STRATEGIC PLAN

Richland Community College 2015 - 2018

 Introduction to the 2015-2018 Richland Community College Strategic Plan
The Strategic Planning Team is pleased to present the 2015-2018 Strategic Plan for Richland Community College. The Plan provides
strategic direction for the College over the next four years.
Initiated in November 2013 by Dr. Gayle Saunders, President, a series of events led to the development of the 2015-2018 Strategic Plan of
Richland Community College. First, the trends, opportunities and challenges section completed by the 2014 Richland Community College
Environmental Scanning Team provided the backdrop necessary for the Strategic Planning Team to begin its work (Environmental Scan is
located at http://www.richland.edu/effectiveness/strategicplan). Then, the Strategic Planning Team, comprised of representative
stakeholders throughout the College, started gathering in March 2014 to understand how the SOAR (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations
and Results) process would allow them to capture needed information to produce the Strategic Plan. Held between June and October 2014,
14 focus groups sessions with over 210 participants were conducted, and the Strategic Planning Team served as facilitators and scribes.
Internal and external stakeholders spoke to Richland’s strengths and offered opportunities for improvement. As focus groups were a main
source of data collection, the Team also reviewed other data sources that include the AQIP Systems Portfolio and Systems Appraisal, ICCB
Economic Impact Study, and the RCC Institutional Year Books. Throughout this entire process, the Team met to debrief the focus groups,
discuss data sources, and advise the progression of the Plan. In addition, retreat topics and regular presentations were planned for the
Board of Trustees to allow their input into the process and the Plan.
Intended to provide strategic direction for the College, the four goals in the 2015-2018 Strategic Plan are the following: Elevate Teaching and
Learning Standards, Foster Student Success and Completion, Advance and Create Workforce Development Partnerships, and Ensure a Sustainable
Organization. These goals collectively reflect the mission and vision of the College through emphasis on evidence-based decision-making to
support student success, teaching and learning, community relationships and Richland’s Principles of Sustainability. As in past practice, the
President’s Cabinet will identify annual priorities to ensure accountability to the Strategic Plan.
The Strategic Planning Team reviewed the mission of Richland Community College as a part of its work. The Team felt that the four goals
awaiting adoption will help Richland achieve its current mission. In addition, the Team reviewed the vision approved by the Board of
Trustees in 2003. The Team determined that the vision -- To Be the Premier Source for Education, Workforce Training, Partnerships, and Economic
Development -- still reflects the forward intentions of Richland Community College.
2015-2018 Strategic Plan can be found here: http://www.richland.edu/effectiveness/strategicplan
This could not have been done without the hard work and strategic visioning of those involved in planning and carrying out the
process. The members of the Strategic Planning Team as well as the Environmental Scan Team are listed on the next page.

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 Strategic Planning Team
Jack Adwell, Dean, Business & Technology
Sally Anselmo, Director, Database Systems
Robin Bollhorst, Director, Budgeting
Darbe Brinkoetter, Dean, Continuing & Professional Education
Ellen Colbeck, Dean, Health Professions
Joe Feinstein, Director, Technical and Facilities Operations
Louise Greene, Director, Library Services
Lisa Gregory, Executive Director, Public Information, Chief of Staff
Rob Kerr, Director, Advising & Registration
Crystal Kitchens, Business & Technology
Dr. Christopher Merli, Professor, Math & Sciences
Carmin Ross, Director, Financial Aid
Teena Zindel-McWilliams, Coordinator, Curriculum & Grants
Gianina Baker (Facilitator), Director, Institutional Effectiveness & Planning
Connie Hartman (Scribe), Executive Administrative Assistant, VP Academic Services Office
Ex-Officio Members
Dr. Gayle Saunders (Sponsor)
Dr. Doug Brauer, Vice President, Economic Development and Innovative Workforce Solutions
Marcus Brown, Vice President, Student Success
Dr. Denise Crews, Vice President, Academic Services
Greg Florian, Vice President, Finance & Administration
Environmental Scanning Team
Sally Anselmo, Director, Database Systems
Gianina Baker, Director, Institutional Effectiveness & Planning
Darbe Brinkoetter, Dean, Continuing and Professional Education Division
Leanne Brooks, Director, Academic Success Center
Louise Greene, Director, Library Services
Richard Gschwend, Director, Human Resources
Brad Hemenway, Associate Professor, Economics
Megan Moore, Director, Accounting
Jessica Pickel, Assistant to the Dean, Health Professions
Teena Zindel-McWilliams, Coordinator, Curriculum & Grants

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 PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY

PEOPLE

DIVERSITY EXCELLENCE

BEARABLE EQUITABLE

SUSTAINABILITY

VIABLE
ENVIRONMENT ECONOMICS

RESPECT ACCOUNTABILITY
COMMITMENT

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 Higher Learning Commission Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP)

Richland Community College Strategic Plan Implementation Public

College Vision 2015 - 2018 and Accountability
Performance
To be the
Goal 1: Elevate Teaching and Learning Standards
Premier Source
for Education, Strategy A: Utilize Richland’s Cross Disciplinary Outcomes process to assess student learning.
Workforce Training, Strategy B: Demonstrate the assessment of program student learning outcomes.
Strategy C: Engage faculty and staff in program review using the established process.
Partnerships, Strategy D: Enhance teaching and learning through faculty development opportunities.
and Economic Strategy E: Deploy innovative instructional delivery and assessment systems.
Development. Strategy F: Expand project-based and other career-focused learning experiences for students.

L2 Division/Department/Area Balanced Scorecards

Goal 2: Foster Student Success and Completion
College Mission Strategy A: Engage in activities that improve the college and career readiness of Richland students.

L1 Institutional Balanced Scorecard

Strategy B: Advance a comprehensive Strategic Enrollment Management process and completion agenda.
The mission of Strategy C: Engage students in the holistic development of educational pathways.
Strategy D: Implement student success strategies to address progress expectations and
Strategic Plan

Richland Community
identified momentum points.
College is to

Annual Priorities
Strategy E: Establish robust student support systems including proactive advising and work-based

Dashboard
provide innovative career-focused experiences.
educational
environments, Goal 3: Create and Advance Workforce Development Partnerships
opportunities, and Strategy A: Discover common workforce needs and opportunities to strengthen community relationships.
experiences that Strategy B: Identify and implement new career and technical education programs of study and workforce
enable individuals, development programs reflecting community economic development initiatives.
Strategy C: Actively engage in legislative and government relations that serve to further Richland’s mission.
communities, and Strategy D: Proactively secure opportunities for media to highlight the vast portfolio of offerings available
the region to grow, to District residents.
thrive, and prosper. Strategy E: Facilitate workforce and economic development opportunities through business incubator and
other entrepreneurial training.
Strategy F: Successfully fulfill the design, development and delivery of a new school of business
integrated curriculum.
Core Values
Goal 4: Ensure a Sustainable Organization
Commitment
Respect Strategy A: Align and empower employee strengths that benefit the institution in meeting
strategic goals.
Excellence
Strategy B: Optimize human, economic, and environmental expenses with available revenue.
Accountability Strategy C: Balance the physical environment to connect to the College principles of sustainability.
Diversity Implementation
Strategy D: Identify and secure alternative revenue streams. Public
Strategy E: Align facility utilization with established program needs. and
Performance Accountability

http://www.richland.edu/effectiveness/strategicplan

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 RICHLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE 2015-2018 STRATEGIC PLAN
Goal 1 Goal 2 Goal 3 Goal 4
Elevate Teaching and Learning Create and Advance Workforce
Foster Student Success and Completion Ensure a Sustainable Organization
Standards Development Partnerships
Enhance and cultivate partnerships in
Sustain an environment that embraces Prioritize and align Richland’s
Sustain and improve instruction business, education, government, and
students and advances them toward goal sustainability principles (people,
through the assessment of student the community to meet current needs
clarity and completion of their identified economics, environment) to support
learning outcomes. of students and emerging trends of the
goal(s). long-term growth and viability.
region.
Key Result Key Result Key Result Key Result
Multiple measures that demonstrate Collective impact on workforce and Richland’s Principles of Sustainability are
End of program success
student learning partnership development maximized for long-term College viability.
Implementation Strategies Implementation Strategies Implementation Strategies Implementation Strategies
A. Utilize Richland’s Cross Disciplinary A. Engage in activities that improve the A. Discover common workforce needs A. Align and empower employee strengths
Outcomes process to assess student college and career readiness of Richland and opportunities to strengthen that benefit the institution in meeting
learning. students. community relationships. strategic goals.

B. Identify and implement new career

B. Advance a comprehensive Strategic and technical education programs of B. Optimize human, economic, and
B. Demonstrate the assessment of
Enrollment Management process and study and workforce development environmental expenses with available
program student learning outcomes.
completion agenda. programs reflecting community revenue.
economic development initiatives.

C. Actively engage in legislative and C. Balance the physical environment to

C. Engage faculty and staff in program C. Engage students in the holistic
government relations that serve to connect to the College principles of
review using the established process. development of educational pathways.
further Richland’s mission. sustainability.

D. Enhance teaching and learning D. Implement student success strategies to D. Proactively secure opportunities for
D. Identify and secure alternative revenue
through faculty development address progress expectations and media to highlight the vast portfolio of
streams.
opportunities. identified momentum points. offerings available to District residents.
E. Facilitate workforce and economic
E. Establish robust student support systems
E. Deploy innovative instructional development opportunities through E. Align facility utilization with established
including proactive advising and work-
delivery and assessment systems. business incubator and other program needs.
based career-focused experiences.
entrepreneurial training.
F. Successfully fulfill the design,
F. Expand project-based and other
development and delivery of a new
career-focused learning experiences
school of business integrated
for students.
curriculum.

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 2015-2018 Strategic Plan Glossary
Advisory Committee—Created for each Career and Technical Education Program (AAS). The committee, comprised of community
professionals and College faculty and staff, meets to discuss industry and employment trends, proposed curriculum changes, and program
adjustments. An advisory committee must meet at least annually for the program to be eligible for funding support from the Carl D.
Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Grant. (Source: IL Community College Board--ICCB)

Apprenticeship—Combination of on-the-job training and related instruction in which workers learn the practical and theoretical aspects
of a highly skilled occupation. Apprenticeship programs can be sponsored by individual employers, joint employer and labor groups,
and/or employer association. (Source: U.S. Department of Labor)

Career and Technical Education—Programs designed to lead students directly to employment or advanced education and training for
employment. CTE programs are designed to match Programs of Study (POS) and Career Pathways as outlined by deferral guidelines.
(Source: National Research Center for Career and Technical Education)

Co-curricular—Intentional, meaningful activities outside the classroom that provide opportunities for learning that may not be possible in
traditional classroom settings. Co-curricular experiences bridge in- and out-of-classroom learning, frame holistic learning, and illustrate
value for students. (Source: RCC)

Composite Financial Index (CFI)—Overall picture of an institution’s fiscal health. Four core ratios primary reserve, viability, return on
net assets, and net operating revenues are used to calculate the CFI. (Source: KPMG)

Co-requisite Education—Places students into remedial and college-level courses in the same subject at the same time, which allows
students to receive targeted support to help boost their understanding and learning of the college-level course material. Gateway courses
(mathematics and English) would be the default placement for most students, allowing students who require academic support to receive it
through the co-requisite model. (Source: Illinois Community College Board)

Cross Disciplinary Outcomes—Outcomes comprised of transferable skills, attitudes, and abilities to be mastered by all learners
completing a degree or certificate at Richland. Cross-disciplinary outcomes go beyond a specific program, major, or discipline thread, are
integrated throughout the learning experience, and are often set as learning goals. (Source: RCC Outcomes Assessment Taskforce)

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Developmental Education—Any level of remediation; i.e., instructional courses designed for students deficient in the general
competencies necessary for a regular postsecondary curriculum and educational setting. Developmental courses are also known as remedial
courses, basic skills courses, preparatory courses, or compensatory courses. (Source: Voluntary Framework of Accountability)

Dual Credit—A program that allows high school students who demonstrate college readiness to enroll in selected college classes and
receive both high school and college credit. (Source: RCC Knowledge Management Team--KMT)

Internships—Designed for students to gain relevant work experience while they are attending school. Students enroll in the appropriate
work experience and practicum seminar or internship course, which lasts eight to sixteen weeks. Most CTE programs include an internship
course designated with course number 290 or 295. (Source: College Catalog)

Learning Outcomes Assessment—The process by which faculty are engaged in working with other faculty, staff, and external
stakeholders to identify, document, and evaluate what students are learning and how well they are learning it, making appropriate
adjustments to the curriculum based on the data obtained in order to improve instruction effectiveness and student learning. (Source:
Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Committee)

Persistence—A measure of student enrollment generally applied to the number or percent of students who continuously enroll in a
subsequent semester or sequential academic year. (Fall to Spring; Spring to Fall) (Source: 2011-2014 Strategic Plan)

Proactive Advising—Advising structures that incorporate intervention strategies mandating advising contacts for students who otherwise
might not seek advising. (Source: National Academic Advising Association--NACADA)

Professional Development—Enhancement of personal capacity and growth through formal or informal learning. Professional
development enhances job satisfaction and extends capabilities for performance. Training, a subset of professional development, links
learning and continuous improvement directly to job performance. (Source: 2011-2014 Strategic Plan)

Program Review—Review of instructional programs and services required by the Illinois Community College Board on a five-year cycle.
The Program Review includes data collection, analysis, and improvement plans of Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs,
Academic Disciplines, Cross-Disciplinary Programs, and Student and Academic Support Programs. (Source: ICCB/RCC)

Program Student Learning Outcomes—Knowledge, skills, and attitudes achieved by students in a program, including CTE programs
and Academic Disciplines defined by ICCB. These outcomes are developed and measured by program faculty. (Source: Student Learning
Outcomes Assessment Committee)

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Retention—Measure of student enrollment, generally applied to the number of percent of students who complete a course in any given
semester. A common measure used to report Fall-to-Fall student enrollment. (Source: RCC Knowledge Management Team--KMT)

Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) –A process that focuses on what is best for students’ success while increasing enrollment
numbers and stabilizing institutional revenues; a strong SEM approach looks at the entire student cycle from entry thought graduation. It
is a data-informed process that aligns an institution’s fiscal, academic, co-curricular, and enrollment resources with its changing
environment to accomplish the institution’s mission and to ensure the institution’s long-term enrollment success and fiscal health. (Source:
American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers; Noel Levitz)

Sustainability–The effort to meet the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations, taking into
consideration the financial, social, and environmental effects (Triple Bottom Line) when creating policies and taking actions. (Source:
2011-2014 Strategic Plan)

Sustainability Tracking and Rating System (STARS)—A transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to gauge
relative progress toward sustainability. Sustainability framework scored on 3 categories: education and research; operations; planning,
administration and engagement (Silver - 45-64.99; Gold - 65-84.99; Platinum - 85+) (Source: Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in
Higher Education--AASHE)

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 Connecting the Richland Community College 2015-2018 Strategic Plan
to the Revised Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) Categories

Strategic Plan Goal 1: Strategic Plan Goal 2: Strategic Plan Goal 3: Strategic Goal Plan 4:
Elevate Teaching and Foster Student Success and Create and Advance Workforce Ensure a Sustainable
AQIP Categories Learning Standards Completion Development Partnerships Organization

A B C D E F A B C D E A B C D E F A B C D E
Helping Students
Learn
X X X X X X X X X X X X
Meeting Student and
Other Key X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Stakeholder Needs
Valuing Employees X X X X X X X X X
Planning and Leading X X X X X X X X X X X X
Knowledge
Management and
Resource
X X X X X X X X X X X X
Stewardship
Quality Overview X X X X X X X X X X

Helping Students Learn focuses on the design, deployment, and effectiveness of teaching-learning processes (and on the processes required to support them)
that underlie the institution’s credit and non-credit programs and courses.

Meeting Student and Other Key Stakeholder Needs focuses on determining, understanding and meeting needs of current and prospective students and other key
stakeholders such as alumni and community partners.

Valuing Employees explores the institution’s commitment to the hiring, development, and evaluation of faculty, staff, and administrators.

Planning and Leading focuses on how the institution achieves its mission and lives its vision through direction setting, goal development, strategic actions, threat
mitigation, and capitalizing on opportunities.

Knowledge Management and Resource Stewardship addresses management of the fiscal, physical, technological, and information infrastructures designed to
provide an environment in which learning can thrive.

Quality Overview focuses on the Continuous Quality Improvement culture and infrastructure of the institution. This category gives the institution a chance to
reflect on all its quality improvement initiatives, how they are integrated, and how they contribute to improvement of the institution.

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