Strategic Plan for the System – Essay

The System's Mission and Vision Every educational institution should have a mission, which is its specific purpose for existing. The mission of the institution must be stated in the school's catalog and in other publications readily available to the public. The mission must be completely, clearly, and simply stated In terms readily understandable by a prospective student, parents, the public, and other educational Institutions. The mission should be devoted substantially to career-related education and should be reasonable for the program of instruction and facilities of the institution.Each institution should be capable of demonstrating its educational effectiveness through assessment and documentation of student outcomes. This assessment must include evidence that the institution's annual retention and placement rates are in keeping with its mission. The Institution's mission statement should be consistent with educational and employment outcomes of Its students (Argosy. 201 2; Gut hrie & Ackermann. 2009). The corporate staff of the System originally developed the mission for all of the institutions within the System.Over the years the mission has been changed and updated to reflect the operations and culture of the schools. All employees and students have opportunities to express ideas and suggestions for the mission, so it comes a reflection of the way the employees and students, think and feel about the operations of the school. The villas of the System Is quite simple In that It Is: we care about the students, we care about the employees, and we care about the employers who hire the Students.Through this the mission is stated as: The System will demonstrate the we care vision by preparing career-focused, community-minded graduates for the global workforce through applied education. Strategic Planning Through this strategic planning process, the System strives to show that it cares about: student success, employment success, investment success, customer rev ive, communication, compliance, and community engagement. Student success shows that the System is committed to attracting students and delivering relevant, quality educational experiences that engage students and lead them to graduation and career success.Employment success shows that the System is dedicated to creating and maintaining a dynamic environment where performance Is recognized From a business perspective, the System cares and is concerned with investment success and providing a quality education that leads to a strong return on investment while exceeding the expectations of students, employers, employees, ND the surrounding community. This can only be done through engaging in and the management of effective communication and a culture of compliance.Once those items are in place, educational communities can be developed, so that all stakeholders feel as if they have a say and vested interest in the System as a whole. Key Decision Makers There are several key decision mak ers in the system. The founder of the System is the sole member of the Board of Directors that governs each campus. The founder also oversees a management group that manages the day-to-day operations of each campus as well as corporate support operations.The management team consists of the following positions: Campus Directors, six Regional Directors, and corporate directors as follows: Director of Marketing; Director of Research and Development; Director of Human Resources; Director of Government and Community Relations; Director of Information Technology; Director of Operations; Real Estate Development Manager; Chief Financial Officer; Chief Operating Officer, Provost and Vice President of Network Operations. Without the approval of all of the key decision makers, the accreditation process may be hindered and cannot move forward.Available Resources As the System moves towards accreditation, it must keep in mind the basic available resources and how those play a role within the sys tem. Those available resources include: faculty, financial resources, personnel, library information services, information technology, and space allocation and physical location maintenance. Before accreditation can be sought, these items must be examined to determine if they are adequate enough to support and sustain campus accreditation.The faculty within the System is the most important component of operation. It is through casualty in which the System meets the objectives of the mission statement. It is also through faculty, that students are successful. The quality of curricula and delivery is primarily the main focus of faculty. Aside from classroom responsibilities, they are involved in curricular planning and development, book selection, hardware and software selection, and student advising. It is also largely through the faculty that the expectations of students are met.The financial resources of The System are allocated adequately to maintain a high standard of maintenance and support revise, and to allow the school to competitively seek and acquire qualified faculty and staff. Through this, educational needs of students are met while providing excellent customer service. Customer service is one of the reasons students choose to attend college in the System. The System strives to hire high-caliber faculty and support them with experienced management and administrative personnel.The System also seeks to support faculty and staff by having adequate resources for them to do their Jobs, compensating them adequately for their service, and providing them with professional development opportunities in their fields. The goal of library information services is to provide students with the resources, support, and learning environment necessary to successfully complete the courses in knowledge and skills required for their careers. In addition to this, library support services maintains a website so that students are able to access library resources remotely in order allow information to enhance their educational experience.The corporate information technology group plays an integral role in ensuring all computer equipment, hardware and software, as well as on-line connectivity, meets today's demanding technical needs. There is a corporate director of technology who ultimately oversees the purchase of technical equipment and assists the campus with its technical needs. There are also individuals who are hired to work at the information technology helpless which further aids in the support of student and faculty in regards to troubleshooting and general system maintenance.In regards to allocation of space and facilities maintenance, the institution's present locations are large enough to handle both the current student population, as well as allowing for growth. The System employs a contracted facilities person during the day to keep lacrosse and facilities clean and in good condition, as well as an evening facilities employee who prepares the building for daily use. All of the resources above contribute to a comfortable and positive environment where students actively participate in their educational process. All of the above helps the System to fulfill the mission and responsibility to students.Data Availability Data is currently collected from several sources including the campus accountability report, student surveys, graduate surveys, employer surveys, and program advisory committee meeting minutes, annual assessment done by program rear for program effectiveness, course evaluations, and national examinations specific to career areas as applicable. The data is collected and analyzed on a quarterly and/or annual basis, subject to the various assessment tools. The Campus Effectiveness Plan (CAPE) spreadsheet identifies at a glance the data collection schedule.Annually the management team (campus and corporate directors) meets and incorporates the data results and analysis in the overall strategic planning process. The System President reviews the information with the management team during regularly scheduled quarterly planning meetings and in an annual strategic landing session. Together, all involved use the data to recommend changes in the programs, their respective facilities, personnel, and the overall operations of the school to provide the best possible education for students and to ensure achievement of the main objective of placing students in their chosen career fields.The System plans to improve effectiveness by assessing and analyzing the identified data (student surveys, program advisory committee meetings, retention rates, placement rates, employer surveys, graduate surveys, extrinsic site evaluations, student suggestions, and administrative meetings within and among campuses) and determine strengths and continue to build upon them, as well identify areas that need improvement and refinement.This data is evaluated on several levels by the following departments: administration, education, and financial aid/student accounts, as well as each programmatic area, student services, and career services. Each department identifies developmental areas and outcomes, and responses to the outcomes will be integrated and/or administered either departmentally and/or campus wide. Communication is also very critical component of self-assessment and student and employer suggestions and respond accordingly.The campus director discusses the results of the outcomes quarterly with the campus management team, and business review information is discussed monthly. The campus responds to all outcomes that show positive or negative trends. Each program chair reviews the outcome measurements that correspond to specific program plans. The results of these assessments are discussed at program meetings quarterly and program advisory committee meetings, typically annually.The faculty teaching in the program and the advisory committee members contribute ideas for curricular or programmat ic enhancements and changes that relate to aerogram improvement. The campus directors regularly evaluate the plan and share the plan with their campus management team, and with the corporate management team, which includes directors from other campuses and corporate positions. Below is a more specific timeline for the current year in regards to the accreditation process. Key Stakeholders As previously mentioned, the key stakeholders are the students, the faculty, the campus personnel, and the community at large.In respect to accreditation process, data collection takes these key stakeholders in mind, from the surveys administered o how the surveys are administered. Anyone who is considered a key stakeholder is encouraged to participate with respect to how their comments and participation influences decisions made within the System, and ultimately whether or not the accrediting body will grant accreditation or not. Due to this, it is important that the key decision makers provide a p ositive and inviting environment from the beginning so that key stakeholders are willing to participate and give feedback accordingly.Timeline The timeline for obtaining accreditation will be as follows: Spring 2012 Semester will immense the compilation of data from various data sources as previously mentioned to complete the self study process as defined by the accrediting body. During this time, all stakeholders will meet to review and discuss key components of the self-study in an effort to have it completed in a timely manner. Once this has been done, the self-study will be submitted to legal counsel, the Board of Directors, the President, and the Provost for further review.Summer 2012 Semester, the self- study will be submitted to the accrediting body for the application process. The crediting body will have the completed application and self-study for review approximately two months in which the System will continue to compile data and also make any necessary corrections as in dicated. The time frame for providing information is indicated by the accrediting body and should be no longer than three months from when the required information and necessary corrections have been noted and requested in writing.This will then take the process into the Fall 2012 Semester where at that time; the final application will be reviewed by all stakeholders and submitted. From the time of the final application submission to the actual approval or denial of accreditation shall be no more than six months time which will then take the strategic plan time frame into the Winter 2013 Semester. To conclude, from initial data collection and self-study process, the process shall take no less than a year and makers will need to re-evaluate the effectiveness of the strategic plan and make adjustments as needed.At the conclusion of the accreditation application process, the key decision maker will have a final review meeting to go over a SOOT analysis so s to improve the process when the System seeks accreditation elsewhere. Conclusion In order for a strategic plan to be effective, the input of all the key players, data analysis and collection, evaluation, and implementation along with other variables including resources and timeline must be in place.These items must not only be in place, but also done with respect to the mission and the vision of the organization in which the strategic plan is going to be implemented (Argosy, 2012; Guthrie & Ackermann, 2009). In effect, the strategic planning process is not self serving nor is t single purposed, but rather the strategic plan keeps in mind the key stakeholders and how what is planned and implemented will impact, people, policies, processes, and procedures.