Guided by clear planning principles, and under the custodial care of a governance council, the model strategic planning process at Carroll Community College is evidence-driven, connected to budget decisions, and continuously refreshed.

Developed for planners at Prince George's Community College (PGCC), this report presents information to be used in the college's new planning process for fiscal years 1987 through 1991. The first section presents an analysis of the college's current situation, including information concerning PGCC's market share; enrollment trends; and student…

Environmental scanning (ES) is a formal process of assessing trends and forecasting events which can influence an institution so that the potential challenges and opportunities can be effectively anticipated during strategic planning activities. The goal of ES is the implementation of proactive, anticipatory policies that will be robust under a…

A guide to environmental scanning looks at its rationale and relationship to strategic planning, and outlines three administrative approaches: establishment of a committee, sponsoring a scanning conference or event, and assigning the task to the institutional research or planning office. (MSE)

This document is a reference tool for the Maryland Community Colleges Technology Council (MCCTC). It contains a summary of MCCTC's creation and reviews its general initiatives to form a statewide technology affinity group, administer a technology needs assessment survey, and develop a statewide community college technology plan and funding…

An effective environmental scan will improve the quality of community college planning and decision making by alerting institutional leaders to the challenges and opportunities in the environment. Scanning can be done in three ways: (1) establishing a scanning committee to gather and synthesize information to guide planning; (2) sponsoring a…

During the first crisis of the early 1990s, higher education institutions in Maryland experienced a decline in public funding and were consequently forced to compete for scarce resources. By 1992, higher education appropriations as a percentage of the state general fund had fallen to 11.1%; a decrease of 2.4% in just 2 years. Some improvement had…

This report summarizes findings of focus groups of recent high school graduates conducted during new student orientation at Carroll Community College (CCC) in fall 1999. Students were invited to participate in focus groups at the conclusion of the all-day orientation. Three focus groups were held, two with six participants and one with five…

Environmental scanning, enrollment forecasting, budget analyses, and institutional effectiveness assessment are examples of the explicit contributions institutional research offices make to campus strategic planning.

An overview is provided of the responses made by Maryland's community colleges to growing concerns for accountability and the measurement of educational outcomes. First, the paper reviews the legislative initiatives and agency actions that characterized the state's movement toward a formalized, state-coordinated institutional assessment procedure.…

Each year, Prince George's Community College (PGCC), in Maryland, prepares a market analysis report to assist the college's enrollment management team in planning recruitment and promotional campaigns aimed at increasing credit student enrollment. This report provides the analysis as of fiscal year 1995 and includes historical data from past years…

In an effort to cross boundaries and make connections between theory, research, and academic planning, Prince George's Community College in Maryland (PGCC) and the University of Maryland University College's Institute for Research on Adults in Higher Education (IRAHE) developed a partnership using national and institutional research to link theory…

Enrollment management includes the processes and activities that influence the size, shape, and characteristics of a student body by directing institutional efforts in marketing, recruitment, admissions, pricing, and financial aid. Institutional research plays an essential, if not the key, role in enrollment management. This report discusses the…

Employment data and projections for various industries and occupations are provided for Washington, D.C., and Prince George's County (MD), as they were presented at a two-session workshop conducted to help participants assess their career opportunities in the job market of the 1980's. The workshop agenda is followed by copies of the informational…

Focusing on the changing roles of institutional researchers (IRs) due to the widespread distribution of computer technology, this monograph explores the effective application of IR skills to maximize the impact of research on campus policy making. The discussion is centered around three major principles guiding institutional research: know the…