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Message from the President
This strategic plan will guide the growth and development of West Hills College Coalinga/NDC over the next five years. As the institution aspires to become a premiere interactive learner-centered Community College recognized for its contribution to the educational, social, cultural, and economic vitality of the region and state, our strategic plan will provide focus and direction for our efforts. This plan incorporates information and ideas contributed by many members of our academic community, as well as those who participated in several of the Voices, Values, and Vision Town Hall meetings held within the communities of our service area and on our campuses. In addition, this plan considers internal and external environmental factors that most affect our ability to achieve our mission. Finally, the plan describes five strategic directions (or goals) and the related initiatives and action steps that will move us toward meeting our mission and vision.
As always, the development of our students as individuals is at the heart of our endeavors. In that context, the plan advances ideas for: maintaining our focus on excellence, student success, and on being learner-centered; developing and strengthening College and community interactions and our positive image in our community; improving our facilities, technology, and other learning resources as necessary to meet the educational and cultural needs of our communities; encouraging academic quality, innovation, and creative thought; and enhancing the financial strength of the College by aligning our resources with our mission and goals, continuously improving operational efficiency, and acquiring new revenue sources.
The plan further articulates ways to enhance our reputation as a leader among institutions of higher education and align us ever more closely with our region and our communities.
As we proceed, it is important to be mindful that our strategic plan is a living document that will be reviewed periodically to determine progress toward our goals and the appropriateness of our direction as the institution evolves. The College Consultation Council will assist in guiding that process.
I thank the many participants from our students, faculty, staff, and service area communities for their input into our planning process. We are proud of the rich history of West Hills College Coalinga/NDC and of the role this institution plays in our communities, region and state. With this plan as our guide, we will now go forward to embrace West Hills College Coalinga’s future with renewed confidence and a strengthened sense of purpose.
Sincerely,
Dr. Anthony S. Tricoli, President West Hills College Coalinga
Contents
Members of the Strategic Planning Voices, Values and Vision Listening Panel – Page 2
The Strategic Plan – Purpose – Page 2
The Strategic Plan – Context – Page 3
The Strategic Plan – Voices, Values, and Vision to Action Diagram – Page 4
The Strategic Plan – Core Organizational Values – Page 4
The Strategic Plan –Guiding Principles and Assumptions – Page 5
The Strategic Plan – Activities – Page 5
The Strategic Plan – Findings – Page 6
The Strategic Plan – College Goals and Key Performance Indicators – Page 7
The Strategic Plan – Mission – Page 9
The Strategic Plan – Vision – Page 9
The Strategic Plan – Implementation Process – Page 9
The Strategic Plan – Council Development and Charge – Page 10
The Strategic Plan – Summary – Page 10
The Strategic Plan – Creating and Sustaining the Future of the College Diagram – Page 11
The Strategic Plan – Important Dates – SEE ATTACHMENT
Members of the Strategic Planning and Voices, Values, and Vision Listening Panel
Dr. Michael Burke, Tri-Chair, Faculty
Dr. Beverly Smith, Tri-Chair, Administration
Dr. Anthony S. Tricoli, Tri-Chair, Administration
Ms. Elizabeth Campos, Student
Ms. Emily Ortiz, Student
Mr. Andres Zamudio, Student
Ms. Bertha Felix-Mata, Administration
Mr. Terry Corcoran, Faculty
Ms. Maggie Discont, Faculty
Mr. Marlon Hall, Faculty
Ms. Faye Mendenhall, Faculty
Ms. Marlese Roton, Faculty
Mr. Harold Wiest, Faculty
Mr. Ron Danner, Staff
Mr. Darrell Deling, Staff
Mrs. Estella Fronaberger, Staff
Ms. Andrea Robinson, Staff
Mr. Al Graves, Community Member
Mr. Jerry Oliver, Community Member
Mrs. Dee Reynolds, Community Member
Mr. Gilbert Rosette, Community Member
Strategic planning is the process of developing and maintaining a current relevant relationship between the College and the environment we are here to serve, focusing on values, goals, mission and vision. Strategic planning for our College determines a planned five-year course of action, means for its accomplishment, realistic timelines to reach key performance indicators, and methods to assess its ability to achieve a set of goals.
Strategic planning clearly defines the mission and vision, or purpose of the institution. It establishes relevant goals and planning priorities that are consistent with the values of our constituents. The plan also establishes a time frame for each goal, and ultimately a plan to communicate these goals and objectives to the institution's constituents. It focuses our work on established priorities, and it provides the most effective use of our institution's resources by providing a baseline from which to measure our progress. Lastly, it establishes a mechanism for reasonable and informed change.
West Hills College Coalinga is a member of the 109-campus California Community College system. The majority of students enrolled at West Hills College Coalinga are from the surrounding communities. The current enrollment of approximately 1,600 students includes a diverse mix of traditional, underrepresented, and adult students.
Characterized as a comprehensive community college, West Hills College Coalinga seeks to combine quality education, access, diversity, and service to create an environment that promotes intellectual, personal, and professional growth for students, faculty, and staff. The College offers more than 20 associate of arts degrees and 15 certificates in transfer and occupational education.
West Hills College Coalinga is the flagship institution in the West Hills Community College District and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). This is a regional Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.
Institutional aspirations for West Hills College Coalinga were identified in the Voices, Values and Vision Town Hall meetings which included collaborative participation from students, instructors, administrators, and community constituents. This process resulted in defining the College’s revised organizational and administrative structures, college goals, and mission and vision statements.
While our history of service dates back to 1932, Coalinga Junior College was officially established in 1941 and has since been reaccredited without interruption. An institutional self-study for a spring 2005 accreditation review visit is being coordinated with the preparation of this strategic plan. West Hills College Coalinga’s reaccreditation process focuses on six themes and four standards. The six themes are: institutional commitments; evaluation, planning, and improvement; student learning outcomes; organization; dialogue; and institutional integrity. The four standards include: institutional mission and effectiveness; student learning programs and services; resources; and leadership and governance.
The Voices, Values, and Vision strategic planning process at West Hills College Coalinga infused important data into both the strategic planning process and accreditation self-study. The three-phase strategic planning process includes:
1) Voices, Values, and Vision Town Hall meetings to gather internal and external data through dialogue;
2) Development of the strategic plan to clarify College goals, mission and vision statements; and
3) Evaluation, Review and Updating of the Educational Master Plan.
All three phases of strategic planning have been highly collaborative in nature among and between the leadership of the College students, administration, faculty, and staff, along with valuable input from our community stakeholders.
The College stakeholders analyzed the data and dialogue from the Town Hall meetings. From this review came recommendations for a new administrative organizational structure, and a new campus council structure to address the newly established goals.
The newly established College Councils (Instructional Services Council, Student Services Council, Facilities Development Council, Learning Resources Council) shall refine the key performance indicators and develop timelines in order to monitor the progress of the new strategic planning goals.
The Strategic Plan – Voices, Values, and Vision to Action Diagram
The Strategic Plan - Core Organizational Values
We are a community of learners. The educational needs and expectations of students and community inspire and animate our work. To this end we unite to provide the highest quality learning environment.
We affirm that our values are the unifying fabric and the foundation of our work together to improve the West Hills College Coalinga community. As such, our core organizational values are people, process, excellence, being learner-centered and focused on student success, and innovation and creative thought.
People - (College and Community):
By its nature, the success of our College as an institution based upon successful learning outcomes depends upon the quality of our learners, faculty, support personnel, and administration. Therefore, we value people and commit to providing a learning/working environment that optimizes the potential of those people.
Process - (Collaboration and Collegiality):
West Hills College Coalinga is an organizationally complex Community College. Our uniqueness is drawn from our student population, our location, our clusters of faculty knowledge, our curriculum, and our special programs and services. Therefore, we value a College built upon open communication and dialogue, and shared thoughts in decision making, and we value a culture of collaboration and collegiality between our staff and the communities we serve.
Excellence – (Instruction and Services):
We will strive to attain excellence in all that we do. Excellence can only be achieved through teamwork, partnerships, effective/appropriate communication, and timely/appropriate response. Therefore, we value a process of continuous quality improvement. We understand that “excellence” in an organization has a direct correlation to the success of our students.
Learner–Centered and Student Success:
We are committed to developing and maintaining a College that places the learner at its center. Student achievement and success is primary, thus excellent curriculum and teaching methods are our goal. The satisfaction and success of our graduates will be our institutional measuring stick.
Innovation and Creative Thought:
We encourage a climate of innovation which will keep us on the cutting edge. We encourage creative thought and critical thinking in our College community. We value and will continue to be open to ideas
which support the teaching and learning process and which will enable our students themselves to become critical thinkers.
The Strategic Plan - Guiding Principles and Assumptions
The following guiding principles and planning assumptions were approved by the College Consultation Council. These principles and assumptions will influence the implementation of the strategic plan over the next five years:
Guiding Principles
Guiding Principle 1
Because we value people, process and collaboration, we will develop a plan based upon dialogue with the students, the faculty, the staff, and the community - guiding our thinking and our actions.
Guiding Principle 2
Because “students first” is our motto, we will place a greater value on “learner needs” as opposed to organizational needs.
Guiding Principle 3
Because we believe our values should match those of our College and community constituents, we will align our core values with our College goals.
Guiding Principle 4
Because we believe that our success is the success of our students, our goals shall be measured by the quality of organizational service and student success through regular and systematic evaluation processes.
Guiding Principle 5
Because we believe the students are at the center of our work, we shall continue to strive to become a learner-centered, learning outcomes institution that empowers students to learn.
Assumptions
At West Hills College Coalinga a challenge is an opportunity to show excellence in our work. As such, we assume that we will:
In addition to the mission and vision review process and preparation for WASC reaccreditation, other activities were established to develop the strategic plan. These activities included: 1) a district mapping survey of all College employees' perceptions of the existing and proposed services and functions of the College and district operations; and 2) a series of questions posed to students, faculty, staff, and community constituents.
At Town Hall meetings, the questions asked during faculty and staff conversations were:
The questions asked during student conversations were:
The questions asked during community conversations were:
Town Hall meetings were held in the communities of Coalinga, Avenal, Firebaugh, Mendota, Huron, San Joaquin and Tranquillity. Campus meetings were also held using the Town Hall format on the Coalinga campus and at the North District Attendance Center.
According to our students and staff, the attraction and strengths of the College are: our small size, individualized attention, low cost, safe environment, close proximity to home, strong athletic programs, strength of academic and occupational programs, and our friendly atmosphere.
The areas in which students and staff believed we need to consider improving included: adding campus health services, increasing course offerings, adding campus security, increasing student activities, and increasing the number of available child care opportunities for students.
The community constituents communicated that our strengths lie in our facility improvements, special student services programs, and our athletic endeavors. Meanwhile, they voiced the following needs: increased communication with the community at-large, improving the image of the College, increasing partnerships with the K-12 institutions, and increasing the use of research and data in our decision-making.
In total, approximately 120 community stakeholders and 80 student, faculty, and staff stakeholders participated in these sessions. The response to questions, while varied, carried the same overall tone.
The Voices, Values and Vision Town Hall meetings—provided an inventory of significant items to be addressed in strategic planning and in the creation of strategic directions and initiatives.
Patterns in responses to questions revealed the following:
The Strategic Plan - College Goals and Key Performance Indicators
Determining future College goals is the heartbeat of the strategic planning process. Through College goals, we commit West Hills College Coalinga to a five-year course of action. This plan will offer opportunities as well as challenges as we strive to fulfill our mission and, ultimately, realize our vision.
College goals, while necessary, are not alone sufficient. We also must develop an effective organization and structure, effective programs, projects, and plans—initiatives—that bring action to the goals and ultimately create value for West Hills College Coalinga’s students, faculty, staff, and community stakeholders.
It is through College goals that we will implement our strategic plan. The implementation process will be both the vehicle that moves us toward our vision, and the indicator of our progress and successes. The implementation activity will be a learning process; this will lead to more effective strategies, better approaches, new directions, and meaningful activism in our efforts to provide for optimum student learning outcomes.
Key performance indicators will be carried out through the collaborative efforts of students, faculty, and staff. Through their work on the various campus councils our students, administrators, faculty, and professional support staff will assume leadership responsibility for each key performance indicator.
To commit college-wide staff and resources to the student learning process. To provide educational, cultural, and economic development opportunities to our current and future students and the local and global communities that we serve.
West Hills College Coalinga strives to become a premiere interactive learner-centered community college recognized for its contribution to the educational, social, cultural, and economic vitality of the region and the state.
The Strategic Plan – Implementation Process
Utilizing research, dialogue, debate, and revision, each strategic goal and key performance indicator will be accomplished through action steps identified on a timeline. This implementation process will be both the vehicle that moves us toward our vision and the indicator of our progress and success.
The key performance indicators of our goals will be achieved through the collaborative efforts of students, faculty, staff, and administrators. Leadership responsibility for each goal shall be assumed by College administrators and co-chairs through the work of our campus councils.
As the key performance indicators are refined by the responsible campus council, regular reports shall be made to the College Consultation Council, and timelines for completion shall be monitored.
The Strategic Plan – Council Development and Charge
The original College Council and Deans’ Council reviewed the findings of the Voices, Values, and Vision Town Hall meetings and recommended the development of an ad-hoc committee, Planning, Budget and Accreditation (PBA). An important outcome of the discussion of the PBA committee was the recommendation and ultimate development of a new collaborative committee structure for the campus.
The College Consultation Council was designed to function as the highest collaborative council on the College, to review recommendations made by other College councils and/or committees, and to make recommendations to the College President.
The President’s Council was designed to function as a collaborative executive council to share, discuss, review, and make recommendations regarding campus and district-wide agendas and issues.
The Instructional Services Council was designed to develop, implement, monitor, review, evaluate, and revise College instructional activities in accordance with the College mission, vision and strategic plan.
The Student Services Council was designed to function as a deliberative and recommending group for student support services. It addresses the identified needs of students and enhances a supportive learning environment through access, progress, learning and success in accordance with the College mission, vision and strategic plan.
The Facilities Development Council was designed to function as the coordinating unit for all facilities development, facilities maintenance and safety issues in accordance with the College mission, vision and strategic plan.
The Learning Resources Council was designed to provide ongoing and systematic evaluation of Library/Learning Resources as well as classroom media services. Assuring that Learning Resources planning and evaluation are in accordance and consistent with the College mission and vision.
Each Council Chairperson is to serve as a member of the College Consultation Council in order to assure clear and inclusive information-sharing across all programs and segments of the campus.
Each Council accepts responsibility for one of the five strategic planning goals, which includes the refinement of the key performance indicators, and a timeline to achieve the planning priorities of the goal.
Building Upon Our Heritage
West Hills College Coalinga’s strategic planning process has been designed to craft a strategic agenda that clarifies the values of our students, college staff, and community consitituents in order that we may identify college-wide goals and key performance indicators to meet the refined vision and mission statements over the 2004-2009 time period.
The College Consultaion Council manages the process and will draft the final agenda to be endorsed by the Board of Trustees in July of 2004. The College Consultation Council is broadly represented including three students, seven faculty, three administrators, four staff, and four community members. Representation on the College Consultation Council is drawn from both the flagship campus in Coalinga and the North District Center in Firebaugh.
The strategic planning agenda was completed during the spring semester of 2004. The new College councils shall review our strategic planning goals and key performance indicators regularly and shall submit updates to the College Consulation Council on established intervals during the next five years. These reports may contain recommendations that form an important component of the future direction of the institution as guided by the deliberation of the College Consultation Council. The Councils are broadly represented being composed of approximately 80 students, faculty, administrators and staff. The strategic agenda has been developed and shall be reviewed as necessary with due consideration given to feedback received from an inclusive and collaborative process of communication with the various College constituencies.
Since 1932, West Hills College Coalinga, a small College on the westside of California’s Central Valley, has always pulled together to provide educational opportunities to our constituent population. This strategic planning agenda builds upon our great heritage and ethic of hard work.
We shall continue to work hard to assure collaboration and teamwork; we shall continue holding open forum meetings to discuss our work toward meeting our mission and vision through goal attainment; and we shall continue an open dialogue between students, faculty, staff, and community members to continue to provide educational opportunities to future generations.
Full copies of the strategic plan and updates can be accessed on our website at www.westhillscollege.com/coalinga. Full copies of this report and related council minutes are on reserve in the libraries on the main campus in Coalinga as well as in the library at the North District Center in Firebaugh. These reports will reveal the links, parallels, and differences between our daily and long-term achievements, the ties between our collaborative and inclusive council structures, and our strategic planning agenda for 2004-2009.
The Strategic Plan – Creating and Sustaining the Future of the College Diagram
The Strategic Plan – Important Dates