic initiatives for 2006/07

While these are significant projects, they represent many phases of the strategic planning implementation.

As a relatively new process, though, there are some areas where the extent of this alignment can be improved. While the occupational disciplines have written strategic plans, some do not clearly align to the College’s strategic plan. Additionally, there are courses and programs that do not fall under the umbrella of occupational disciplines and therefore lack a formal alignment process. On a larger scope, the feedback loop with the College’s strategic plan down to the individual goals of the faculty and staff is not always closed.

The recommendation to improve in the area of alignment to the mission is to continue the process that has been put into place. While the process appears sound, the entire organization has not yet embraced or understood the impact that the strategic plan has on each course, program, or employee, or on students and the community. Already recommended activities such as the implementation of an Office of Institutional Effectiveness and improved human resource management will positively affect this aspect also. As these align, the future of the College will reflect how the mission has consistently driven actions and decisions.

The Future-Oriented Organization Is Driven By the Mission

The future-oriented organization is guided by its vision, mission, and core values. The College has clearly articulated its mission, vision and core values. As environmental situations vary, the College remains committed to supporting these in all actions and routinely evaluate their validity for the future.

Mission is Clear (1a)

The College conducted an evaluation of its mission document in the strategic planning process of 2005. The process began with the presentation of the existing vision, mission statement and core value–Innovative Instruction with Integrity.¹ The review process resulted in changes, with respect to the history of the existing statements. These changes are reflective of a new environment and an anticipated future. The prior vision limited the geographic service area of the College. With the global perspective so prominent now, this limitation was removed. The core value as stated above became one of four core values the College adopted. The additional values addressed the needs of constituents, diversity, and the working environment.

The new mission statement is considerably shorter but retains the intention of the previous mission statement, "to provide quality learning opportunities.’ The Marketing/Communications Plan includes numerous strategies involving mission awareness.⁷The mission has been threaded through many publications used for promotion, recruitment, and communication. A relatively new branding campaign aligns with this mission, reinforcing the College as a quality educational option that encourages its constituents to "Go farther."

As described, the vision and mission have been restated with broader terminology. The vision broadens to increase the potential of the College’s service area. The mission statement is shortened for easier recall and to encourage its inclusion in all activities. A broader or shorter statement, however, presents a caution as the College is challenged to adapt to future influences. Influences such as financial burdens or competitive forces could alter the direction of the College if there are not mechanisms in place to keep the College focused on its mission. Ironically, it is the financial constraints that the College recently experienced that made it imperative for the College to focus on the strategic plan and its mission. As the College acclimates to financial conditions, however, it must remain focused on the mission.

It is recommended that the College continue to highlight its mission whenever possible. Many of these highlights could be small steps forward. There are plans in place, but not yet implemented, to install welcome signs at key campus locations stating the College’s mission. It has also been suggested that the mission statement be added to employee nametags and business cards. While the website contains the mission statement, converting to a web portal could also incorporate the mission statement for greater awareness.

Mission is Supported (1c)

More critical than the existence of a mission statement is the understanding of and support for the mission by all the College’s constituencies. The Board, administration, faculty, staff, and student representatives were involved in the strategic planning process that resulted in the current mission statement. The Logbook was distributed to all employees, communicating the mission along with the rest of the plan. Support for the mission is reflected in the discussion of new initiatives in key employee meetings when approval is based on a positive response to the question, "Does this initiative support the mission to provide quality learning opportunities?" For example, Provost Council Strategic Initiatives are directly correlated to the mission and goals of the College’s strategic plan. The initiative, "New Curriculum (Programs/Courses)" correlates to the first two goals of the strategic plan. Activities of this initiative include researching and developing new certificates, degrees, and articulation opportunities.

The accomplishments made by Provost Council are then shared as part of the strategic plan update. In September 2006, The Ship’s Logbook Progress Update acknowledges the accomplishments during the first leg of the journey and provides a guide to the tasks for the coming year. It begins by reiterating the mission, vision, and core values. The objectives of each goal then itemize the activities accomplished through the direction provided by the mission and the strategic plan. As example, Goal 1 objectives resulted in the following accomplishments:

Credit and non-credit offerings available at Anchor Bay High School
Monthly newsletter mailed to 10,000 students, clients and friends
First stages of a major gifts campaign implemented
A comprehensive marketing and communications plan was implemented
New academic programs developed for alternative energy, mechatronics, and international business

The update represents a continuous cycle of planning, review, and adjusting of plans to continue to move the College forward.

As a future-oriented organization, the mission must be communicated to and understood by new administration, faculty, and staff. It is recommended that this be emphasized as part of the orientation process at a minimum. Even more changing is the student body. Increased awareness of the mission by students, particularly prospective students, could help increase enrollment. However, it is not just the awareness but the actualization of the mission that will have this impact.

The Future-Oriented Organization Understands Social and Economic Change

St. Clair County has a unique set of social and economic conditions that are critical in understanding the community the College serves. Over the past several years, the county has experienced an increase in the unemployment rate,[4] creating displaced workers that need training to become re-employed in their field or completely new fields. Only 14.6% of adults in St. Clair County have a bachelor’s degree or higher and many of the College’s students are first generation college students.[5] Additionally, census data show that the high school enrollments are declining over the next couple of years. As the only public institution of higher education located in the county, these social and economic trends have had and will continue to have a great impact on the College.

Future Shaped by Trends (2a)

To realistically prepare for a future shaped by multiple societal and economic trends, the College has focused on these trends to understand its constituencies. There are many positive plans and programs that have derived from this focus. Flexible offerings, such as online and late-start courses, and the addition of new off-campus sites have been implemented. New programs in alternative energy and international business, along with new Workforce Training Institute’s (WTI) training options, have also been evolving. Yet, the ever-changing environment creates continuous opportunities for improvements.

Several environmental scans have provided inputs into plans and programs. The strategic planning processes in 1999 and 2005 both involved environmental scanning as input. College Advancement has routinely surveyed various community groups asking how the College meets the needs of the community. The feasibility study concluded by The Clements Group in August 2005 resulted in a favorable rating of 86% in response to, "The College offers a broad range of flexible, affordable, and quality workforce and transfer programs that produce qualified graduates." [6]

In October 2006, the Associate Vice President of Student and Instructional Support Services presented at an all-staff session, "Enrollment: Beyond Counting Heads," sharing trend data about recent students.[7] It was noted that 77% of new students (first time in any college–FTIAC) require at least one developmental level course in reading, English, or math. When students have transferred from the College, it was reported that four out of five institutions to which the students transfer are community colleges rather than 4-year institutions. The rate for students completing an associate’s degree in 3 years at the College is half the national average for 2-year public institutions.

The data presented at the session suggested that there is a need for further exploration and reflection. There are plans for additional presentations and discussions at the Board, departmental and committee levels. For example, the presentation directly supports initiatives proposed by the Student Success and Retention Committee. This extended dialogue will assist in learning from constituencies in order to move the College forward. As the College more fully understands enrollment patterns, improvement strategies will need to be planned and implemented.

Learns from Constituencies (5a)

As a result of these data sources, the College has learned from the constituencies it serves and continues to analyze its capacity to serve their needs and expectations. Different campus committees have been mentioned as a source of data and decision-making in different areas of the report. However, they warrant further explanation here to exemplify their value in respect to this topic. The College’s committee structure was developed as a means of monitoring the College’s effectiveness in serving the needs and expectations of its constituencies, especially given social and economic change. A committee considers a change based on the identification of a need by the College’s constituency and the societal influences on the College. In decision making, the committees consider the economic impact of a potential change.

The committee structure has been established as a means of receiving input including social and economic data, recommending changes, and monitoring the implementation of these changes. Three instructional committees are stated below with their purpose as examples:

Academic Review: To review and revise, as needed, graduation and degree requirements, the grading system, scholastic standings, and academic requirements.
Curriculum: To consider and make recommendations concerning additions, deletions, and revisions of all programs and course offerings; periodic evaluation of programs and course offerings based on student needs and transferability.
International Cultural Education Committee: To emphasize the value and relevance of international and intercultural education to our College and community.

As changes occur in the environment, data regarding the impact of those changes are input into the committee agendas to enact change as appropriate.

The committee structure is a positive contributor to understanding the impact of social and economic change on the College’s programs and processes. However, it is not without weakness. The membership on the committees does not regularly change. Some members are on the committee out of obligation and are disinterested in participating at a significant level. Additionally, some committee processes can be quite lengthy, delaying the impact that a potential change could have.

A continued concern of the College that relates to its social and economic situation on a larger scale is the flat enrollment that has been seen over the last ten years. The average headcount enrollment for this period is 4,135. With 50% of students not returning each year, the social and economic conditions of the surrounding community as described above cannot sustain the College, nor increase the viability of the College. Its capacity to meet the changing needs of the community have been reviewed by evaluating low enrollment programs. A new alert system was negotiated in the current faculty contract establishing a committee to assist "at risk" programs. This change has yielded some resistance or confusion by those affected by the first round of identified programs. If the assistance increases enrollment, however, the College as a whole will benefit. If it does not, the College will need to aggressively seek an alternative program to meet the needs of the community and future job market demands. Financial resources limit the ability to do this effectively. Thus, hard decisions need to be made to support programs that meet the greatest needs.

To best understand the social and economic changes and the impact of change, accurate and sufficient data are required. It warrants repeating this deficiency to highlight the additional benefit of establishing the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and putting procedures in place. There are a lot of available data on social and economic trends that would not require major College resources to collect, but these data need to be assembled and evaluated appropriately to assist in anticipating future social and economic trends. As the scope of the College’s service area was broadened with the revision of the vision, the comprehensiveness of the data will also need to be broadened.

The Future-Oriented Organization Focuses on the Future of Constituents

The social and economic conditions of the College’s constituencies will directly impact success in the future. By understanding the conditions, the focus for the future includes an emphasis on lifelong learning. The College’s educational programs are designed to prepare students to live and work in a global, diverse, and technological society. In order to maintain this, the faculty, staff, and administrators at the College also strive for lifelong learning and to be productive contributors to the future of the institution.

Values Lifelong Learning (4a)

The College demonstrates, through the actions of its Board, administrators, students, faculty, and staff that it values a life of learning. The College, in pursuit of its mission, "advocates for lifelong learning." This is not an idle statement made by the College, but one that is demonstrated by the actions of the Board, faculty, administrators, and staff, and is evidenced by the offerings made available to students. The leadership for lifelong learning is provided by the College’s Board of Trustees. Board members are active participants of the American Association of Community Colleges, Association of Community College Trustees, Michigan Community College Association, and St. Clair Regional Educational Service Agency. Most trustees are professionals in their fields of employment and attend professional development and lifelong learning activities. As provided in contracts and agreements, faculty, administrators, and staff are encouraged to pursue lifelong learning through funding for professional development, as discussed earlier.

Community members of the College’s service district are provided a wide range of opportunities for lifelong learning. College credit classes are taken for employment, professional development, or personal enrichment on campus, at off-campus centers, and through online courses. The WTI offers many non-credit courses such as seminars and workshops: classes for senior citizens; motorcycle safety; builders/construction classes; computer training and certification; nurses aide; nursing continuing education; and police, fire, and other emergency services training. The WTI also offers two educational improvement and skills development training programs provided at no cost to participants 18 and older. School-age children can enroll in career academies and the Summer 101 Adventures in Learning courses.

Popular learning activities provided for the community include Free College Day during which College staff and community members provide a full day of one-hour sessions on a wide variety of topics. The Let’s Get to Work day focuses on providing information to the unemployed or underemployed on resume writing, interviewing, and dressing for success. And, once-a-month the College provides free noon concerts which are open to the public and the College community.

Technology has played a major role in making lifelong learning more accessible. In 1993, the College began offering credit courses via interactive television. The system has been used for meetings, training, and tutoring for College staff and students. Currently, the College’s university partners use the system for upper level classes. Online courses began to be offered in 1999 and are extremely popular due to the flexibility they offer the students. The WTI also offers non-credit courses in online format. The webinar has also proven to be a viable method for obtaining information. The LRC uses the webinar format to participate in seminars provided by SirsiDynix, its automated library vendor. E-newsletters have also done much to keep individuals current in their profession and abreast of trends in their field.

Finally, the College’s effort and accomplishments with the University Center have done much to provide a missing link to the ongoing lifelong learning needs within the community. The University Center is an educational center that offers the convenience of completing bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees close to home or online. The College’s current partners are Central Michigan University, Ferris State University, Madonna University, Saginaw Valley State University, Siena Heights University, University of Michigan–Flint, and Wayne State University. Wayne State University uses interactive television to deliver some of its coursework and the remaining institutions provide face-to-face instruction on campus, as well as some online instruction. A strategic partner, Kettering University, has established a graduate center and uses CDs to deliver its instruction. The College continuously pursues other unique partnerships and articulation agreements to bring special career options to its students; one example is the Northwestern Michigan College Great Lakes Maritime Academy partnership established in summer 2006.

In order to facilitate a life of learning, there are a number of challenges that the College faces. The concept of lifelong learning by nature focuses on the future, but certain present-day conditions must be considered before planning for future learning. The demographic variables of the local county show that only 20% have associates degrees or higher, women have obtained higher levels of education than men, and the largest portion of the population is 45 and older.[8] These variables can present opportunities to provide learning, but they also represent the lack of an educated community that understands the value of lifelong learning.

The economic and social conditions described in the previous section can also pose a concern in the pursuit of lifelong learning. As the costs of higher education continue to rise, individuals without jobs or in low-paying jobs find it difficult to fund the learning that is needed. The College Foundation has become increasingly active in fundraising for scholarships to assist students, but limitations remain. College-age individuals continue to face issues with time constraints as they try to balance family, work, and education. They require access to alternative methods and locations of delivery.

The increasing costs associated with providing and attending educational and training programs are an ongoing constraint for the College’s budget. The allocation of funding for internal professional development must be maintained and considered for growth and additional opportunities in the future. Even though each employee group has a fund to which their members can apply for professional development, typically the same individuals request these funds every year so training is not equally distributed. Time constraints also make participation in educational and training opportunities more challenging, especially as processes are being required to become more efficient with fewer resources. Additionally, the dissemination of information from these training sessions to colleagues and counterparts within the College could be expanded.

To provide optimal learning opportunities for everyone, there are several recommendations that can be made to move the College forward. Given the demographic variables described above, the College needs to consider curriculum changes that would focus on the male population to help to increase their level of education. With a smaller population in the 18-24 age bracket, the College also needs to determine what will attract that population more effectively. The older population presents an opportunity for providing instruction. Consideration of those opportunities should be implemented as appropriate.

The issue of why the majority of the citizens of St. Clair County have not received education higher than a high school diploma or some college education needs to be analyzed. Once the reasons for this gap are determined, the College should develop a strategy on how to promote the value of higher education. This may include adapting faster to the advancements in technology that could provide better access to courses and other training. The University Center must continue to enable student access to institutions of higher education that are close to home, utilizing technology whenever possible for easier access to courses.

The College needs to continue to lead by example within the community and continue to support a staff and faculty who are experts in their content area and have the skills to perform their jobs efficiently. While, administrators and faculty bring knowledge in their area of expertise, opportunities to enhance their general awareness of higher education and technology should continually be considered. There are opportunities through membership in southeast Michigan’s Automation Alley and its professional organization, GLIMABluewater, to extend learning and networking with professionals promoting the growth of technology-oriented industries in the region. To continually improve the promotion of lifelong learning internally, appropriate funding and time to attend training need to be a priority and appreciated by administration. The College needs to ensure that all staff, especially administrators and faculty have a sound knowledge base in higher education issues and trends and the use of technology. To assist with this, it is recommended that the College develop and maintain a transformational model for lifelong learning for staff and the community, which correlates to their needs and provides ease of access to courses, programs, and training opportunities. The model should be developed by administrators, faculty, staff, students and advisory committee members to ensure that professional development and training needs are met. The model needs to be dynamic and flexible so that changes can be met effectively and efficiently.

Curricula are Assessed (4c)

As an institution promoting lifelong learning, the College assesses the usefulness of it curricula to students who will live and work in a global, diverse, and technological society. The College’s strategic plans have been reported as providing the mission, vision, core values, and goals to ensure that the College continually moves forward. The committee structure has also been discussed as the means of assessing and utilizing data about the society in making changes in curriculum and processes. It is important to bring them together here with specific examples of preparing students for a global, diverse, and technological society.

In the early 1990s, the College became aware of the need to globalize its curriculum and adopt more technology as it was becoming a predominant tool in the work force and also for personal use. The Academic Review Committee (ARC) became the major impetus for integrating global awareness and computer competencies into the curriculum. The ARC continues to address these competencies and how they can be better addressed by the College community. Currently 42 courses have infused the global awareness competency into their curricula. CIS 115, Microcomputer Applications, has been designated to fulfill the computer competency. Also, in the occupational programs, advisory committees provide suggestions and advice on what the College needs to address in its curricula to match the employment needs within the community to provide well-trained employees.

Additional initiatives have been taken by other areas of the College to promote the use of technology efficiently and effectively and to infuse more global awareness into the learning of the students. The College’s student chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honors Society has offered a series of teleconferences on subjects of interest to students, faculty, and the public. Since 2002, the five-part series has focused on the following themes: Dimensions and Direction of Health Choices; Popular Culture: Shaping and Reflecting Who We Are; and Gold, Gods, and Glory: The Global Dynamics of Power. WTI has also offered programs on alternative energy, one of which included environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as the main speaker. The WTI also provides face-to-face and online courses to help individuals to learn and improve technical skills.

The Learning Resources Center has acquired many resources that require the use of the Internet and a computer. In its information literacy coursework, students are informed about the various resources available to them and the skills needed to use them effectively. Emphasis is placed on the Internet as a research tool and evaluation of the validity and usefulness of websites.

The administration is using data more to determine needs and directions for the College. The Datatel Colleague system is the primary source for these data and many reports and software tools have been developed and implemented to provide efficiencies within the College. One example is the SARS software used by the Student Success Center and the Academic Achievement Center. Appointments for students are keyed in according to the service provided, such as testing, tutoring, advising, and career services. This software has afforded a more efficient method to maintain appointments and obtain data about the services provided. This is just one example of the type of data used by the College. Other examples are grade trends, enrollment trends, online enrollment, developmental instruction, and library collection development.

The College is embracing technology in its instruction also. The use of the Internet to search materials in the LRC’s electronic resources or resources on the Internet is prevalent across campus. The value of online courses to provide instruction was at first questioned. However, more faculty have developed online courses as they realize the desire for students to receive instruction in this format and that the quality of learning is not reduced. Mediated classrooms equipped with computers, cameras, and projectors have enabled faculty to enhance their instruction and provide more methodologies in which to teach their students visually and audibly.

While the College has done much to address the need for a global, diverse, and technological society there is more that needs to be addressed. The global awareness and technology competencies need to be more dynamic within the curriculum. Faculty need increased knowledge of student outcomes for these two competencies and support on how to achieve these outcomes within their curricula. The advisory committees should be enlisted to help provide this support to recommend improvements in curriculum that will best prepare students with the global awareness and technology competencies needed for future employment. The Assessment and Academic Review Committees are working collaboratively to develop a plan for assessing general education competencies.[9] This plan should help to improve the integration of global awareness and technology initiatives into the curriculum.

Data must continue to be used to provide answers about competencies and their outcomes. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness will provide some of this, but reporting software that will allow the end-user to obtain, manipulate, and analyze data right at the desktop is a goal that must be addressed and implemented. Along with the reporting tool, standards for reporting by operational units need to be established to consistently measure effectiveness.

The Future-Oriented Organization Integrates New Technology

Understanding that the future typically involves change, perhaps the greatest example of change is technology. Technology also can be a large contributing factor to why other processes or systems change. The College’s Strategic Plan specifically addresses the integration of technology through Goal V: Insure the innovative and effective use of technology. Technology is also adapted to assist with Goal II: Increase the quality and accessibility of education. These goals affect both the teaching and learning environments, requiring appropriate support systems to optimize the use of technology in these environments.

Effective Teaching is Supported (3b)

The College values and supports effective teaching through the integration of new technology. Advances in technology have provided the opportunity for faculty to enhance their teaching through the use of technology to meet reach student learning styles in innovative ways. Access to technology has been provided institutionally and within disciplines to enhance particular curriculum. Teaching with technology has been supported through access to funding and professional development.

Institutionally, there have been three significant implementations providing technology as a tool to support effective teaching. First, classrooms in each of the buildings have been equipped with multimedia instructor workstations. These classrooms began in 2002 with seven classrooms and have increased to 32 classrooms as of January 2006. These provide the opportunity to deliver instruction through computer-mediated software, DVD projection, document camera presentation, and web resources. Second, desktop computers have been placed in all faculty offices to be used for instructional preparation, information maintenance, and electronic communication with students, other College personnel, and external academic networks. Third, in response to the emerging trend of Internet instruction, the College has also implemented a learning management system, Educator by Ucompass.com, to host online courses, as well as supporting face-to-face classes with web resources. Use of the learning management system for online courses has increased considerably from fall 1999 (one course, one section, and eight enrollments) to winter 2006 (50 courses, 63 sections and 1,039 enrollments). Web-enhanced and, just recently, blended courses have also incorporated the technology in increasing amounts. For example, chemistry has been taught in a format that blended online and face-to-face lab exercises for the past seven years.

Technology has also been adopted in certain disciplines for direct application to the specific instructional topics, allowing for hands-on, real-world experience. Examples are the chemistry, office administration, and computer information systems disciplines:

Chemistry labs include student workstations with access to equipment and software for data collection, analysis research, and interpretation; high technology instruments for instruction using advanced tools such as gas and liquid chromatography and mass spectroscopy, as well as plasma and absorption spectrosocopy; and Smart Board technology to enhance lectures. [10]
Office Administration maintains the newest office-related resources, such as state-of-the-art copier, PC tablets, and voice recognition software.
Computer Information Systems provide experience with a server for web development, networking equipment, and textbook-provided supplemental software.

In each of these disciplines, faculty have developed the curriculum to incorporate teaching techniques that provide the student with the skills needed for future job placement or advanced study.

The funding to support many of these initiatives has been provided through the Technology Enhancement Fund (TEF). This fund supports the funding of "technology which improves and supports the instructional process." Faculty submit applications each fall and winter to obtain funding for tools and training related to technology that will enhance instruction. Some requests to the TEF are supported by funds from Perkins. For example, instructional equipment amounting to $82,133 was supported by Perkins funding in 2005/06.

To continually enhance the integration of technology with instruction, faculty professional development related to technology is supported in a variety of ways. The Professional Development program and Faculty In-services held on campus include sessions related to the "Generation NeXt" and multimedia classrooms, online learning, and web technology. Faculty annual reports list local and national technology-related workshops, conferences and seminars that have been attended.

Due to the dynamic nature of technology, its implementation can provide many challenges. The College is not without weakness in this area. While there has been a technology plan in place, it has not been maintained and updated for future growth and adaptation. In the fall of 2005, the College contracted with Plante & Moran to assist in assessing technology planning. The Board report issued in December 2005 cited a preliminary list of high-level projects. With this assessment, the College created a task force which culminated in a contract with Sungard Higher Education to provide information technology (IT) services. The initial transition has occurred, with many aspects of implementation pending. This includes defining the IT governance structure, creating a technology strategic plan, and setting project priorities. The constraints on funding will make this effort even more challenging.

Especially critical to the future is a plan for replacement of existing technology. After the initial investment in technology, there has not been a clear plan to replace obsolete or nonfunctional equipment. While a written timeline for replacements has not been implemented with appropriate budget allocations, replacement equipment was part of the projects cited in the December 2005 report referenced above. Replacements have not always been future-oriented, especially if the purchasing decisions occurred under time constraints. Additionally, there is some discipline-specific instructional equipment that cannot be feasibly replaced due to cost or age for example. Repairs must be considered and supported when it is determined that this technology is still relevant.

The lack of an updated technology plan and governance structure has also affected the implementation of discipline-specific technologies. To date, technology acquisitions have been very specific to the person or discipline requesting the technology because they have expressed or demonstrated the passion or desire to incorporate technology into the instructional process. The College needs a more effective way to encourage the use of technology in instruction. There may be an opportunity to produce a greater return on these investments and greater diversity in its application for both instruction and learning.

Faculty training in the use of technology has also been specific to the person or discipline obtaining the technology. The cross-functional use of the technology should also encourage cross-training to increase the technical skills of all faculty. Other than the annual Professional Development program, training activities are focused on an individual basis without an easily accessible record of overall training accomplishments.

The recommendations regarding the integration of new technology for effective teaching as a future-oriented organization are rooted in SunGard’s scope of work for the College. The path has been laid, but the implementation of that path will determine if effective teaching is positively affected. Specifically, the IT governance structure will include faculty involvement to assist in defining the direction of future technology needs and policies. Communication within this governance structure must include continuous feedback and response to ensure effective implementation, and thereby encourage collaborative use of purchased technological resources.

Technology is often cited as only being as good as the skills of the person using it. To that end, the College has the opportunity and necessity of training faculty in more extensive and diverse methods and topics. A coordinated system to manage technology training would provide a more comprehensive return on investment. The system would maintain records of external and internal training activities, along with a more comprehensive internal training plan. An expanded training plan could include more diverse topics, with a varied schedule, hands-on and real-time training, and supplemental resources.

Effective Learning Environments are Created (3c)

Attention to the matters of effective teaching as detailed above help the College create effective learning environments. The multi-media classrooms, the learning management system, and curriculum-specific technological equipment as explored above provide alternative learning opportunities for students. There are other ways in which the College has sought to apply technology to further support the learning process. For example, technology has provided a new method for faculty to alert students early in the semester of concerns with performance in a course.

The implementation of this technology has brought change for many faculty in the way they teach. However, students also need to adapt to technology for effective learning. This was evidenced with the online courses. During the first several semesters of online courses, the instructors reported high levels of confusion by the students, requiring faculty to spend a significant amount of time helping students with the technology rather than with the content of the course. Beginning with winter 2005 registration, students are required to complete WEB099, a 3-5 hour online introductory tutorial, before registering for their first online course. The design of the tutorial simulates an online course. It is intended to provide an opportunity for the student to become familiar with their new learning environment under low-risk conditions. The online faculty have reported a noticeable increase in student readiness.

For all courses, students can seek assistance with learning in the Academic Achievement Center (AAC) and LRC. Both provide a learning environment for the students outside of the classroom. They also include computerized resources to supplement learning topics, along with staff and tutors to provide additional assistance. The AAC has worked with faculty to provide alignments of LAN- and web-based PLATO software with the objectives in several key developmental courses. If a student is having a problem with fractions, for example, the student can use the computer resources in the AAC to complete modules related to supplemental instruction in fractions.

Sometimes students do not realize that they are having difficulty in a course. Until recently, the College issued mid-term grades to inform students of their progress. A review of this practice suggested that earlier notification would be more effective in improving student success. To implement this, an "Early Alert" process was recently developed. At six weeks a grade and comment are now entered into the student information system. Depending on the grade and comment, a letter from the Dean of Instruction’s office is automatically generated to notify students of their status and recommend alternatives, such as tutoring or advising. Aside from the six-week alert, faculty can record a progress note at any point, providing real-time feedback on learning. Students can also access this information online.

The Early Alert process is a positive step in encouraging student success through the creative use of technology. The implementation of it is exposing some gaps, however. It is a struggle each semester to get 100% involvement from the faculty. For those that are submitting grades at six weeks, there is not a clear understanding of whether the student is seeking needed assistance. Services such as tutoring are reviewing their processes to examine this linkage. Then, another challenge will be to understand whether student learning improves as a result of this new process.

Because technology certainly expands the learning environment beyond the walls of a campus classroom, the College is challenged to meet the changing learning needs of students. Although faculty report that students are more prepared for an online course after completing WEB099, there is still some concern over technologically-challenged students who are taking online courses. It has been found that some students are selecting online courses simply for convenience or because of the misconception that they are easier, even if the online format does not appear to be the best environment for their learning styles.

Measuring the effect of the use of technology on student learning is not limited to the use of the online classroom. The use of multi-media classrooms and other supportive technology as part of instruction has not been evaluated for effectiveness. The implementation of new supportive software or equipment does not currently require evidence that learning has improved. However, there are other factors to consider, such as the student’s expectation that the learning environment will include the use of technology.

It is recommended that the College continue to support and improve the use of technology in creating effective learning environments. Today’s traditional-age students adapt to technology much faster than previous generations and expect that their learning environment will involve the use of technology. The older or returning students have varying levels of technology skills and these populations are intertwined in the community college. With this recommendation comes the responsibility of the College to involve all affected employees, including faculty, in making effective decisions regarding the purchase and application of technology that is used to affect student learning. The IT governance structure being established will help to facilitate effective decision making.

Teaching and Learning are Supported (3d)

Effective teaching and learning environments require the support of the College’s learning resources. Consideration of this involves the learning resources available to support teaching and learning in the classroom, as well as the formal and distinct learning centers that exist to support curriculum outside the classroom, especially through the use of technology. As a future-oriented organization, the College must continually evaluate and implement improvements in light of changing technology.

For learning resources in the classroom, science labs have evolved over the years, attempting to add new equipment for hands-on learning as finances and physical space would allow. The Capital Outlay project described earlier will take the College to a new level of technology by establishing a state-of-the-art science, math, and engineering center in the Clara E. McKenzie building. The Fine Arts Building provides learning resources in the classroom for visual and performing arts programs, as well as student art display spaces in the halls of its very own building. With technology, faculty have begun to integrate access to webcasts on the Internet to present learning topics in more advanced ways. For example, a nursing instructor has found a webcast that could more quickly and effectively demonstrate a common nursing procedure.

Outside the classroom, the AAC and LRC provide services and resources to faculty and students through computerized resources. Among the software packages available, the College has licenses to PLATO in both a LAN and web-based format. Additionally, the LAN-based SkillsBank was recently converted to web-based SkillsTutor in order to provide access for students while off campus. The LRC subscribes to electronic databases to support a variety of disciplines. This includes off-campus access for both faculty and students. A monthly newsletter is produced by the LRC and emailed to all faculty and staff. The April 2006 edition was a special issue sharing webcast resources available on the Internet.

The expansion of online course delivery has also increased the need for supportive services. The Office of Online Learning (OOL) provides support to faculty and students utilizing the online classroom. The WEB099 online tutorial for students and WEB199 online course for instructors are managed through the OOL. An Online Committee was initiated in winter 2006 with members to include two faculty members, the Dean of Instruction and the Associate Dean of eLearning & Instructional Technology. In 2006/07, the committee will expand to include additional faculty members. The purpose of the committee is to discuss issues and make recommendations to most effectively support student learning and effective teaching utilizing the online classroom.

A significant weakness in the supportive resources for teaching and learning with technology is the minimal availability of faculty and staff development for using technology effectively. The renovation of the College Center includes an area designated as a training center. The intent is to provide a training room with computer workstations. In November 2006, the workstations have been established, but the plan for this area has yet to be finalized.

With the completion of the repurposing of the CEM building, the College will significantly advance in its technology capabilities for the math, science and engineering disciplines. The College must quickly move on to other areas of need. The A.J. Theisen building, which houses the Computer and Office Technology department, has been identified as the next high-need area for improvement. Fundraising efforts are currently in the planning stages to provide for this need.

It is recommended that the College continue to support student learning and effective teaching through the learning resources described above. The IT governance structure will provide the means to coordinate and implement opportunities related to technology in the support of teaching and learning. A cycle for evaluation of effectiveness should be included to optimize the teaching and learning opportunities of the future.

The Future-Oriented Organization: Conclusion

It is stated at the start of the chapter that St. Clair County Community College succeeds as a future-oriented organization because it has engaged in a planning process that is built upon its rich history and has focused its mission towards the future. To measure its success, the future-oriented committee individually rated the College’s progress regarding the strategic plan (See Appendix B). The mission, vision, goals and the supporting objectives were rated using the following scale: 1-Beginning, 2-Developing, 3-Proficient, and 4-Exemplary. The averages of the committee responses are:

Vision: To be the Preferred Choice for Post-Secondary Education	2.10
Mission: To Provide Quality Learning Opportunities	2.45
Goal I: Position the College for Success	2.17
Goal II: Increase the Quality and Accessibility of Education	2.22
Goal III: Appreciate and Understand Diversity	1.86
Goal IV: Enhance Global Awareness	2.20
Goal V: Insure the Innovative and Effective use of Technology	1.88
Goal VI: Assess Institutional Effectiveness	1.57
Average:	2.06

Overall, the future-oriented committee rated the College as a developing organization. This rating is consistent with the analysis presented in this chapter. The lower rating for Goal VI is consistent with the need identified for a formal institutional effectiveness office and process. With the office recently established, a review of this rating at a later date should show an improvement. The higher rating for the mission is supported by the evidence presented for a clear mission and a focus on initiatives that align to the mission. Yet, there are opportunities to advance the College from a developing to proficient to exemplary organization.

There are changes that are occurring that have presented challenges, but the actions put into place have resulted from solid strategic planning efforts. To meet the vision of being the preferred choice for post-secondary education, it is clear that the College should continue the initiatives underway. These recommendations include the continued implementation of the strategic plan’s goals and objectives, the Office of Institutional Effectiveness to assist with data management, and the process of the IT governance council. These practices along with associated systems and procedures will bring the College into the future as an organization that engages in planning, is driven by its mission, understands social and economic change, focuses on the future of constituents, and integrates new technology.

Page	Evidence
143, 150	“Financial Summary for NCA Report,” Fall 2006
144	Buckingham and Clifton, Now Discover Your Strengths, 2001.
148	2005 Spring-Summer-Fall Class Schedule Satisfaction Survey
151	http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/Unemployment/RDList2.asp?ST=MI
151	Port Huron Michigan Census Information
152	Feasibility Study. Presentation to SC4 Board by Clements Group
150, 152	"Enrollment: Beyond Counting Heads" presentation
155	U.S. Census Bureau. American FactFinder. 2005.
157	Assessing Student Learning Outcomes 2004-05; October 2006, p. 3
159	Slide Presentation of Chemistry

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