public profile community engagement community college Value career development college completion alternative education Strategic Plan 2013-2016
INSIDE 2 Institutional Leadership 3 A Message from the President 4 Executive Summary 5 College Completion 6 Community Engagement 7 Career Development 8 Community College Value 9 Public Profile 10 Alternative Education 11 Measures and Indicators OUR Mission To prepare students for careers, civic responsibility and life-long learning.
Institutional Leadership Keith J. Cotroneo, Ed.D., President BOARD OF GOVERNORS Jason Moses, Chair Mark George, Vice Chair Bob Bailey, Secretary Cathy Burns Ruth Cline Tom Gibson Jim Hale Mike Herron James Kaul, Student Representative Sue Richardson Chris Stevens, Classified Staff Representative Linda Vinson, Faculty Representative 2013-2016 STRATEGIC PLANNING TEAM LEADERS 2013-2016 STRATEGIC PLANNING TEAM MEMBERS Faculty: Jason Black Susie Peyton Kendra Bolen Janet Smith Rick Brown Nick Smith Kim Copley Patrick Smith Sarah Dick Adam Swolsky Donna Donathan Kelly Terry Gerald Doyle Ted Triplett Josh Joseph Linda Vinson Michael Maxson Becky White Mike McComas Kristy Wood Eliot Parker Staff: Martha Barnett Teresa Blankenship Billie Brooks Steve Brown Angela Casey-Bradshaw Mike Dunn Shirley Dyer Adam Edens Harry Faulk Dan Figler Bob McClain Glen Midkiff Cory Payne Carol Perry Larry Perry Debbie Spencer John Whiteley Students: Kelly Napier Kimberley Patrick Harry Faulk Ainslie McKinney Community: Brittany Brownfield Mark Bugher Bob Childers Chris Michael Diane Strong Rhonda Scragg Monica Shafer Janet Smith Linda Vinson mctc.edu 2
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT So much of the past 10 years has been dedicated to Mountwest Community & Technical College s transition apart from the university. With those milestones behind us and now settled into our beautiful new campus, it is the ideal time to focus on the future of the college and our more than 2,000 students. This plan, developed over the last year, is a living document that outlines the core strategies and definitive targets that will guide the institution through 2016. The Strategic Plan was derived from ends statements established by the Institutional Board of Governors through its policy governance initiative. The plan itself was developed through a collaborative effort of faculty, staff and community members who formulated an actionable plan. At its core, the Strategic Plan is grounded in student success. These goals are designed to empower our students, whether they are looking for immediate employment, planning to transfer to a four-year institution or looking to enhance their skills in key areas. Our college completion and career development goals aggressively address the need for more trained, skilled workers in our region. The plan also seeks to reinforce Mountwest s status as a stand-alone institution and capitalize on its tremendous potential for growth through the continued enhancement of the Mountwest brand and community access to the college. Therefore, the overall success of this plan requires not only a transformation within the college itself but necessitates community-wide support for the college s transformation. Both the challenges and possibilities are extraordinary. By focusing on innovation, collaborations and improved reporting and metrics, Mountwest will position itself as a regional leader in education and your path to a better tomorrow. Keith J. Cotroneo, Ed.D. President Mountwest Community & Technical College 3 Strategic Plan 2013-2016
Executive Summary: Mountwest in 2016 By 2016, Mountwest Community & Technical College aims to be an educational and economic driver in our community. We believe the core elements of this plan will help us: Graduate more certificate and degree completers. Increase the number of students who transfer to four-year institutions following graduation from Mountwest. Improve the job placement rate of our graduates within their fields of study. We also expect to be a healthy institution that has: An inherent value within our community achieved through the lives of the students and employers we serve. Dynamic relationships with employers, secondary schools and other community organizations. A welcoming campus environment open to the community as a whole. As we gain traction in these areas, Mountwest also plans to enhance its efforts in both transfer and online education. Higher earnings of Mountwest students and associated increases in state income expand the tax base in West Virginia by about $7.1 million each year. This plan sets a new standard of excellence for educating the Tri-State community. It draws on newly developed capacities in academic programming, a learner-centered environment and institutional supports to help students achieve greater success. The Strategic Plan will help us track our success, report back to the community and keep us focused on ensuring that our students have the highest-quality learning experience possible. mctc.edu 4
College Completion Mountwest will increase student program completion rates, aggregate completion and goal completion. As a result of this goal, the college will yield improved student retention rates; certificate and degree completion for applied certificates, associate and transfer degrees; and goal attainment. College Completion Strategies: 1. Leverage peer coaches, professional counselors and faculty mentors. 2. Establish the required numeracy and communication competencies for Associate of Applied Science and certificate degree programs and provide contextualized instruction to instill those competencies. 3. Provide students with effective academic supports. 4. Establish an attendance policy and develop the necessary monitoring system and reporting requirements. 5. Establish and implement a process for referral to Adult Basic Education. 6. Assess the balance between full-time and adjunct faculty and fill vacancies. 7. Develop and implement a customer service initiative and standards. 8. Connect student with quality mental health services and supports. 5 Strategic Plan 2013-2016
Community Engagement Mountwest will increase engagement of the community with the college through dynamic partnerships with businesses, community organizations and high schools. Community Engagement Strategies: 1. Hire and train a Director of Recruitment Services. 2. Strengthen relationships with high school faculty and counselors. 3. Identify business and community partners and increase engagement with identified partners. 4. Coordinate existing internship sites and design a strategy to establish new internship opportunities. Community colleges serve the needs of society through providing college opportunity to students who otherwise cannot go to college, as well as training and re-training skilled workers. mctc.edu 6
Career development Mountwest students will have a realistic understanding of their career options, and upon completion, find employment in their field. It is critical that Career Development initiatives improve student understanding of their career options through career planning and that the institution provide job placement services to students upon completion. Career Development Strategies: 1. Increase the visibility and marketing of the Office of Career Services. 2. Engage Mountwest students in written career planning. 3. Strengthen employer partnerships. 4. Integrate career exploration into program coursework. By the year 2020, it is anticipated that there will be about 24,200 new and replacement jobs available in the Tri-State service area. 7 Strategic Plan 2013-2016
Community College Value Potential students, employers and contributors will have increased awareness of the economic impact of the college as a resource and its benefits. Mountwest seeks to increase awareness about its return on investment and the college s economic impact on the community as a whole. Through this increased awareness, employers will better understand how Mountwest can improve the productivity of their businesses. Students will realize the impact through increased individual and family incomes and postsecondary cost savings. Finally, Mountwest will provide contributors with opportunities to make a lasting impact or by establishing mutually-beneficial relationships. Value-Added Strategies: 1. Assess student, business and donor perceptions of Mountwest. 2. Develop and implement a messaging campaign. A community college education is statistically correlated with improved lifestyle behaviors, including reduced incidences of absenteeism, alcohol abuse, smoking, lower probability of committing crime, and fewer welfare and unemployment claims. mctc.edu 8
public profile The college will have an enhanced public profile that enriches its reputation and credibility. Mountwest will leverage college facilities and services through events to promote favorable impressions of the college. Public Profile Strategies: 1. Hire or assign an individual to coordinate the use of Mountwest facilities by the public. 2. Develop policies and procedures, including pricing, aligned with the public profile mission. 3. Develop a business plan that includes public relations and marketing. 4. Evaluate, review results and make adjustments to the business plan annually. 5. Develop and launch a Web page featuring available rooms and options aligned with the public profile mission. Mountwest payroll and spending for supplies and services generate a net impact of $6 million in added income in the economy each year. 9 Strategic Plan 2013-2016
Alternative Education The college will increase the participation of transfer students and distance learners to provide needed alternative educational opportunities. The college seeks to expand its student body to include more students on the baccalaureate track and students learning through the online modality. Alternative Education Strategies: 1. Create Associate of Science and Associate of Arts transfer degree programs. 2. Establish additional articulation agreements to enable Mountwest students who complete associate degrees transfer seamlessly to baccalaureate institutions without a loss of credit. 3. Hire a Coordinator for Distance Education. 4. Offer additional quality online courses that meet Quality Matters standards. 5. Offer complete degree programs online. Mountwest activities encourage new business, assist existing business, and create longterm growth for our community. Alternative Education Measures: Receive approval from the West Virginia Community & Technical College System to offer Associate of Science (A.S.) and Associate of Arts (A.A.) degrees. Identify A.S. and A.A. programs that are in high demand and would generate significant enrollment increases. Develop and distribute brochures to clearly show students the benefits of beginning a baccalaureate degree program at Mountwest. Hire or designate a counselor to work with students who plan to transfer to complete a baccalaureate degree program. Bring high school students and counselors to campus to explain the transfer programs. Complete the implementation of DegreeWorks to ensure students are enrolling in the correct courses. Become a Quality Matters institution and train 10 faculty members to become certified in Quality Matters. Increase the number of general education courses taught online. Provide additional faculty development workshops to help faculty understand the pedagogy for teaching online courses. Ensure online courses are of equal quality to face-to face courses. mctc.edu 10
Measures and Indicators The successes achieved during the next three years as a result of this plan will be validated by the accomplishments listed below. College Completion Measures Increase the grade point average of Beacon students. Increase fall to fall student retention rates. Increase fall to spring student retention rates. Increase the average rate of student attendance. Decrease the number of students enrolled in developmental courses. Implement modified and targeted delivery of curriculum. Increase the number of students who complete targeted courses. Decrease the average amount of time it takes a student to complete a degree. Ensure that 100% of Mountwest students receive academic advising services. Reduce percentage of students with advisor holds to 5% or less. Increase the number of certificates awarded. Increase the number of degrees awarded each semester and annually. Fully implement attendance policy college-wide. Increase in percentage of courses completed with a C or better. Decrease the rate of financial default. Community Engagement Measures Hire and train a Director of Recruitment Services. Increase tuition-paying student enrollment. Establish a master schedule for collaborative activities with high school representatives. Establish and distribute a calendar of school fairs and activities. Establish a recruitment advisory board. Increase high school matriculation. Establish a database of current employer partners. Increase total number of employer partners. 11 Strategic Plan 2013-2016
Establish protocols for conducting customized contract trainings. Establish a master list of student internship sites. Increase number of internship sites and contracts. 90% of clients reporting on the Mountwest facility satisfaction survey indicate positive comments, a desire to return to the Mountwest facility and/or recommend use of the facility to others. Career Development Measures Designate and acquire an appropriate space to house the Office of Career Services. Increase the number of visits to the Mountwest College Central Network jobs page. Increase the number of student and employer registrations on the Mountwest College Central Network jobs page. Establish written career planning for first-year students. Increase in student matriculation toward a degree before the 24th credit hour. Vet and adopt soft skill evaluation rubric. Increase the number of career fairs held on Mountwest campus. Increase the number of students with career plans who finalize those plans. Increase student graduation rates. Draft job description and identify Mountwest liaison to work with Workforce WV. Increase the employment rates of Mountwest students. Value-Added Measures Complete assessment report and disseminate to appropriate stakeholders Establish baseline for each target group s perception of Mountwest (potential students, employers and contributors) Increase transfer student enrollment. Increase employment of students by area businesses. Increase donor investments. Establish and maintain a 90% retention rate among existing donors. Increase engagement of area businesses through participation in training and other partnership opportunities. Enhanced Public Profile Measures Identification of facility coordinator. Host five external events monthly. 25% of community partners report word of mouth as the primary knowledge source on satisfaction surveys. 90% of clients reporting on the Mountwest facility satisfaction survey indicate positive comments, a desire to return to the Mountwest facility and/or recommend use of the facility to others. 100% of Mountwest faculty and staff report a clear understanding and use of scheduling procedures. Establish and implement relevant policies and procedures. Development and use of a business plan. Implement consistent event coordination as indicated by a pre/post event client survey. Increase annual external event revenue to $100,000 by 2016. Utilization of Career Focus magazine and college Web site to promote facility use options. mctc.edu 12
1.866.676.5533 MCTC.edu One Mountwest Way Huntington, WV A State Community and Technical College of West Virginia An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer