CBT: The College Brain Trust

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CBT Case Studies

The South Orange County Community College

Strategic Plan
The South Orange County Community College District contracted with the College Brain Trust for assistance in addressing WASC’s recommendation that the institution develop and implement a strategic plan inclusive of the Colleges’ planning, one which would drive the allocation of District resources for Saddleback and Irvine Valley Colleges, the Advanced Technology Education Park, and District Services.

Document Review: The CBT consultants reviewed the District mission, vision and core values, College planning documents including the educational master plans and strategic plans; demographic projections; Accreditation standards/recommendations; plus external resources such as the Report of the Commission on the Future.

Interviews: Interviews: CBT consultants conducted on-campus one-on-one meetings throughout the District with individual stakeholders identified by leaders of governance groups. From the input of faculty, staff, and administrators, they ascertained themes which helped inform proposed strategic directions for the District.

Retreats: CBT consultants facilitated two retreats in the summer. At the first, they presented the expectations of the Commission as well as the components of strategic planning and evaluation. They interacted with participants around the definitions of the word District and the descriptions of District Services. Using the interview themes as a springboard for discussion, they developed draft consensus about District-wide goals. They also provided feedback on objectives and action steps.

At the second retreat, participants returned to review a grid provided by the consultants. It clearly showed what consensus they had reached and allowed participants to edit for improvement in organization and feasibility of goals, objectives, and action plans. In small groups, participants identified responsible parties, budgets, performance indicators, and timelines. The consultants advised them about writing SMART objectives so that progress could be readily assessed, chronicled and reported in a calendared planning cycle.

Outcomes: The consultants gave the Chancellor and his team what they had sought. They broadened and deepened staff knowledge about planning. They also left behind a template for the District-wide Strategic Plan as well as a timeline for finalizing the planning materials in time to meet the October 15 accreditation deadline.

Click on CBT Accolades to read Chancellor Gary Poertner’s comments about CBT and its consultants.