OUTLINE

II. INTRODUCTION

A. Evaluating Planning

II. STRATEGIC PLANNING

VIII. SWOT Analysis

INTRODUCTION

Mott Community College’s commitment to its service delivery area is manifested in the mission statement with a pledge to anticipate and respond to change while sharing technologies. Further it states that the institution will devote itself to community development while training a well prepared workforce. These values and others are embedded within the mission of the College and thereby set the tone by which planning is carried out and evaluated.

It has been said that futuristic research"is the effort to anticipate and prepare for the future before it unfolds. "Planning and the Future" is best said as "Planning for the Future" and is directly related to the institution’s organizational health and survival as the new millennium steadfastly approaches.

The way an institution goes about instituting a formal planning process is just as important as the results it yields. This report will outline will outline the necessary components needed to evaluate the planning at the College and at the same time examine those initiatives that guide the College through the planning process.

Evaluating Planning

To begin this examination three key relationships must be analyzed—"our internal relationship, our relationship with the community and finally "our relationship with constituents." The "planning process" is predicated and inextricably linked to the following three areas:

Our internal relationship

Philosophically, we have agreed on shared values, creating both a culture and systems that reflect those values, ensuring individual and team learning. The institution has encouraged dialogue and to some extent shared decision making while rewarding critical thinking, welcoming pluralism. Some of the actions that give evidence that this dialogue is happening at MCC are: Leadership Workshops, Collaborative Bargaining, Marketing Leadership Program, maintaining the Presidential Advisory Council and fostering communication between the college advisory committees.

Our relationship with the community

As the organization continues to clarify itself in the community, it has attempted to identify and respond to community needs. To date we have established the Broome Outreach Center, maintained the Lapeer Extention Site and the Southern Lakes Branch Campus, implemented a "Workforce Development" Initiative, Homedale Health Project, Technology Based Access Centers, and developed a partnership arrangement with the Flint Community Economic Development Corporation (FACED) and will soon forge a relationship with the Great Lakes District Association, a local faith based organization.

Technology Access for the Community Equates to Access to Education

To facilitate the organization’s charge to share technological resources while preparing individuals to compete in tomorrow’s society, a number of computer technology projects have been implemented. This college driven effort is called "The Technology Based Access Center" project which is designed to provide access to education for the community and will also place technology in the hands of persons who under normal circumstances would not have disposable income to obtain the technology and the knowledge base on how to utilize it. The College is positioning itself to empower the community as well as cultivate additional and brand new student populations.

Our relationship with constituents

We have tried to get to know the interests and needs of our constituents, finding the most appropriate and effective ways to communicate with them, engaging constituents more fully with the organization. It is our hope that we can strengthen and develop connections with individuals and groups so when we ask, they are ready to respond and respond again. Additionally, we have found that it may not be enough or quite adequate to service our immediate geographical service area. In order to be responsive to futuristic needs we must look beyond the boundaries and allow the institution to service neighboring counties. Attempts to forecast the future may lead us to looking beyond the district lines with initiatives that put us in the position to fortify the primary service base and at the same time reach out to neighbors in other geographical areas.

As the mission espouses, the college will "build and sustain community alliances". This is evident in board driven initiatives resulting in the town hall meeting series, monthly board of trustee meetings with local and county government and school officials, not to mention the five county "Workforce Development Summit which will focus on finding, keeping and training skilled employees for today’s job opportunities.

Overall Planning In Review:

As one might expect planning is inextricably tied to the budget and environmental scanning and anchored in probable governmental funding. In order for the College to get its work done, it has had to remain flexible in its planning and forecasting mode, because governmental dictums regarding funding has by necessity swayed and or influenced MCC’s approach to doing business. Prioritization in projects has been determined by the institution’s ability to secure outside funding.

STRATEGIC PLANNING

The genesis of the institution’s strategic planning process begun with the determination of a shared vision and direction for the organization. Since the last self study a community collaborative exercise called the "Mission Charrette" took place for the purposes of defining the organization’s mission and direction. As a result the institution continues to justify and clarify the organization’s position in the community. The organization is uniquely position as the "Community’s College and serves to train and retrain and at the same time foster the art of learning from the liberal arts perspective.

In an effort to identify constituents and build stronger relationships, the board of trustees

launched "Mott 2005," a brainstorming and environmental scanning process designed to ensure the College’s capability to meet the future needs of the service delivery area. The theme for this initiative was entitled "Embrace Change…..Create The Future. (Refer to the Board Resolution dated October 27, 1997.

Mott 2005

This initiative which was launched in the fall of 1997 at a regularly scheduled board meeting. Participation was solicited college wide, with members from the college community being invited to take an active role in shaping the direction of the college via brainstorming and roundtable discussions. From this gathering, separate workgroup assignments were made. The work plan for this initiative evolved around three themes: priorities, processes and preparation. From this time forward, the College board of trustees agreed to set aside time at its regularly scheduled board meetings to explore future educational issues and at the same time brainstorm community economic development opportunities and their implications for the college and its programs and services. Please refer to Mott 2005 Resource Book.

OPERATIONAL PLANNING

The genesis for operational planning at MCC has been based on an analysis of the Carter Alfred Study and the Gennett and Gay Report. Operational planning has allowed us to look at the institution with an eye for making necessary changes and incorporating corrective measures. By way of comparison, Mott 2005 is the culmination of the aforementioned initiatives. Both the Collaborative Bargaining and the Leadership Workshops are products of this phase of the planning process; they in turn can be viewed as corresponding action plans.

CARTER/ALFRED PLANNING PROCESS

The Carter/Alfred Strategic Planning Process began in October of 1994 under the direction of Dr. Richard Alfred (University of Michigan) and Patricia Carter (Community College Consortium). A task force steering committee jointly comprised of faculty, staff and administration provided direction and support for a number of multidisciplinary work teams that were assigned to scrutinize various function areas of the college. The process was extensive in scope, inviting input form all personnel at the college, credit and no-credit students, high school students, high school teachers and guidance counselors, and regional employers. The "Pathway to the Future: Comprehensive Educational Plan 1995—2005" was delivered to the college in late 1995 complete with 55 recommendation intended to direct MCC’s efforts to address the community’s educational needs. They continued to meet into 1996 to establish priorities and implementation plans for the recommendations.

The GENNETT AND GAY INVESTIGATIVE STUDY:

This particular investigative study consisted of a series of interviews that resulted in scrutinizing the College, its personnel and its functions. Issues and concerns which had been highlighted in the Carter Alfred study were examined while customer focus, intake services and receptivity to future change were evaluated as well. The referenced study by its very design was based on dissecting the current practices and policies for the handling of students from various vantage points: point of entry, enrollment management and student support services. The investigative findings submitted by Dr(s). Nicholas D.Gennett and Melvin L. Gay resulted in a plethora of recommendations.. Several of the 55 recommendations dealt specially with refining MCC student intake and access processes.

This study focused on the care and handling of the institution’s primary reason for existence---its students. The report indicated that there was a lack of consistent and user friendly processes for maintaining an integrated, welcoming system for MCC students. At the outset of the study, MCC student services was said to be "disjointed, disconnected and reported to be "confusing and frustrating to students and the external community."

The beauty of this initiative is that it engendered tremendous support from the college community even if the answers to the questions or the solutions were perceived as threatening to some within the college community. All involved realized that this issue merited immediate attention and corrective actions. Several steps were implemented as result of this initiative, with one being the consolidation of all students services reporting to one officer of the college. Hence, the position of Vice President of Student Development and Instructional Support was created and filled, and subsequent re-organizational measures were implemented.

Collaborative Bargaining

College-wide training was made available to employees for the purpose of developing or enhancing skills, which could be used to resolve mutual problems that affect the college community at large. This form of deliberation was aimed at collaborative decision making with an end product that would not only reduce grievances but provide a "win—win situation for the entire college.

The first training session began June of 1998 with 14 employees from various bargaining unions and was conducted over a three-day period. Employees were released from their routine daily assignments and met off campus at the Louhelen Bahai Center in Davison, Michigan and at other sites for the training sessions. Eight training sessions have been conducted since June 1998.The collaborative problem solving training used in bargaining was so successful that unions asked management to provide the training to a wider college audience.

To measure the effectiveness of the Collaborative Problem-Solving Training, a survey was distributed to all of the trainees. Employees trained from all of the bargaining units with one exception, the Faculty union.. The feelings, as reflected in a recent survey, indicate that 96% of the respondents in general felt that the information they learned was potentially relevant to their current job. When asked if attendees would encourage other Mott employees to attend the training, 96% responded by saying they would encourage other Mott employees to attend. Overall, ratings for each topic covered during the training sessions revealed that attendees felt the topics were very worthwhile to them personally. (Refer to the Collaborative Problem-Solving Training Survey)

Leadership Workshops

Individuals from the College were nominated or self-selected to participate in the Leadership Workshop, to date there have been three (four day) sessions. This workshop series was designed to allow leaders to emerge from within the college for the purposes of assisting in the advancement of the college. Presentations were made on a variety of subjects from finance to customer relations/service. Fortifying a workforce with the tools necessary for making a difference in the life of an institution is seen as an automatic benefit to actualizing strategic and operational planning.

Long Range Planning

The Campus Master Plan (CMP) provides direction for the college’s long-range initiatives. It is designed with a fifteen to twenty year scope and is developed with input from a variety of college personnel including faculty, administration, and staff. The current Master Plan was revised in 1997 prior to submitting a major bond issue request to voters in the colleges’ service district. The long-range issues identified in the CMP have significant planning and funding cycles and generally require the financial support of the community and state or local government. The current CMP addresses the following seven areas; Regional Technology Center (RTC), Wellness/Fitness Center, Learning Commons, Prahl Center, Two-Way Interactive, Kearsley Park, and Campus Signage. These seven topics represent pressing issues with college-wide implications relative to mission and issues related to safety, regulatory compliance, community needs, etc.

In May 1998, the college successfully passed a $35.9 million bond proposal that focuses principally on increasing MCC’s technological capacity and developing a Regional Technology Center (RTC) to service the manufacturing, design, and information technology needs of the region. The RTC is the first new academic building on campus in nearly thirty years. This facility will co-locate most of the Technology Division programs, enhance and expand Information Technology offerings, support the implementation of new academic programs in Manufacturing, Manufacturing Simulation, Communications Technology and Computer Networking Technology, as well as expand workforce development offerings. In December the State of Michigan approved the expenditure of approximately $17 million to fund one half of this 192,000 square foot facility. The RTC project features a three part collaboration between Genesys Regional Medical System, the Mott Foundation and Mott Community College that includes a major property transfer, infrastructure enhancements, program location, and building construction. The RTC will be located on newly acquired property located adjacent to the current campus and will include the new building and a parking structure.

The RTC project will also partially incorporate some of the other activities identified in the CMP such as signage improvements, use of interactive television technology, improved parking, and the development of innovative, integrated curricula.

Capital Outlay Process

The Capital Outlay Process guides the expenditure of bond sale dollars authorized by MCC’s bond issue campaigns. Total dollars available for this process depend on current interest rates and the total amount the college can cover with its voter-approved debt retirement millage of 0.5 mills. Capital Outlay projects include major renovations to campus buildings, ramps and classrooms; replacement or updating of administrative systems; instructional equipment purchases, etc. Total funding allowances are revisited each academic year based upon revenues generated through bond sales. Once the available dollars have been identified, a review process is implemented to prioritize previously identified projects.

Capital outlay dollars are divided into discretionary or non-discretionary funds. Discretionary funds are allocated to the President and each of the three Vice-President’s offices. Discretionary funds are dollars that each "cost center manager" may dedicate to projects within his/her domain without the approval of the other managers. Discretionary funds represent a smaller portion of the overall amount (generally 25% or less). Non-discretionary funds constitute the majority of the capital outlay dollars (generally 75% or more). These funds are used to address additional projects and are dispersed after joint approval by the cost-center managers. The Capital Outlay process allows all members of the college community (faculty, staff and administration) to provide input in identifying projects and/or testifying to their importance, however, they do not control setting the priorities or determining final spending decisions.

Daily Operational System

The daily operational system is developed on a yearly basis as part of the college budgetary planning cycle. Known activities and/or minor equipment replacements, repairs and routine maintenance are identified by academic departments and other cost center managers and built into budget requests early in the calendar year. Within the academic arena, curriculum development and assessment study requests are to be identified during the program/discipline review and considered in the budget development process. Other items may include the cost of daily operational supplies, expendable tooling, laboratory supplies, etc. that each area routinely requires for day-to-day operations. Each cost center manager develops and submits their budget requests, complete with contingency plans, for consideration.

To support extraordinary unexpected expenses, The Vice-Presidents of Academic Affairs, Administration and Student Development and Instructional Support develop their over-arching budget plans with contingency funds to address those items not covered at the department or cost center levels.

Program Review

During the 1996/97 academic year, the college instituted an academic program/discipline review process to analyze program performance, student enrollment, retention rates, program strengths and weaknesses, and planning concerns related to emerging needs, potential curriculum revisions, upcoming equipment purchases, etc. For the first three years, this annual review process addressed all certificate programs, Associate degree programs, and academic disciplines at the institution. Beginning in 1999/2000, all programs/disciplines will be reviewed once every three years with one-third of the areas being done annually. Data collected will allow all parties to review the growth or decline in related course enrollments, retention rate improvement or decline, demographics and diversity issues relating to gender and ethnicity, and contact hour generation on a yearly basis to establish benchmarks and trends.

This review is intended to drive several processes that support student success. First and foremost, considerations related to needs assessments, curriculum development, numbers of faculty, equipment acquisition, and programmatic space requirements are highlighted and addressed in the budgetary process. Advisory committees are surveyed to determine curricular content, and retention statistics provide input related to student services that might be needed. Graduation rates and placement statistics provide direction for marketing strategies and employment sites. Student surveys serve to benchmark student satisfaction in a number of functional areas within the college, particularly the academic content, support services, career planning, and instructor knowledge and preparation. In addition, the program review process identifies those programs with ongoing challenges and results in a reflective review to determine the causes of those challenges. The root cause might be changing demands in the workplace or higher education environments, insufficient advisory committee support, students who require excessive amounts of remediation, lack of marketing, or that the program is no longer viable.

In addition to the college program/discipline review process, occupational programs continue to undergo the program review process (PROE) required by the Perkins legislation.

Curriculum Design and Development

In today’s rapidly changing environment, institutions are constantly reacting to and anticipating necessary changes in programs, equipment, and delivery strategies. MCC is located in a community undergoing massive restructuring as General Motors closes production facilities, health care providers consolidate services, educational institutions face large numbers of retirements, and neighboring communities look to Genesee county residents to fill high-tech jobs. The demand to provide high quality transfer programs, two-year occupational programs, certificate programs, and workforce development credentials require MCC to be able to quickly determine appropriate competencies, develop educational programs, and assess both programmatic effectiveness and student learning. The following examples demonstrate some of the projects and tools adopted to allow us to respond to community needs.

Academic Organization and Leadership

The past ten years have been marked by frequent changes in the administrative organization at MCC. Mott has had six different VP’s of Academic Affairs during the 1990’s and is now beginning a search for a new president. This constant turnover in academic leadership has somewhat impeded continuity in the academic divisions and in the CPSC curriculum development process, although the same faculty co-chair has held the position for over 10 years. In addition, there have been numerous reorganizations and name changes for academic divisions and schools and various organizational and reporting hierarchies. The Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Dean of Career and Occupational Education positions were eliminated in 1998 and the Associate Deans given additional responsibilities. After operating for several months as interim VP of Academic Affairs - Bill Angus, previously Dean of Educational Technology, was given the permanent position and continues to serve the college in that role.

While we recently learned that Dr. Arnold, our president since 1992, will be leaving the institution in September 1999, we have a strong contingent of Vice Presidents and a unified Board of Trustees to lead the college until a new president can be identified.

An additional element in Mott’s plan to address ongoing curricular updates includes a Dean of Curriculum position. This new position identifies a person whose primary responsibility is ongoing curricular leadership. The Dean of Curriculum will also support curriculum research and development, assessment, course scheduling, and budget. Programs with ongoing concerns will have an advocate to support additional learning resources, professional development, etc. needed to satisfy program expectations. The final determination concerning formal job descriptions and responsibilities will be completed prior to the NCA team visit.

Professional Development

Professional development is an ongoing function at MCC and is addressed at several levels. Seven sabbaticals per year are available for faculty with at least seven years of service at MCC. Each division has a travel budget to support faculty travel to conferences and professional meetings. A permanent fund provides reimbursement for faculty and staff to upgrade their skills and the Committee for Excellence in Teaching and Learning sponsors professional development activities to support the college community throughout the year. Ongoing professional development, especially in occupational areas that utilize advanced technology, will be a constant requirement for faculty in meeting learner needs.

Committee for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL)

CETL has been active since 1991-92 and is a cross-disciplinary committee committed to supporting excellence in teaching and learning. CETL operates under the direction of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs and is composed of rotating co-chairs who work with a committee of faculty, staff and administrators to plan and deliver workshops, seminars, professional development activities, social events designed to improve collegiality, etc. During the past year, activities have centered on becoming a "learner-centered" institution. CETL’s position and value within the institution is well recognized and accepted. CETL actively campaigns for additional professional development opportunities both on and off-campus and uses both national and in-house experts.

CETL maintains an educational focus and does not subscribe to a particular educational theory or process. Its strengths come from being "faculty-driven" and having campus-wide participation to address the needs of the entire college community. However, some view it as an "elitist" organization, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain a well-balanced mix of faculty from the various academic disciplines due to increasing campus obligations.

Distance Education

MCC has an extensive distance learning program that dates back to the early 1980’s. Today’s program includes telecourse production and delivery, interactive television classroom delivery, a College in the Workplace program that covers several states, and on-line courses. The Educational Technology department supports faculty in the development of courses designed for distance delivery and also sponsors workshops on assessment, competency-based design, WIDS, etc. Several committees support these initiatives and ensure the appropriateness of distance education curriculum.

MCC recently implemented an innovative and nationally recognized "Intellectual Property Rights" Agreement that lays the groundwork for future growth in the distance delivery arena. This collaboratively-bargained agreement deals with issues of ownership, reproducibility, and consulting related to course development, teaching/learning privileges, costs, etc.

(Refer to the "Intellectual Property Rights" Agreement in Resource Room)

Academic Computing Committee

The Academic Computing Committee was formed in February 1995 as an Ad Hoc subcommittee of the College Professional Study Committee (CPSC). The committee meets once a month to review academic computing services and makes recommendations regarding specific services. This committee is composed of faculty, administration and staff members who discuss upcoming changes, hardware/software problems and/or installations, physical room changes, etc.

Courseware Development Committee

The Courseware Development Committee meets to oversee and discuss the on-going development of new distance learning courses. Committee members are able to monitor progress of courses currently under development, coordinate the activities of production staff, review curriculum to ensure that competencies and assessment criteria are being considered, etc.

Distance Learning Advisory Subcommittee

The Distance Learning Advisory Committee (DLAS) provides oversight regarding distance learning at Mott Community College. This committee has been meeting since the inception of distance learning at Mott in 1981. The committee’s charges include reviewing course formats, approving new courses for design, and fostering improvement in the quality of programs. The DLAS has been instrumental in the implementation of professional development in distance learning for faculty, quality improvement in the program (Standards and Practices document), and assessment of distance learning courses and the program by faculty and students. The DLAS plays an instrumental role in the Intellectual Property Rights process in "certifying" faculty to teach distance learning courses and arbitrating disagreements over various intellectual property rights.

Manufacturers’ Courseware Development Committee

The Manufacturers’ Courseware Development Committee (MCDC) first met in January 1995 and consists of a group of representatives from the manufacturing community and Mott faculty and staff. The group began with the collaborative development and textbook selection for a drafting course in blueprint reading. Since then, the committee has collaboratively reviewed several courses such as Introduction to Quality Assurance (QUAL 101), Technical Writing (ENGL 105), and Technical Mathematics (PHSM 120). The group meets regularly on a bimonthly or quarterly basis depending upon need. The committee meets to collaboratively determine course content and text book selection for new distance learning courses. Generally, the members of the committee are the Dean of Educational Technology, the Manager of Instructional Development and Television Services, the College in the Workplace Coordinator, faculty presenting new courseware, and representatives from several area manufacturing companies such as General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Detroit Diesel Corporation, and Lucas VARITY Kelsey-Hayes Company.

Professional Development Committee

In 1997 a committee was established to evaluate current and future instructional technology needs. Their work continues and each semester they prepare and deliver a number of professional development activities for faculty. Workshop titles include such topics as Digital Imaging, PowerPoint Presentations, Lotus Notes, Designing Your Personal Web Page, Planning Conference Presentations, Syllabus Preparation, and Innovative Uses of the Web to Enhance Learning. Teleconferences such as "Copyright Laws for Educators" and "Privatization of Higher Education" are also planned through this committee.

Recent one or two day events include:

This focus on academic integrity, data collection and assessment will lead the college into the future and ensure that academic programs meet learner needs. Professional development continues to be a funding priority in the college budget and new developments in distance delivery have resulted in huge growth in the both the number of students served and the quality of curriculum.

While each of the individual pieces demonstrate thoughtfulness and vision, they lack an "institutional" process that ties them all together. For instance, it is unclear whether the results of the Program/Discipline Review Process really impact the budget dollars allocated to programs and disciplines, or if programs with consistently low enrollment or poor performance receive additional marketing, curriculum reviews, or enhanced learning center support through peer tutoring, counseling, academic advising, etc. In addition, the facility planning process seems to lack a detailed business plan that includes strategies to secure funding and move through prioritized items. Certainly funding access is uncertain at best, but an integrated plan that details an approach to access available state funding resources, foundations, private donations, etc. would improve the college’s chance of success on many projects.

The college is truly in a time of opportunity as many new activities begin. Community confidence appears high based upon their support of a recent bond issue and several articles in the local paper point to MCC’s new leadership role. The premiere initiative, The Regional Technology Center has attracted a tremendous amount of attention locally, regionally, and nationally based upon several new and innovative programs and improved teaching/learning techniques.

Mott Community College realizes that it is not enough to meet today’s needs for today’s learners; it is an absolute imperative to anticipate tomorrow’s needs while work is done to shore up resources to carry out the futuristic goals and objectives of the

institution.

Strengths:

Needed to finish training all employees sooner (within a four-month period).

Committee for Excellence on Teaching and Learning (CETL)

Communication/Info Sharing

Credit/Non-credit/Workforce Development

Branch Campus

Workforce Development Summit

Laddering Promotion

Customer Service

Institutional Assessment

Mentoring Students

Procedure Manuals

Regional Technology Center

Retiree/Senior Citizen Relations

Technology for Instruction

Last Updated to NCA-MCC Website 9/24/99