Strategic Priorities 2011-2016

Moraine Valley Community College’s 2011-2016 Strategic Plan will set the framework for our annual planning, our goals and objectives and, ultimately, how we follow our Mission and pursue our Vision and Core Values. This Strategic Plan resulted from an in-depth process of external and internal analysis. It was developed with broad community and college input and will be reviewed annually. The college’s 2002-2007 and 2007-2012 Strategic Plans serve as the foundation for this plan update.

The updated Strategic Plan includes five broad priorities and within these priority areas, more specific strategic goals. The Strategic Plan was written in the spirit of continuous improvement; some of these goals incorporate work that is already underway while others will require new investments of time and effort.

The major purpose of both strategic and annual planning at Moraine Valley is to prepare for future challenges and to promote positive change. In planning, we try to find a good match between external demands and opportunities, the internal values of the college, and the college’s resources (people and dollars.) The successful performance of an institution is directly related to effective planning and good decision making.

As a learning-centered college, we dedicate all programs, services and resources to student goal completion with a commitment to continuously monitor, assess, and improve our performance. New and continuing initiatives and their impact on faculty and staff and college resources will be examined within this framework.

To foster continuous improvement, Moraine Valley will:

A. EMPHASIZE AND PROMOTE STUDENT SUCCESS

• Increase student success and retention within individual courses, across terms, and through completion and graduation rates by assessing how well students are meeting objectives, the quality of the student experience, and how these factors measure up against established benchmarks
• Identify the needs and barriers to success for our growing developmental education student population (Strategic Planning-Academic Quality Improvement Program project)
• Implement a permanent system of General Education assessment at the college (Strategic Planning-Academic Quality Improvement Program project)
• Identify and implement a holistic college-wide counseling and advising student success model with early intrusive interventions for at-risk students (Strategic Planning-Academic Quality Improvement Program project)
• Use the strategic process to identify and develop new curriculum
• Maintain and enhance high-quality, high-standard academic programs
• Support faculty and staff development in areas of creative learning strategies, technology, leadership, student learning styles, and global learning
• Maintain and enhance well-designed, coordinated, and proactive student support services
• Assess and improve technology support systems that advance student access to learning
• Integrate sustainability concepts into the curriculum
• Continue to provide a safe, comfortable, healthy, and welcoming learning environment

B. ENHANCE COMMUNITY AWARENESS, CONNECTIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS

• Develop, strengthen, and maintain community relationships and partnerships to maximize resources and identify opportunities to meet the needs of our educational partners, business partners, and community members
• Develop and nurture relationships with P-20 faculty and staff, students, and their parents
• Support seamless and successful high school to college transitions
• Develop and implement programs for adults and senior citizens and strategies to recruit and retain them
• Continue to provide support to help local governments attract and retain business
• Strengthen our role as an economic resource and leader in our community, region, state, nation, and world
• Strengthen alumni relations
• Promote the college as a community resource and cultural center

C. EMBRACE DIVERSITY

• Foster programs and support services that make students, faculty, and staff feel welcome, that provide positive and meaningful interactions, and that are designed for a variety of backgrounds and experiences
• Continue to integrate global and intercultural perspectives into programs and services
• Acknowledge the different needs of specific groups and individuals—traditional and non-traditional, native and international, younger and older, online and on-campus, minority and majority—and provide specific services to meet those needs
• Lessen existing barriers, including those of access, financial means, and preparedness
• Cultivate a faculty and staff rich with cultural competencies—to respect the cultural, social, and academic needs of all learners - and to increase awareness of diversity and knowledge of inclusive practices
• Continue hosting community dialogues on promoting diversity and inclusion that will provide opportunities to translate conversations into community actions

D. PLAN, ACHIEVE, AND MANAGE GROWTH

• Develop, communicate, and execute plans, processes, and procedures consistent with student and community needs and the college’s mission
• Maintain a process to allocate and/or reallocate resources based on the college’s Strategic Priorities
• Pursue alternative sources of revenue to support growth and keep tuition affordable
• Continue to look for opportunities to maximize resources and contain costs
• Hire and retain an appropriate mix of full-time and part-time faculty and staff
• Enhance the reporting capabilities of the college’s new business system (Datatel’s Colleague) and ensure that staff are fully utilizing all of its capabilities.
• Continue to plan for sustainable growth and consider environmental issues in plans for new and remodeled facilities
• Complete an environmental scan that will inform the development of a new Master Facilities Plan and future Strategic Plans
• Investigate and evaluate the feasibility of adding to the number of off-campus sites to expand regional outreach efforts and improve accessibility

E. BUILD ORGANIZATIONAL CAPABILITY THROUGH CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

• Use the college’s continuous improvement model to review institutional processes, systems, and structures to ensure efficient operations, strategic thinking, and improved curricula, programs, and services
• Update and expand the current technological infrastructure and increase automation in all technology and operating systems
• Review procedures and processes to eliminate redundancy as well as tasks that do not support the mission or strategic plan of the college
• Make data-driven decisions with input from stakeholders across the organization
• Improve internal communication mechanisms to achieve greater collaboration and efficiency
• Emphasize comprehensive professional development, including training employees to keep pace with technological advancements
• Support the college's commitment to sustainability through energy and water conservation, waste reduction, and strategies for a healthier work and living environment
• Promote innovation and risk taking to strengthen organizational capability