Strategic planning is the process in which organizations develop goals and objectives that drive actions for the purpose of fulfilling their institutional mission. This paper addresses how strategic planning can be utilized at community colleges. A review of relevant literature is also included. A qualitative case study research methodology was…

Institutions of higher education are expected by accrediting agencies to perform systematic monitoring of student learning and evaluate the effectiveness of programs of study and institutional operations to identify what needs improvement and then enact planned change to improve the institution; however, many struggle to make this connection. This…

With an emphasis on planning and cutting costs to make better use of resources, facilities managers at community colleges across the nation have undertaken facilities audits usually with the help of outside engineers. Such assessments analyze the history and structural integrity of buildings and core components on campus, including heating…

Public organizations charged with coordinating higher education institutions face a complex set of tasks. Whether coordinating institutions within one sector or across sectors, such organizations play vital roles in promoting a state's capacity for policy leadership to meet the growing need for an educated citizenry. National experts have…

For colleges seeking to improve student outcomes, new technologies often appear to hold the promise of transformative change. Across the country, colleges are using technological tools to enhance reform efforts related to how they teach, how they provide supports to students, and how they guide students through programs of study. In order for…

This resource guide and the appendices are intended to help boards of trustees design a self-evaluation process that meets specific board needs and cultures. The information should help boards determine the approach they will use, which criteria will provide the best information for the board, who will be asked to evaluate the board, and how the…

This report presents the findings and conclusions of the Commission's review of proposals for new campuses brought by four community college districts in Orange County, California. Unlike the usual procedure, these proposals were considered together to allow the Commission to assume its larger role of commenting on major issues in postsecondary…

The model for long-range planning described in this report was instituted at Western Piedmont Community College (WPCC) in 1982. Introductory material outlines the elements of WPCC's planning process, i.e., the clarification of issues, the establishment of priorities, the achievement of consensus on courses of action, and the allocation of…

Work to develop and test new statewide planning and evaluation procedures for the California community colleges is described in this paper, which provides background information, outlines the proposed comprehensive planning process, and discusses the use of statewide priorities. A background section describes current planning and evaluation…

One of a series of papers resulting from a Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) project to improve evaluation and planning in community colleges, this working paper presents a plan of purposes and activities to experimentally test a model of delineation of responsibilities among accrediting commissions, state agencies, and…

Santa Fe Community College (Florida) published this guide as a means of addressing the 1983 and 1984 U.S. Department of Education reports that called for a "renaissance in higher education in America." This manual aims to define institutional effectiveness for the college, with the quality of student learning as the major focus. It also…

With the national spotlight on community colleges, Wyoming is poised to become a leader through its efforts to align the programs of its seven community colleges with defined state interests. As local economies become more globally focused and knowledge-based, community colleges are a critical way for learners to gain access to postsecondary…

Proposes a Florida community college's integrated planning approach comprised of three key elements: strategic planning, operational planning, and effectiveness measures. This model, which uses the institutional mission statement as the initiating point, is an efficient and meaningful way to relate an institution's purpose, goals, and outcome…

This unit planning workbook is designed to serve as an implementation guide for managing the strategic planning initiatives articulated in the 1999-2003 Strategic Plan. Salem Community College's strategic plan aims towards allowing the college to enter the 21st Century as an active agent in the advancement of the Salem County community. This…

Case studies that describe the attempts of three colleges to improve institutional academic and program planning are presented. The institutions--Willamette University, Lorain County (Ohio) Community College (LCCC), and Ohio University--attempted to adapt and implement the planning process described in "A Handbook for Institutional Academic…