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Ivy Tech Community College has undertaken an extensive update of its 2010 Strategic Plan to support both the 2009 re-accreditation visit by the Higher Learning Commission and the 2009 launch of efforts to create a 2015 Strategic Plan. This update is being orchestrated by a Strategic Planning Council with the support of teams of educators and administrators addressing College-wide strategies and the integration of existing functional and regional plans.
This new Plan builds on the strategies expressed in the 2003 “A Strategic Vision: Building the Community College for Indiana” to meet current Higher Learning Commission criteria for accreditation and legislative mandates expanding the role of the College. To better meet the needs of the College’s key stakeholders, there are now seven Strategies addressing educational attainment, workforce development, student services, lifelong learning, community service, the continuing transformation of Ivy Tech into a comprehensive community college system, and institutional capacity. These seven Strategies are informed by statements of direction specifying Ivy Tech’s core purpose, mission, vision, value propositions (to students, employers, and communities), and core values. This interim report includes these statements of direction, presents the essence of each of the seven Strategies and discusses the work remaining to complete the update.
The statements of direction define why the College exists, who it serves and in what ways, what the College aspires to become and the beliefs and norms that must underlie everyday decision-making and behavior.
These three statements are amplified by…
• Value propositions to students, employers, and communities regarding the benefits Ivy Tech Community College provides to them (better jobs and personal enrichment, on-demand availability of skilled workers, and higher quality of life), and
• Core values specifying desired behavioral norms (student, faculty, diversity, integrity, community engagement, innovation and excellence).
The seven Strategies (along with their respective Objectives) then delineate the work required to achieve these statements of direction.
Strategy 1: Increase the Educational Attainment of Indiana’s Residents
Strategy 1 is a core element of Ivy Tech’s mission as Indiana’s statewide community college system: providing more educational opportunities and new learning experiences to more of the state’s residents to help them develop personally and professionally satisfying careers. Objectives address needs to increase enrollments and graduation rates, expanding program inventories, developing relationships with high schools, and leveraging technology to increase access and control costs.
Strategy 2: Provide Workforce Education and Economic Development for Indiana’s Communities
Strategy 2 is the second core element of Ivy Tech’s mission as a state-wide community college system: helping Indiana’s businesses (small, medium, and large) improve the quality and competitiveness of their workforces and stimulating economic development throughout the state. Objectives address expanding and focusing workforce and economic development activities, fully supporting Indiana’s economic development goals and strategies, and improving processes and marketing to make these activities cost-effective for the College.
Strategy 3: Provide Support Systems and Development Opportunities that Assure Student Success
Strategy 3 addresses the student-focused systems, policies, and procedures supporting recruitment, retention, and completion and ensuring that Ivy Tech’s graduates are fully productive and contributing members of society. Objectives specify what must be done to generate significant College-wide improvements in the availability and quality of student affairs to help them learn social responsibility and leadership skills, graduate, and become contributing members of their communities.
Strategy 4: Serve as Indiana’s Provider of Choice for Personal and Professional Enrichment
Strategy 4 emphasizes the valuable contribution Ivy Tech Community College makes to residents and communities across Indiana by providing affordable continuing education opportunities. Objectives for this strategy are focused on strengthening the College’s capability and capacity to serve as centers for life-long learning.
Strategy 5: Support Community Development through Civic Engagement and Community Service
Strategy 5 focuses on Ivy Tech’s role in improving quality of life in Indiana and its communities by promoting volunteerism, integrating service learning into the curriculum, and using College resources and facilities in support of local communities. The Objectives for Strategy 5 involve developing a College-wide civic engagement and community service plan to be implemented across the regions.
Strategy 6: Complete the Transformation of Ivy Tech to a Nationally Recognized Comprehensive Community College System
Strategy 6 addresses the journey to becoming a leading comprehensive community college by expanding academic programs, internships, preparing faculty and staff for success in a comprehensive community college, and more effectively sharing our story.
Strategy 7: Build Institutional Capacity to Support Our Mission
Strategy 7 provides the foundation for achieving Ivy Tech's mission by actively pursuing additional sources of funding, increasing the number of full-time faculty, implementing common information systems, and leveraging best practices on a College-wide scale.
