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CBT Case Studies

Five Examples

Every community college that undertakes a strategic plan has similar - and different - reasons and goals when undertaking the process. All want to make their college a better learning environment for students and their organization more effective. But each has a slightly different need or emphasis. Here are five recent examples of strategic plans the College Brain Trust has helped developed for five different community colleges and community college districts.

1. State Center Community College District

The State Center Community College District includes two colleges, Fresno City and Reedley, and a third center that is planning to seek accreditation status in the near future. The district recently engaged the College Brain Trust to update the district’s 2008 – 2011 Strategic Plan. The CBT team took a three phase approach:

Phase 1 Discovery and Plan-to-Plan

Meet with Chancellor and staff to:

• Review scope of work, including timelines and elements of Strategic Plan to be updated (vision, mission, values, community values, trends, and/or goals and objectives).
• Identify membership and role of district-wide Planning Workgroup.
• Identify deliverables and strategies for scope of services: update, reaffirm and enhance current Strategic Plan.
• Develop supporting strategic planning processes, including identification of responsibilities for strategic plan implementation and assessment/measurement methods for goals and objectives, and identify and develop timelines and strategies for integrating planning between the District and the campuses.
• Align district/campus planning by establishing a grid/template for responsibilities, timelines and progress.

The consultants then established a process for updating the Strategic Plan and developing supporting structures that includes consultation with key district/campus stakeholders (people who will be responsible for planning and those responsible for implementing the Strategic Plan).

• Set meeting schedule with Chancellor and Workgroup for Phases 1 through 5.
• Determine institutional and environmental data needed for Strategic Plan update.
• Determine communication and roll out strategies (with Chancellor input) for updating Strategic Plan and overall Strategic Plan supporting processes.
• Develop feedback loop for dissemination of drafts to the broader college/district community.
• CBT consultants will review current Strategic Plan and other pertinent documents, including campus EMPs/SPs, current planning documents and processes, and data used for Strategic Plan.

Phase 2 Develop SP Update and SP Processes/Responsibilities/Assessment

Determine institutional and environmental data needed for Strategic Plan update and facilitate on-site data collection and reporting of updated data.

• Meet with campus/district leadership to share Strategic Plan update process and to gather feedback.
• Conduct group meeting(s) with internal stakeholders and external stakeholders, as determined in Phase 1, to review and update Strategic Plan (i.e. planning groups, cabinet, campus and district leadership).
• With Workgroup, facilitate the development of processes and measures for assessment of strategic plan goals and objectives (including development of grid/template linking Strategic Plan Goals and Objectives to campus Educational Master Plans).
• Develop processes for continuous Strategic Plan reviews. (Reviews will be linked to Strategic Plan goals, objectives and personnel responsible for implementation.)
• Develop and implement District Office planning and review processes. (District Office Planning and Review Processes will focus on the implementation of the Strategic Plan.)
• Meet with District Planning Workgroup and Chancellor to review progress and get feedback.

Phase 3 Prepare Draft #1

Develop and review Draft #1 and forward to Chancellor and Planning Workgroup. Make necessary changes/edits with Chancellor and Planning Workgroup.

Phase 4 Prepare Draft #2

Develop and review Draft #2 and send to Chancellor and Planning Workgroup for distribution and feedback. Review feedback and incorporate appropriate changes.

Phase 5 Prepare Final Draft

Complete final editing/incorporate feedback as appropriate for final draft of updated Strategic Plan and supporting structures.

College Brain Trust consulting team:
Dr. Frances (Fran) White, former president/superintendent of College of Marin
Julie Slark, former educational services associate vice chancellor at Rancho Santiago CCD
Dona Boatright, former chief instructional officer at College of Marin

2. Rancho Santiago Community College District

The CBT consultants worked with Rancho Santiago CCD, a multi-college district, to prepare and facilitate a one-half day workshop to develop strategic directions for the district, which would in turn form the framework for their strategic plan. The strategic directions would be developed as a logical evolution of existing planning documents (educational master plans, facility plans, technology plans), trustee goals and current higher education issues (e.g. “A Report of the Commission on the Future”).

The CBT Consultants reviewed all relevant district documents. In addition, each consultant conducted two full days of individual stakeholder interviews (as determined by the district chancellor) for a total of approximately 35 half-hour interviews.

The workshop was help April 1, 2011 and the stakeholder interviews occurred in the second half of March, 2011.

The consultants will prepare summary documents for the stakeholder interviews and the workshop.

College Brain Trust consulting team:
Rocky Young, former Los Angeles CCD chancellor and Pierce College president
Eva Conrad, former Moorpark College president

3. Cuesta College

Cuesta College expressed an interest in partnering with a consulting firm to develop a new strategic plan. The strategic plan was developed in cooperation with both the internal and external stakeholders of the district. When completed, it helped prompt institutional action leading to improvement in the services and programs designed to meet the needs of a diverse student population.

The specific goal of the strategic planning process was to identify the resources, facilities and actions necessary to meet the short and long-term goals of the district as determined by the comprehensive planning process. The strategic plan addressed how the district can utilize the mission and vision to implement planned improvements resulting in better quality services to students and the constituents of San Luis Obispo Community College District, its governing agency.

Working on campus and throughout the district across institutional lines with all district and campus groups as well as the larger service area, the College Brain Trust consultants worked to promote understanding and support among all college constituencies of the importance and value of a strategic plan, both in relation to accreditation and to the future success of Cuesta College.

The Cuesta College Strategic Plan

The strategic plan is guided by the college’s mission, vision, and educational master plan. It places the goals and values of those documents in the context of the district’s relationship to its community, its students’ needs, and its human and fiscal resources. The plan proposes a series of concrete strategic goals buttressed by specific actions and activities within a set of timeframes.

Elements of the Cuesta College Strategic Plan

1. Introduction – an executive summary, purpose and acknowledgements.
2. Foundations for the Strategic Plan — college history, philosophy, core values, mission, functions, goals, objectives, institutional learning outcomes and organizational structure. The foundational planning statement reflects and honors what is unique about Cuesta College and is collaboratively determined.
3. An Environmental Scan – analyses of key external variables impacting the college such as service area population demographics and projections, economic climate, and workforce needs.
4. A SWOT analysis – A look at what is going on inside the college by identifying the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, including enrollment trend analysis, student demographics and projections, and participation rates.
5. Incorporate the recently approved Mission, Vision and Values statements.
6. Development of three-year goals - based upon the Environmental Scan and SWOT analysis and reflective of the values and goals embodied in the major institutional documents.
7. Development of accountability measurements - how the goals are going to be reached (strategies, objectives, responsibilities and timelines).
8. Recommendations and strategic directions for the future.

College Brain Trust consulting team:
Dr. Richard Giese – former president of Mt. San Jacinto College.
Ed Buckley - former vice president of academic affairs at Santa Rosa Junior College.
Carolyn Russell - former English professor and division dean at Rio Hondo College.

4. South Orange County Community College District

The College Brain Trust consultant team developed a District Strategic Plan for South Orange County Community College District. The Strategic Plan was written to meet all the requirements of the district, its colleges and the accreditation commission standards. The District Strategic Plan:

• Used existing plans as the starting point, in particular the colleges’ Strategic and Master Plans.
• Provided strategic directions at the district.
• Reflected the full participation of the district’s administrative and shared governance leadership.
• Was strategically designed so it can be easily integrated into existing institutional effectiveness processes and structures and accreditation standards.

Work Plan and Schedule

Phase 1 Discovery, review of documents and preparation March - April

To initiate the development of the Strategic Plan the Project Leader, Dr. Shirley Kelly, and the Strategic Advisor, Darroch (Rocky) Young, met via conference call with the Chancellor to:

• Discuss and articulate the philosophy of the District as it relates to the Strategic Plan.
• Review and approve the draft Strategic Plan process and timeline.
• Identify District stakeholders to be included in the development of the Strategic Plan and the leadership meeting with the consultant team.
• Identify critical documents available for developing the Strategic Plan.
• Set date for day-long meeting of stakeholders with the consultant team.

Phase 1 Outcomes:

• The Strategic Plan process and timeline will be finalized and approved.
• Consultants will complete review of critical documents, including Strategic Plans of the two colleges in the district.
• A district-wide meeting of stakeholders with the consultant team will be planned and scheduled.

Phase 2 Conduct District Stakeholder Meeting

• College Brain Trust consultant team will conduct a day-long meeting of district administrative and shared governance leadership.
• Group will affirm the district’s Strategic Plan goals and direction and develop a draft Strategic Plan table of contents.

Phase 3 Prepare Draft Strategic Plan

• Consultants will prepare Draft Strategic Plan.
• Distribute Draft to Chancellor and appropriate district leadership and stakeholders for review and comment.
• Consult via conference call with Chancellor on final draft.

Phase 4 Prepare and distribute Strategic Plan

• Final Strategic Plan will be written after review of comments and suggestions from the Chancellor and district staff.
• The Final Strategic Plan will be distributed to the Chancellor via email and hard copy

Consultant team:
Shirley Kelly – Former president of College of San Mateo.
Rocky Young – Former chancellor of the Los Angeles CCD and president of Pierce College.
Julie Hatoff - Former vice president of instruction at MiraCosta College.

5. Community College of the District of Columbia

The CBT team was hired after a national RFP was distributed by the Community College of the District of Columbia, a division of the University of the District of Columbia. The College Brain Trust subsequently developed the “Strategic Plan 2010-2015” for the Community College of the District of Columbia to help CCDC become an accredited, independent community college of distinction offering “open, accessible services to students at whatever level, who enter through whatever site.” The Strategic Plan is intended to provide the foundation for all other institutional planning, including planning related to educational programs and support services, governance and leadership, financial resources, staffing, information technology, facilities, and marketing communications.

The Strategic Plan draws conclusions from the data that present challenges and opportunities for CCDC related to overall capacity: infrastructure, governance, policies and procedures, academic programs, support services, workforce training, information technology, resource allocation, and development. The Strategic Plan also offers Best Practices and Recommendations to guide the college in its future institutional decision-making.

The Strategic Plan concludes with six strategic goals in a table identifying objectives for each of the six goals. Each objective is presented with a measurable timeline and responsible party for completing or ensuring the completion of the objective. As CCDC is working to attain accreditation candidacy, at the same time it is implementing principles of student completion and success in accordance with Achieving the Dream (ATD). The new Strategic Plan aligns both the accreditation standards and ATD principles with the strategic goals and objectives of the college. Ultimately, the Strategic Plan, and thus CCDC’s development as a community college, will help CCDC expand the “circle of prosperity” in the District of Columbia.

CBT Team
Frances L. White, former president of College of Marin.
Eva Conrad, former president of Moorpark College.
Julie Slark, former educational services associate vice chancellor at Rancho Santiago CCD.
Julie Hatoff, former vice president of instruction at MiraCosta College.
Larry Serot, former vice president, business at Glendale College.
Karen Trimble, vice president, information technology, Yuba College.