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Strategic Issues ReportsAll Team Comments Merged

(Reports Updated as of March 14, 2010)

Referenced in this document are the following more detailed reports, all of which will have been posted to the Big Meeting web site by Monday afternoon, March 14, at:http://www.valenciacc.edu/strategicplan/big_2009.cfm

Nick Bekas – SL Data East Spring 2010 – Excel sheetNick Bekas - SL Data Osceola Spring 2010 – Excel sheetNick Bekas – SL Data West Spring 2010 – PDF fileNick Bekas – SL Data Winter Park Spring 2010 – Excel sheetJeff Cornett – powerpoint for the Enterprise Resource Planning – Powerpoint fileJeff Cornett – graduation rates by ethnicity – Excel sheetJeff Cornett – graduation rates by income – Excel sheetJeff Cornett – Florida graduation rate data – Excel sheetJeff Cornett – full time enrollment trends – PDF fileKurt Ewen – Foundations of Excellence report – Word documentShelby Fiorentino – Goal 4, name change SWOT repliesFL Next Generation PreK-20 Education Strategic Plan – PDF fileIR – Key Data Analysis Sept 2009 – PDF FileJoe Lynn Look – Gold Standard Articulation Response – PDF fileMarjorie McKillop – Report on Strategic Issue 6 – PDF fileNemir Matos-Cintron – Hybrid Courses – Excel sheetJessica Morales – several documents related to college transitions, all listed under her name, including four Word

docs, one Powerpoint, and two PDF filesCheryl Robinson – Registration Action Plans – Word documentCheryl Robinson – Registration Headcount Comparison data – Word documentJennifer Robertson – Baccalaureate Degrees – PDF fileAdriana Rodriguez – Review of the Strategic Plan – PDF fileJoyce Romano – Direct Connect Reports – two Word docs and one Excel file

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http://www.valenciacc.edu/strategicplan/big_2009.cfm

Strategic Issues(from the 2008-13 Strategic Plan)

Strategic issues are those issues that must be resolved if the College is to achieve its mission. The strategic goals are aimed at helping to resolve the strategic issues and to move the College toward its vision and the achievement of the Big Hairy Audacious Goals. (See Section IX, which follows, for a list of the Strategic Goals and the Big Hairy Audacious Goals.)

Strategic issues that Valencia faces in 2008 are:

1. Many students from diverse backgrounds do not have equal access to college. (See p. 8.)

2. Many students whose stated goal is to obtain a certificate or a degree are not successful in reaching critical milestones in their educational plans. (See p. 11.)

3. Gaps in student achievement exist among student cohorts related to ethnicity and income. (See p. 14.)

4. The composition of the group that graduates each year does not match the diversity of entering cohorts. (See p. 16.)

5. Diversity is not fully utilized as a strength throughout the curriculum and the College. (See p. 18.)

6. While the College does not control all factors that lead to student success, many students fail to complete their courses with a grade of C or better for reasons potentially under the control of the College. (See p. 19.)

7. Not all students receive academic support tailored to their needs as they move through the curriculum. (See p. 20)Suggested addition from Team 1 that may fit within Issues 7 and 13:Impediments in systems, processes and curricula(examples cited: process complexity, controllable and uncontrollable; curricular pathways (dual enrollment); website; complex on-line records evaluation; perception)

8. The college lacks the human, fiscal, technological, and physical resources to meet all of the current needs of students and all who want to be students. (See p. 24.)

9. Students, faculty and staff do not always have access to up-to-date, effective technologies that support learning and professional success. (See p. 26.)

10. Many of the issues that stand in the way of our students’ success require resources and expertise from other organizations with complementary missions, if the issues are to be resolved. (See p. 30.)

11. Valencia can expect delays and challenges in hiring due to the highly competitive market for key positions. (See p. 32.)

12. Current faculty and staff have unrealized potential that should be developed to further the College’s goals. (See p. 35.)

13. College staffing levels, systems and processes can sometimes lead students to feel as if they are “numbers” rather than persons to be served. (See p. 36.)Suggested addition from Team 1 that may fit within Issues 7 and 13:Impediments in systems, processes and curricula

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(examples cited: process complexity, controllable and uncontrollable; curricular pathways (dual enrollment); website; complex on-line records evaluation; perception)

14. The College’s operating, technology and capital budgets do not always align clearly with the strategic plan. (See p. 38.)

“Issues Bin” for Big Meeting 2010

The following issues were suggested for the Issues Bin by the goal teams in their reports and/or by the senior staff who reviewed strategic initiatives underway in December 2009. Numbering is provided for reference only, and does not suggest any priorities. A reference has been added to one or more of the 14 strategic issues from the 2008 Strategic Plan that appear above, on pages 2-3).

1. Access. This relates to Strategic Issues #1 and #13 on page 2 of this document.Who is not being served by the college who may need us, and why aren’t they being served? What is the unmet demand?

Related to this:Can “universal design” be integrated into our work as a default setting?

Do students who need counseling services have access?Do we know what aspects of their experience leads students to feel as if they are “just a number?”Does our enrollment management plan express intentions that we believe we can and will honor?

2. Alternative delivery. This relates to Strategic Issues 8 and 14 on page 2.What do we know about who is successful with different delivery modes, and what can we do to improve the success rates of those who are less successful in specific modes? To what extent do our students experience a digital divide?

3. Withdrawal. This relates to Strategic Issues 1 – 4, on page 2.Why do students withdraw? How are withdrawal and completion related? How is withdrawal related to success in meeting goals?(See Strategic Issue 6, Team 1 comments.)

4. Persistence. This relates to Strategic Issue 2, on page 2.

Should objectives 1.2 and 2.4 be merged and placed under Goal 2?They currently read as follows:1.2 Persistence – Increase the percentage of students who persist at Valencia through key academic thresholds.2.4 Completion of 15 college credits – Increase the percentage of students mandates into developmental courses who complete within three years the first 15 college level hours of their programs.

5. Closing Gaps. This relates to Strategic Issues 3 and 4 on page 2.Is it possible to close achievement gaps?

6. Access, growth and quality. This relates broadly to the 14 strategic issues, and especially to 2, 8, and 13 on page 2.

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How do we balance access, growth, and quality issues?

7. Capital needs. This relates to Strategic Issues 8 –104, on page 2.

How will we meet our capital needs for buildings, technologies, and campuses? Can partnerships with others provide a solution to meeting joint capital needs? What are our plans for virtual campuses, and the growth of on-line and hybrid offerings?

8. Economic and workforce development. This relates to strategic issues 2, 8 and 10, on page 2.

How closely are we aligned with regional economic development plans and needs, including economic recovery? And related to this, how should the roles of provosts, deans, and the workforce office evolve in support of entrepreneurial program efforts in support of students, business and industry? Is anything missing in support of goal 4, objective 4, which is Workforce Development – Increase reported satisfaction by Valencia graduates with their preparedness for upper division studies and the workforce, and increase the numbers of companies and individuals served by Valencia Enterprises, contributing to meeting key workforce needs of the community.)

9. State system changes. This relates to Strategic Issue 8, on page 2.

How can we best use opportunities to change our name or add baccalaureate programs (or to opt not to one or both) to better meet our mission?

10. Collaboration. This relates to all of the strategic issues, and especially to 10 and 12, on page 2.

How can we best advance our work under collaboration and shared governance? Do we need to consider next steps or goals regarding collaboration and shared governance? What concrete steps do we want to take to advance our work in support of the values we hold regarding collaboration? Do we need a "program review" of shared governance?

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Strategic Issues related to Goal 1

On January 21, the Goal Team selected the following Strategic Issues as listed in the 2008-13 plan as being related to Goal 1, and added one new issue:

1. Many students from diverse backgrounds do not have equal access to college. Objectives 1.1, 1.4, 1.5 (pathway) Follow up: Adrian Manley

2. Many students whose stated goal is to obtain a certificate or a degree are not successful in reaching critical milestones in their educational plans. Objective 1.2 (goal achievement) Follow up: Joyce Romano

4. The composition of the group that graduates each year does not match the diversity of entering cohorts. Follow up: Daryl Davis

6. While the College does not control all factors that lead to student success, many students fail to complete their courses with a grade of C or better for reasons potentially under the control of the College. Objective 1.3. Follow up: Marjorie McKillop

7. Not all students receive academic support tailored to their needs as they move through the curriculum. Objectives 1.3, 1.5 (support) Follow up: Kimberly Finley

8. The college lacks the human, fiscal, technological, and physical resources to meet all of the current needs of students and all who want to be students. Objective 1.5 (dual enrollment growth & why?) Follow up: Jeff Cornett

10. Many of the issues that stand in the way of our students’ success require resources and expertise from other organizations with complementary missions, if the issues are to be resolved. Objective 1.5. Follow up: Jessica Morales

13. College staffing levels, systems and processes can sometimes lead students to feel as if they are “numbers” rather than persons to be served. Objectives 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 (based on the consequence of the issue.) Follow up: Sally Witcamp

14. The College’s operating, technology and capital budgets do not always align clearly with the strategic plan. Objectives 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5. Follow up: Melissa Pedone

Issues were suggested to be added to Goal 1:

Goal Team 1 suggested adding:Impediments in systems, processes and curricula(examples cited: process complexity, controllable and uncontrollable; curricular pathways (dual enrollment); website; complex on-line records evaluation; perception) Follow up: none identified(From Amy and Susan – this addition might be considered as part of issue 13.)

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Strategic Issues related to Goal 2

In its first meeting, Goal Team 2 selected the following Strategic Issues as listed in the 2008-13 plan as being related to Goal 2, and noted the relationship.

1. Many students from diverse backgrounds do not have equal access to college. Relates to how low income students achieve success. Relates also to Goal One.

2. Many students whose stated goal is to obtain a certificate or a degree are not successful in reaching critical milestones in their educational plans. Relates to Objective 2.4 (goal achievement) Relates to how low income students achieve success.

3. Gaps in student achievement exist among student cohorts related to ethnicity and income.Relates to Objective 2.5 and how low income students achieve success.

4. The composition of the group that graduates each year does not match the diversity of entering cohorts. Relates to how low income students achieve success.

5. Diversity is not fully utilized as a strength throughout the curriculum and the College.Relates to Objective 2.5 and the curriculum. We use diversity to enable students to feel a part of the whole and to enhance student learning.

6. While the College does not control all factors that lead to student success, many students fail to complete their courses with a grade of C or better for reasons potentially under the control of the College. Relates to objectives 2.2 – 2.5 7. Not all students receive academic support tailored to their needs as they move through the curriculum. Relates to Objectives 2.2 – 2.5

8. The college lacks the human, fiscal, technological, and physical resources to meet all of the current needs of students and all who want to be students. Relates to both Goals One and Two. 9. Students, faculty and staff do not always have access to up-to-date, effective technologies that support learning and professional success. Relates to Objectives 2.2 – 2.5 and also to Goal 3.

13. College staffing levels, systems and processes can sometimes lead students to feel as if they are “numbers” rather than persons to be served. Related to retention.

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Strategic Issues Related to Goal 3

The goal team groups that discussed objectives 3.1/3.2 selected Strategic Issues 11 and 12 as relating to Goal 3, Invest in Each Other.

The team that met for Objective 3.3 decided that strategic issues 11, 12, and 14 had primary relevance to Goal 3, objective 3, while issues 5, 8, 9, and 13 were of secondary relevance.

Strategic Issues Related to Goal 4

The teams for objectives 4.1 and 4.2 met jointly and selected issue 9 as being related to the goal and objectives 4.1 and 4.2.

The teams for objectives 4.3 and 4.4. met jointly, and selected strategic issues 2, 8, 10, 11, 14 as relating to the goal and objectives 4.3 and 4.4.

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Strategic Issues Brief #1 – Adrian ManleyMany students from diverse backgrounds do not have equal access to college. Objectives 1.1, 1.4, 1.5 (pathway)

Strategic Issue from 2006 Situational/Needs Analysis: Diversity

“The students in our future will be increasingly diverse in background and needs. The college is expecting an increase in students over the age of 44. Also expecting more minorities specifically Hispanics to enroll in Valencia.

Notable internal changes related to Strategic Issue:

Notable external changes related to Strategic Issue:

Update(s) suggested to the Issue Statement and/or to the Situational/Needs Analysis narrative:

We have experienced a surplus of older students returning to school. However, the turn in the economy is seems to be more of a motivating factor. Many come after just losing their jobs. It should be noted that this increase of 44 year olds and above come with extra issues than they would with just a career change.

Resources consulted in preparation of update(s):

Situational needs Analysis

Goal Team Two Comments – February 9 – This is not just an issue of demographics, but also of the way in which our systems may create barriers to access. Do we have information about that? Who is not here, and why? How do we serve students who do not have on-line access? Do we know which second language populations are not here? Do we know how our systems may be difficult to use for those with disabilities (for example, the on-line application)?

We need to confirm the source of expected increase of students over the age of 44, noted by Adrian.

Nick Bekas provided additional demographic data to add to this issue via a separate report.

Also, the following was submitted by Lynn Dorn of Team 2, who received this from Joyce Romano:

. . . there are various ways in which we connect with the community to connect Valencia with persons who are homeless and/or seeking job skills although there is not a formal and comprehensive network as you described in Seminole County. David and Elizabeth were the faculty involved with the Prometheus project that John Scolaro organized. It was modeled after Riches for the Poor and offered a humanities course for homeless persons as a way to help them discover their potential. It was connected with the Coalition for the Homeless and other local agencies (Elizabeth and David will remember the other agencies names – I recall one was a women’s center.) We tried to develop a sustainable model when the grant funds (several years) ran out but were unable to. Elizabeth and David will be able to tell you when they last offered the course.

We award Homeless Tuition Waivers to qualified students based on a state statute that allows it. As part of this, various individuals serve as mentors /advisors to these students. For example, I am currently helping one student complete his degree through this program.

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A number of our College Transitions staff represent Valencia on community boards that serve this population or other disadvantaged populations.

We participate on the Children’s Cabinet in both Orange (Grace Acevedo) and Osceola (Nelson Sepulveda) counties. This connects various agencies in order to address the needs of children and families, including educational opportunity.

John Stover runs a summer program with the Coalition of the Homeless called Life Strides that focuses on getting students into the Office Systems Technology program (West Campus) and continuing as a cohort to obtain a certificate and degree for employment.

Kenya Richardson represents Valencia with a community network that focuses on foster youth who are “aging out” of the system. City of Light is one organization that has been promoting this work and we are connected to them through a member of the Valencia Foundation Board. Again, there is a tuition waiver available through state statute for which these students are eligible and Kenya also helps them with other financial aid eligibility and advising issues.

John Stover represents Valencia on the Tangelo Park Project which is sponsored by Harris Rosen. Mr. Rosen provides college scholarships to any Tangelo Park resident who graduates with a B average and also coordinates a community board that meets regularly to help the community solve a variety of issues.

Jessica Morales and her College Transitions team sponsor an annual Youth Education Day which is about preparing for college enrollment and invites disadvantaged youth in special programs at community centers, churches and schools. It was a few weeks ago and about 300 students attended.

The College Transitions team each liaison with various community centers that have youth and adult education programs such as Frontline Outreach in West Orlando.

We established a partnership last year with the City of Orlando when we were applying for a grant through the National League of Cities. It focused on providing college access to students and families from the Paramore Area of Orlando. While the grant application was not successful, we have continued to work with them on helping individual students enroll at Valencia and also inviting students and parents to Valencia programs such as Youth Education Days, Previews, and the Bridges program.

We served as a partner for the Orlando Housing Authority for a HUD grant that was successful just recently. They will be providing educational and job opportunity to residents of their housing projects and we will bring our College Transition programs to those locations as well as invite those residents to Valencia programs. They are considering providing transition housing for the homeless which could include Valencia students. We also supported their grant application for the renovation of the Lake Mann housing project and they have not heard yet if that was funded.

On January 31, we provided college transitions, financial aid, and advising staff for College Goal Sunday at 10 different locations such as community centers and schools. This is a national program to assist disadvantaged families to submit the FAFSA and obtain other scholarship information.

I realize these don’t all focus only on the homeless but they touch a range of community needs and focus on the disadvantaged, including homeless. In Orange and Osceola counties, the work is coordinated in pockets rather than one big board, so we connect with those pockets to the extent that our resources allow. I probably have not included everything but this is what comes to mind.

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Additionally, the following data was obtained from Brad Honious, Financial Aid office:

Five Year Spring & Annual Year Financial Aid Comparisons

Dollars 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 YTD

Spring Aid$17,124,31

8 $19,550,760 $26,527,507$40,139,37

3 $54,505,731

Annual $38,892,02

2 $43,123,327 $58,522,106$90,400,30

5 $115,027,534

Students on Aid 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 YTDSpring TTL Students 27814 28809 31468 35014 38623FA Students 9507 9759 12137 15700 17965% on Aid 34.18% 33.87% 38.57% 44.84% 46.51%Annual TTL Students 41493 43046 47015 51298 49034FA Students 12575 12993 15868 20433 23681% on Aid 30.31% 30.18% 33.75% 39.83% 48.30%

Data Effective Date: 13FEB2010:01:03:45 Created by the Data Warehouseon 13FEB2010 at 9:29 PMAnnual Unduplicated Enrollments for Credit, PSAV and EPI Students Across Financial Aid Year

Comments from Team 1 on Feb. 11

Those who are not native English speakers may have other barriers that should be looked at. Work schedules can be impediments. Residency and financial aid issues can impede early in the process. We don’t have enough classes to meet all demand. Do people who can benefit from what we offer have the information needed to be aware and to enroll? Textbook costs are impediments, but we offered discounts for those who purchased early. Bright Future payback may also be an impediment. Students with disabilities have special needs to overcome barriers. The Equity Report data may be useful here, as well. (The report is available in paper format.)

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Strategic Issues Brief #2 – Joyce RomanoMany students whose stated goal is to obtain a certificate or a degree are not successful in reaching critical milestones in their educational plans. Objective 1.2 (goal achievement)

Strategic Issue from 2006 Situational/Needs Analysis: Many students whose stated goal is to obtain a certificate or a degree are not successful in reaching critical milestones in their educational plans.

Notable internal changes related to Strategic Issue: This is still true and we have updated institutional data to establish benchmarks and goals. These were developed as part of the Title V grant application that was submitted in June 2009. We looked at the milestones of and computed the success rates of cohorts of students by whether they started in developmental courses or college-level courses, and by ethnicity. We then set desired achievement based on the idea that we would “close the gaps” between these groups of students and all students would achieve at the current highest level of achievement. See the attached chart for the details.

Notable external changes related to Strategic Issue: With an increase in funding and focus from the federal government on community colleges (increase in Pell, expansion of student loans through Direct Loan program, stimulus funding, American Graduation Initiative, etc.), there is an increased increase in the completion rates of students. The current federal definition of graduation rates is understood to be flawed and there may be opportunity to establish some better “progression” or “momentum” measures.


No need to update the issue statement; it is still accurate.

The Situational/Needs Analysis should be updated to reflect the newest trends in priority and funding from the federal government.


The data from the Title V 2009 grant proposal.

Comments from Team 1 on Feb. 11Note that dual enrollment has also been cut. We are unable to grow programs in the high schools. Career Pathways requires that 49 industry certifications be completed and these credentials become part of the pathways. Funding cuts have impacted high school pathways programs. Not all high school students are well prepared to follow pathways.

If looked at broadly, not all issues are academic. Some are systemic, such as limited access programs or limited labs in which to offer courses.

Students may change goals and not inform the college. Students have trouble setting realistic goals. Everyone wants to be an engineer etc, but what they want may not be where their strengths lie.

Report on Issue 2 from Team 4.3/4.4 – March 4

Prepared by: Ty Johnson & Carmen Diaz


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Students enrolling in college for the first time often have limited knowledge and understanding of degree programs and requirements. Decisions about academic programs, whether a certificate or a degree, are sometimes based on influence from others or through media advertisements promising lucrative employment opportunities and salaries.

To assist students in better understanding how to make better informed decisions about certificates and degree programs, initiatives have been taken to improve access to certificate and degree programs and financial resources to assist with educational expenses. Following are some initiatives implemented to increase student access to degree programs and successful completion:

Assigned Career Program Advisors for specific A.S. programs to assist students with educational advisement and support in developing realistic educational plans.

Tuition Installment Plan (TIP) for payment of tuition and books for students needing a longer payment period for educational expenses. Student participation in the TIP Program has increased on an average of 10% to 15% from implementation of the program in 2005.

A.S. certificate and degree program information sessions and workshops. Introduction of students to LifeMap and educational planning during initial New Student Orientation

and academic advisement sessions. Tech Prep Career Pathways offering technical career clusters to prepare students for the transition

from high school to postsecondary education. Students in need of financial resources to support their enrollment and completion of degree goals

have gained better access to financial aid application process and scholarship resources. Conducted High School Nights at local schools to increase awareness of Financial Aid (How to apply

for Financial Aid and How to keep it) which involved recruitment and retention. Changed Financial Aid term deadlines to Financial Aid priority deadlines. Increased availability for students to access and complete all financial aid forms online vs students

completing all forms by paper. On-line New Student Orientation for transfer students. Through collegewide collaboration, Skillshops have been developed on various topics to enhanced

personal and academic success.

Opportunities for students to develop a sense of campus culture through student clubs & organizations, special themed campus events, etc.

Technological campus learning environment in classroom setting, computer labs, and student lounges.

Directed messages to students when grades roll to advise of degree audit access. Implementation of an Early Alert System for selected courses to assist students experiencing

academic difficulty. Review of course offerings, especially in the AS degree programs, to ensure courses are scheduled to

meet program completion in a timely manner.

In additional, students are encouraged to meet one-on-one with academic and career advisors and counselors to review individual career and educational goals and progress towards successful completion.

Notable external changes related to Strategic Issue:12

Increased presence of College Transition Team staff members in local high schools and community agencies to provide information to students and staff about academic programs. Regularly scheduled programs are planned and coordinated with the local high schools and agencies to better inform perspective students of educational opportunities.

Participation of Transition Staff in community educational programs and events to provide information about certificate and degree programs.

Expanded articulation agreements with private colleges to ensure a smooth transferability of course work. Annual Educational Seminars for middle and high school counselors. Annual College Night Programs for students in Orange and Osceola counties. Increased community based partnerships to give students an opportunity for work related experience through

service learning, clinical experience, and internships.

Updates(s) suggested to the Issue Statement and/or to the Situational/Needs Analysis narrative:

Some students whose stated goal is to obtain a certificate or a degree are not successful in reaching critical milestones in their educational plans. We realize that some of the reasons could be affected by personal challenges outside of the college environment. Conduct student surveys periodically to determine the level of progress that has been made to increase retention and satisfactory completion rate of educational goals. Continue initiatives to develop programs and services to assist students in achieving these goals.


Transitions Community Information SheetTech Prep 2008-2009 Outcomes Summary ReportCommunity College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE)Departmental Unit Action Plans 2007-08

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Strategic Issues Brief #3Gaps in student achievement exist among student cohorts related to ethnicity and income.

Team Two comments – February 9 - Nick Bekas and Roberta Brown have data regarding this issue. The gaps have been closing.

Too many students stop/drop out, never reaching degree completion. Of our First-Time-in-College students who began Fall 2004, only 19.1% had graduated by Spring 2009, a five-year period. Minority students are under-represented in the graduating class when compared to the composition of the entering student cohort. (Hispanics made up 28% of the entering Fall cohort and had a graduation rate of 18.7%, compared to 23.4% for Caucasians.) Providing formal training and support to faculty who advise students will help to increase advisement services to students.

Only 38% of entering college-ready students graduate within five years, and the percentage for non-college ready is a little over 20%. Overall, only 22% of entering students graduate within five years. Minority students are under-represented in the graduating class. While Hispanics are 27.8% of the entering cohort in 2004, they were 25.2% of the 2008 graduates. African Americans were 16.1% of the Fall 2004 cohort, and only 8.5% of all 2008 graduates.

2. Math courses are a key stumbling block for many students. Minority students requiring prep math courses: 72% of African Americans and 62% of Hispanics, compared to 53% of Caucasians. According to Florida Department of Education, of the Valencia students who withdrew from College Algebra in Fall 2004, only 59.3% were re-enrolled by Spring 2007, as compared to 63.9% at Miami Dade College. 3. Valencia graduates who continue their studies at UCF do not fare as well as the native students at the University, hurting their chances to complete the baccalaureate and/or enter graduate programs. Even though the withdrawal rates have been decreasing over the last four years, Valencia students attending UCF had the highest withdrawal rate among other local UCF feeder community colleges (22.6%).4. Reading skills are below college level for 61% of entering Hispanic students, 72% of African Americans, and 37% of Caucasians. 24% of entering students fail to complete developmental reading within two years. Those who do complete often have problems reading in the various disciplines of their college-level courses.5. Although Valencia rated fairly well in most areas indicated by the CCSSE, the areas that were continually rated lower in overall student satisfaction were advising, career counseling, job placement, peer or other tutoring, skill labs, transfer credit assistance, and services to students with disabilities. Students rated these from 1.75 to 2.55 (1 = not at all satisfied, 2 = somewhat satisfied).6. Valencia Associate degree graduates who continue their education at UCF do not fare as well as their

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university counterparts in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines, with a lower graduation rate (5.2% points lower than native UCF students in STEM fields.) Also, Valencia transfer students do not perform as well at UCF as transfer students from other community colleges, with an average GPA lower than three other regional community college transfer student groups and lower than that of UCF native students.

Table 8: Type of Prep Course Miami Dade Valencia

One Prep Course NeededMath only 62.0% 51.2%Reading only 81.0% 80.9%English only 79.0% 73.2%

Two Prep Courses NeededMath and Reading 66.6% 44.5%Math and English 53.7% 42.1%Reading and English 82.1% 77.6%

Three Prep Courses NeededMath 60.9% 36.6%Reading 76.3% 64.0%English 77.6% 61.3%

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Table 2: 2007-08 Graduation Rates Race/

EthnicityFL OCPS ODS

All Students 75.4% 75.6% 67.5%White 83.6% 85.5% 76.9%Black 62.5% 65.2% 65.4%Hispanic 69.1% 71.5% 61.4%Asian 84.2% 83.9% 76.3%Am. Indian 80.3% 91.7% 36.4%Multiracial 80.5% 77.4% 71.1%

Strategic Issues Brief #4 – Daryl DavisThe composition of the group that graduates each year does not match the diversity of entering cohorts.

Notable internal changes related to Strategic Issue:There have been many internal changes going on throughout the college that relate to this strategic issue. Below are some that come to mind:

ATD (Achieving the Dream) – An initiative to help community college students succeed. This initiative is particularly concerned about student groups that traditionally have faced significant barriers to success, including students of color and low-income students.

FOE (Foundations of Excellence) –An action plan for the critical beginning college experience, designed to yield a new vision for enhanced learning and retention of first-year and transfer students as well as priorities for resource allocation.

New Student Experience Committee – A committee charged with organizing the development of a coordinated new student experience starting with the recommendations of the Foundations of Excellence Taskforce.

DEI – The central goal is to accelerate student progress through their developmental education sequence and increase their success in subsequent General Education Courses and in General Education Courses that can be taken while meeting their prep mandate.

Notable external changes related to Strategic Issue:There are many forces and external changes that are related to this strategic issue, we list a few below:

The Economy – The economy plays a number of different roles when it comes to a student’s education, I have attached an excerpt from WWW. stateuniversity.com that I thought was interesting that is related to economics and student graduation rate:Data from the U.S. Census Bureau revealed in 2000 that one in three Americans drops out of college. This is an increase from the 1960s when one in five discontinued his or her studies. Some studies indicate that a considerable proportion of college dropouts come from low-income families. The U.S. Department of Education found that 41% of low-income students enrolled in a four-year institution managed to graduate within five years. For higher income students, this jumps to 66%. Of the low income students that did not return, 47% left in good academic standing. (Team 1 comments that this is an important statement. We need to know why students withdraw. Many leave for non-academic reasons. We need more research.)The National Center for Education Statistics indicates that dropout rates are particularly high for African American and Hispanic students. Other student populations at greater risk of dropping out include those who are the first in their family to attend college, those who have limited English proficiency, and nontraditional students such as returning adult students.

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Read more: College Drop Out Rates - Who's to Blame? - StateUniversity.com Blog http://www.stateuniversity.com/blog/permalink/College-Drop-Out-Rates-Who-s-to-Blame-.html#ixzz0eU3015td

Senate Bill 1908 – The Florida Department of education website states the following about this bill:This Bill expands the college/career readiness testing of 11th grade students who express postsecondary intent, and further collaborative efforts to make postsecondary remediation available to 12th grade students who demonstrate a need for and interest in additional preparation. Important goals of this law are to: 1) increase the number and percentage of students who graduate from high school "college and career ready"; 2) better communicate with 11th grade students and their parents the requirements and opportunities for enrollment in college-credit courses without a need for remediation, and; 3) to provide students, whose test scores in Reading, Writing and/or Mathematics indicate any gaps, an opportunity to attain needed competencies in 12th grade prior to high school graduation. Ultimately, this legislation will help us to graduate better prepared students, increase access to postsecondary opportunities, enhance career success, and promote student retention and completion in college.


Team 1 Comments Feb. 11: Add Bridges and its expansion and new features. Can we identify graduation rates for Honors students? Any income level analysis available? See Cornett reports. Need to add a sentence from IR explaining this chart and the nature of the gaps:

Yr-0708 Enrolled

Yr-0708 Graduated

Yr-0809 Enrolled

Yr-0809 Graduated

Yr-0910 Enrolled

Yr-0910 Graduated

0.00%

20.00%

40.00%

60.00%

80.00%

100.00%

120.00%

18.12% 11.35% 19.88% 11.72% 18.57% 13.88%

34.67% 50.06% 32.44% 48.48% 32.84% 45.98%

31.10% 22.37% 31.83% 23.02% 34.30% 23.40%

16.10% 16.22% 15.85% 16.78% 14.29% 16.75%

Other/Not ReportedHispanic CaucasionAfrican American

* Year 09-10 data only contains Fall 09/Spring 10 data**Enrolled are based on FTIC degree seeking student enrollment for the year**Graduated are students who graduated with an AA, AS or AAS

Resources consulted in preparation of update(s): www.valenciacc.edu; www.stateuniversity.com

http://www.fyfoundations.org; FOE final report http://www.fldoe.org/Schools/CommonPlacementTesting.asp

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http://www.fldoe.org/Schools/CommonPlacementTesting.asp

http://www.fyfoundations.org/

http://www.stateuniversity.com/

http://www.valenciacc.edu/

Strategic Issue #5

Diversity is not fully utilized as a strength throughout the curriculum and the College.

(Relates to Objective 2.5 and the curriculum.)

Team Two Comments – February 9, 2010 –

Is there a model of what full utilization of diversity as a strength might look like? Foundations of Excellence offers a diversity dimension that we might explore.

Consider how the offerings of TLA support faculty in addressing diversity.

Request the Equity report from Martha Williams. (Available in paper format.)

Note that diversity is a component of the General Education curriculum, and that universal design should be a design standard if we are to take full advantage of diversity.

Goal Team 3.3 offered the following comments on Strategic Issue 5:

(Secondary relevance to 3.3) – This issue speaks to our capacity as employees to serve diversity goals as well as to the accessibility of our wellness programs, ensuring that there are wellness opportunities available and accessible to all.

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Strategic Issues Brief #6 – Marjorie McKillopWhile the College does not control all factors that lead to student success, many students fail to complete their courses with a grade of C or better for reasons potentially under the control of the College. Relates to Objective 1.3.

Marjorie sent a report via inter-office mail that has been converted to a PDF file and has been posted to the Big Meeting web site.

Comments from Team Two – February 9, 2010 –

The new withdrawal policy is projected to make a positive difference.

The new rules regarding paying back Bright Futures is likely to impact withdrawal. Some students are reportedly asking to be given an “F” rather than withdrawing in order to avoid paying the tuition.

Students passing a math or English developmental course but who fail a test are given tutorials to help them pass, if they have an A or B. The “N class” prepares them to retake the exit test. These options are not necessarily available on all campuses, but all students can register for a course with these options.

Valencia has dedicated more money to tutoring and software, such as Smart Thinking.

Ask Jeff Cornett for any information we may have on success rates that are in and out of our control.

These comments also apply to Issue 7, which follows.

Team 1 Comments – Feb. 11, 2010

Perhaps we need to separate withdrawal and successful completion. Could we study what happens when students withdraw, but then return to complete successfully? In Mathematics, repeaters are less likely to pass when returning. Is this true for other disciplines? Some pilot work is underway to help students who are repeaters.

Need to also look at prep and non-prep patterns.

Need to mention tutoring services and that fact that resource centers have been beefed up. Faculty are urging students to use the services. Also need to examine difference between day and evening students, since same resources are not available during those time frames.

Key to this is more research into the reasons our students withdraw.

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Strategic Issues Brief #7 – Kimberly Finley and Karen Borglum Not all students receive academic support tailored to their needs as they move through the curriculum. Objectives 1.3, 1.5 (support)

Goal 1 Team Comments. Feb 11, 2010 – This links back to #6. If we have more information about needs, we could design services to meet them. We should add LinC information and consider expanding LinC to other disciplines and higher level courses.

From Kimberly Finley – Notable internal changes related to Strategic Issue:Our Doors are Open Wider

-The college expanded access to higher education through Flex Start Courses (program that provides multiple access points to learning opportunities), and Distance Learning Courses which is increasing access to classes for students and is in strong demand from students.

Student Success

- There has been a 5% percent decrease in students attempting 1-3 credit hours.

-There has been a 5% increase in students attempting 12 or more credit hours. Average credit hours attempted increased from 8.4 to 9 credit hours.

- Success rates for EAP have remained Stable with 80% passing with an A, B, or C.

-Supplemental learning opportunities are viewed positively by the students and make a difference in success. All supplemental Learning math course enrollees who attended at least one SL session had higher success rates (64% vs. 48%). First time in college math student who attended at least one SL session had higher success rates and GPAs at every remedial level and in every ethnic group.

Facilities

-Two new campuses are being planned. South west Campus purchase has been completed as of December 2006, and options are being explored for a new Southeast Campus.2006 Legislature provided funds to Module 10 (West Campus)

-Hospitality and Culinary Arts Lab (West Campus)

-UCF Joint use Module 11 (West Campus)

-Hi-Tech Classroom Building 4 (Osceola Campus)

-Classroom Building 1 for the new Southeast Campus when the location has been determined

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Population Growth Explosion

-Local population over the age of 44 is projected to increase at a higher rate than the younger population of 18-24 year olds (52% vs. 28%). Younger groups will be preparing for their first professional job while the middle-aged population will have a strong interest in preparing for increased responsibilities at work or for career changes.

- Increased population growth. Example-Osceola County population projected to increase 49% between 2004-2015.

College Readiness

-Currently 74% of all students entering Valencia enroll in at least one remedial course (math the most common area)

Course Delivery and Academic Achievement

-Divide exists based on demographic lines (parental, educational, attainment, race, and socioeconomic factors). Situation has major implications for student achievement and for course delivery modes that continue to be addressed.

K-12 Alignment

- Tech Prep high school student average GPA is 2.66 and FCAT performance of Orange/Osceola Tech Prep 10th graders shows higher than state average performance on the reading, math, writing, and science (11th grade) sections

-Increasing percentage of high school students projected to graduate without a standard diploma

Partnerships with Middle Schools and High Schools

Partnerships with Tech Prep, Dual Enrollment and postsecondary transitions outreach address curricular alignment (particularly in mathematics courses).

Dual Enrollment participation decreased 61% between fall 2002 and fall 2005 in Orange County high schools and also decreased 11% in Osceola County high schools. The college has had opportunity to work with the schools to restore the formerly high participation levels and to explore potential online dual enrollment courses.

-Number of discussions with private high schools and with parents of home schooled children point the way to potential partnerships that will benefit students as they prepare for college.

Community At Large

Achieving the Dream Initiative (ATD)- Valencia has held community conversations with community and found that:

-There is a lack of awareness of the scale, types and number of program offerings and financial aid available at Valencia

-For many college-bound students, Valencia is seen as the contingency plan rather than their first choice.

-The income difference and other benefits that a college education brings are not well known.

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-Community groups are seeking specific way to partner to help all students succeed, including job shadowing, service learning, mentoring, tutoring, sponsored events on campuses and internships.


There needs to be more information on the course Student Success (SLS1122).

More information about programs offered for students such (Bridges programs and Mentoring programs).

Resources consulted in preparation of update(s): Strategic plan 2008-2013

From Karen Borglum -

As we think about one of our BHAGs on page 37 of the Strategic Plan, it is important to note that this has a direct effect on designing effective and efficient pathways to learning.


In November 16, 2007, Valencia added an Intensive Math Tutorial to help students who were passing the MAT 0024C course with a grade of B or higher, but missed the Basic Skills Exit Test by one or two points. This course addition completed the Intensive Tutorials for all level two developmental education courses.


On January 29, 2010, the state of Florida signed a contract with McCann Associates as the new provider of our Computerized Placement Test (CPT). This new test will begin a gradual implementation in late spring. There will be diagnostic capabilities associated with this test for an additional unit price per test.

The state of Florida was awarded their own DEI grant in 2009. To coincide with the new CPT, part of the work for this grant is for state colleges to work on modularizing the curriculum in our developmental education program. Although Valencia is not able to participate, because we were awarded our own DEI grant, we are still invited into the discussion.


The state will host its annual Connections conference in St. Petersburg on April 21-22. There will be two primary focal points of the conference: a redesign track and a developmental education best practices track. The redesign track will give state colleges an opportunity to discuss actual course outcomes in the developmental education courses so that a modularization of curriculum is possible. This conversation will also allow for a review of the Basic Skills Exit Test. Additionally, there is interest, at the state level, for a dialogue about common outcomes to be listed (instead of profile descriptions) in SCNS beginning with our developmental education courses.


Melinda Milles, Director of Transition Programs and Services, and John Hughes, Institutional Research and Effectiveness

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Goal Two Team comments – February 9, 2010 –

While a promising, the numbers enrolled in supplemental learning in Comp I and II are still too small to evaluate. This issue also relates back to Issue 1.Nemir provided additional data that is contained in a report to be emailed separately. Is it good or bad that success rates for EAP are stable? Does this represent a natural progression rate, or is there something else going on here? It was noted that research on SL has been done based in a manner that eliminates section bias.

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Strategic Issues Brief #8 – Jeff CornettThe college lacks the human, fiscal, technological, and physical resources to meet all of the current needs of students and all who want to be students. Objective 1.5 (dual enrollment growth & why?)

Enterprise Resource NeedsGoal Team: #1 – Build PathwaysPrepared by: Jeff CornettStrategic Issue from 2006 Situational/Needs Analysis:


Valencia FTE growth has been increasing at a rate of 10-12% per year, while Valencia’s budget has remained relatively flat. The college has cut expenses very strategically, and guided by the principles of collaboration and transparency. So far, we have been able to avoid layoffs. Because of the economy, students are more motivated than ever to complete a college degree. Consequently, our enrollment is increasing and many of our college’s performance measures continue to rise. However, the budget cuts could eventually start to affect our performance and reputation as a premier learning institution.


The economic downturn has led to rapidly increasing student demand, while at the same time, cuts in State funding of community colleges including Valencia. This resource issue is more strategically important than ever. College resources (including facilities, student services, and full-time faculty) are not increasing proportional to student growth and demand.


At the request of Dr. Shugart, senior staff departments have been asked to identify and monitor key indicators of organizational health. An “Enterprise Resource Planning System” is being piloted to record and track several hundred resource measures and performance ratios related to enrollment, revenue, people, technology, facilities, risk management, instructional capacity, and philanthropy. Keith Houck is leading this initiative, and an initial draft of these proposed measures including 5 years of history may be available by the end of February, 2010.


Keith Houck and his Enterprise Resource Plan committee.

Goal Team Two comments – February 9 – We don’t offer “extreme hours” courses (such as midnight courses) but we offer on-line courses that can assist those who prefer more extreme hours. We need to take into account the impact of changes in admissions to the SUS on enrollment in our system. Those changes are driving people to state colleges and proprietaries. Critical questions: At what point do we stop growing? How do we address issues of quality vs. access/growth? Financial aid data might be useful here, as well as Foundation scholarship data. To what extent is there a digital divide among our students?

Goal Team 1 Comments – Feb 11, 2010 - Can we add the money spent on student services? Are there any benchmarks for this? Staffing to be added if budget allows should be considered. How can we know the unmet demand? Can flex start expand? If they leave one campus, do they go to another?

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Goal Team 3.3 Comments on Issue 8:

Issue 8 (secondary relevance) This issue is premised on having healthy employees who are present and able to serve students.

Report from Goal Team 4.3/4.4 – March 4

Prepared by: Ed Ames*Procurement- student involvement/community partnerships*Internship opportunities*Cooperating organizations (preferred vendors)

Notable internal changes related to Strategic Issue: This year the Procurement Office will be working with the students (through Student Development) to coordinate activities surrounding Earth Day (April 22, 2010). In the past, the Procurement and Facilities Department held a Sustainability Day that was open to the public. By working with the student side, they will see the efforts from the business side of the college with our green initiatives and excellent results.Preferred vendors will also participate to show their goods that are sold to the college while meeting our goals.

Notable external changes related to Strategic Issue: Procurement has worked closely with the FMSDC (Florida Minority Supplier Diversity Council) and in April 2009 hosted the Chapter meeting in our new signature building on West Campus. In July 2009, our Senior Buyer, Annmarie Wise was awarded ‘Buyer of the Year’ from FMSDC for significant improvement in spending with small, local, and minority owned companies.

Valencia Community College’s Procurement Department was also nominated for Company of the Year by the African American Chamber of Commerce because of the increase in spending among local, African American companies. While we did not win this award, the nomination was an honor and our efforts were greatly appreciated.


Will be working on an Internship plan for Business Students who are interested in how a Procurement Office is operated.


Met with Victor Collazo and several students regarding the upcoming Earth Day activities on West Campus.

Worked with Malik Ali, President of FMSDC with regards to the Chapter Meeting held at the college.

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Strategic Issue #9

Students, faculty and staff do not always have access to up-to-date effective technologies that support learning and professional success. Relates to Objectives 2.2 – 2.5, and also to Goal 3.

Goal Team Two comments – February 9

This report was prepared by Jerry Reed with assistance and input from Jenny Nevarez, Angelique Smith, Bob Seal, Bruce Marshall, Gordon Cain and Jeff Vena.

The college is addressing the challenges of providing timely and effective technology to all college community members via the following initiatives:

1. A continuing collaborative approach to the design, specification, acquisition and deployment of educational technology among OIT and all stakeholders

The guidance provided for our web and portal applications by the Web and Portal Advisory Group (WPAG),

the governance and support provided by the Alternative Delivery Steering Committee (ADSC) for our current and future Learning Management Systems (LMS, currently Blackboard CE8, aka WebCT),

Prioritization of Administrative computing system upgrades, enhancements and fixes by representatives from all divisions of the college, in the form of the Atlas Project Improvement Team (APIT).

2. An active program of software and hardware refresh, which provides upgraded client (PC) and server computers to the college user community.

OIT refreshed about 1,200 computers during the last year. In general, the goal is to refresh staff, faculty and lab PCs within four years.

The college continues to evaluate alternatives for enhancement of our Learning Management System.

3. Active programs are in place to enhance our local area and wide area network access, availability and performance.

Our Internet connectivity is currently a total of 200 Megabits/Second, split across two providers. The college has plans in place to increase this connectivity to and from our campus systems to a total of 300 Megabits/second, in support of increased traffic from web registration, online course work and other portal access.

Wireless (WiFi) networks exist on each campus and are presently being extended in capability and range. The college is experimenting with using wireless connectivity within computer lab on campus, and support is provided for shared network infrastructure with UCF in the University Center, facilitating access by both Valencia and UCF users.

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4. On-going support and training are provided for campus and off-campus users of our portal, administrative and Learning Management systems.

Telephone support, in the form of the Office of Information Technology (OIT) Help Desk handles over 13,000 calls per year.

Telephone support for our online courses via the WebCT helpdesk handles over 16,000 calls per year.

Faculty, staff and students are also provided support for technical issues via email or live chat, as well as given access to an FAQ knowledge base for technical and training related questions on WebCT/Blackboard.

Students are provided with telephone and e-mail support for technical issues by phone and e-mail. Walk-in assistance is provided in the Atlas Labs on each campus.

Multi-modal training for faculty on the college Learning Management System is provided through a partnership between the Learning Technology Team (OIT) and the Faculty Development Team (Academic Affairs).

Individualized training opportunities and onsite support in the design and development of courses is provided for faculty members at the various campus learning technology centers (OIT).

Team Two Comments – Feb. 9

We might consider expanding technologies such as Smart Thinking and featuring more “tiered” rooms (the classrooms formerly known as smart, bright classrooms). Universal design principles should be incorporated as a default setting.

The following was submitted by Nemir Matos-Cintron of Goal Team One, and relates to this issue:

From: Nemir Matos-CintronSent: Tuesday, February 09, 2010 11:23 AMTo: Susan Kelley; Kimberly FinleySubject: Increased Access through Online Learning/ Statistical support data

Hi Kimberly:The stats below may help to strengthen the need to take a closer look at Distance Learning as an increased access option.Enrollment in Online learning courses surpasses Osceola and Winter Park.Objectives 1.3, 1.5 (support) Submitted by Kimberly Finley, Goal Team One member:

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( Distance Learning Courses which is increasing access to classes for students and is in strong demand from students.)

Online Courses Fall 04 Fall 05 Fall 06 Fall 07 Fall 08 Spring 09

# Unique courses

offered 80 88 114 154 175 183

# Sections offered 157 191 380 584 778 801

Total enrollment in

online 3181 4350 7694 12060 15476 16382


(secondary relevance to objective 3.3) Wellness programs benefit from up to date technologies that support goal setting and physical activity.

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Report submitted by Goal Team 4.1/4.2 – March 4, 2010

Notable internal changes related to the strategic issue:Students do have access to technology while on campus. All students able to come to campus have access to Atlas Labs, libraries, and program specific labs. All students are provided an Atlas account.

From an internal perspective this issue may need to be deleted or re-written. Note:

Outside of the college this may not hold true. Students may not have access outside of our campuses. While we feel technology is more prevalent in our society, the economic issues faced by many may cause Internet access at home to be considered an unnecessary expense. This is an area for study; as we know more and more our students are looking to the flexibility of online courses which requires them to have access o the internet and its resources.

Notable external changes related to the strategic issue:Technology advances at such a fast pace that keeping up with industry specific equipment can be a challenge, however through the support of our community and the Perkins grants, we are able to keep up with the needs of our programs. The advent of the new developing industries in Life Science and Bio-medical research in Southeast Orlando presents new opportunities as well as a higher potential demand for additional lab space and research resources to develop new programs to support this developing cluster. Access to these emerging technologies will be important for our students and this access can be achieved by developing strategic partnerships with business in our community.Note:A new strategic issue might need to be proposed to support the development of academic programs to support the new Economic Development initiatives proposed in Central Florida.

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Strategic Issues Brief #10 – Jessica MoralesMany of the issues that stand in the way of our students’ success require resources and expertise from other organizations with complementary missions, if the issues are to be resolved. Objective 1.5.

Notable internal changes related to Strategic Issue: Increased Articulation Agreements, 2+2+2 Architecture Program, actively trying to increase community partnerships – list of agencies given out by Counselors & OSD, College Goal Sunday, Skillshops, Grants that reach out to community partners ex. DEI, mentor programs, Speaker & Workshop Series (Nursing, Theater, and Psychology), offering presentations and programs to community partners and educators (organizations and high schools) to better prepare prospective students.

Notable external changes related to Strategic Issue: Federal and state policies changing that make energies focused on complying instead of reaching out and vesting time in new initiatives. Challenges associated with students being underprepared academically and socially to handle rigor of college.


All agreed with the statement as it was written. I received some feedback on what we could do to help provide resources to students that have issues that stand in the way of their success:

-Open a Counseling Center that students could go to for help with any issues that present barriers and inhibit student success-Additional staffing - have academic advising as a separate staff than counselors (would have to add additional staff to handle high volume)-More advertisement of services available to the students - More training for faculty to identify issues, learn how to handle issues, and know where to refer students-More funding for Student Assistance Program and SOS funds-Continue services currently provided to students that link them to resources and seek ways to strengthen existing partnerships and add new community partnerships

Resources consulted in preparation of update(s): Chanda Torres, Jonathan Hernandez, Gloria Hines, Victor Collazo, Jillian Szentmiklosi, Brad Honious, Lucy Boudet, Jacquelyn Cole, John Stover, Joe Sarrubbo, Valencia website. (Prior conversations with Sonya Joseph, Jeff Danser, Linda Downing, Elisha Gonzalez-Bonnewitz, Nicole Schneller, Falecia Williams, Cynthia Cerrato, Nick Pantalioni.)

Team 1 Comments – Feb. 11, 2010 – OSD partners with the community to meet student needs. Locating existing, internal counseling resources is not always easy via our web site. Faculty may need training in identifying students who may need counseling. Advisor/counselor ratio is high.

Report from Goal Team 4.3/4.4, March 4, 2010 -

Prepared by: Cecil Battiste

Strategic Issue from 2006 Situational/Needs Analysis:

External Question #2: How might our relationships with community partners support, enhance, and detract from our ability to meet needs arising from community changes?

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Valencia has many relationships with community partners that support, enhance and/or detract from our ability to meet the needs within the communities we serve and all of those relationships were developing, changing and ongoing in 2006 when The Situational/Needs analysis was written.

Valencia’s campus in the Lake Nona area, which is being built, is certainly a note worthy internal change because it expands and extends Valencia’s partners in the South-West part of our service area.


The Direct Connect Program with UCF was mentioned in the 2006 Situational/Needs analysis document but it a reality now and not just a new agreement.


Our group considered how one of the strategic issues facing Valencia in 2008 relates to the situational/needs analysis created in 2006. Specifically, we considered strategic issue #10:

Many of the issues that stand in the way of our students’ success require resources and expertise from other organizations with complementary missions, if the issues are to be resolved.

Does Valencia still require the resources and expertise of other organizations? Of course. No education providing institution operates in a vacuum. Valencia will always need to partner and cooperate with various organizations such as (1) business and industry; (2) middle and high schools; (3) 4-year universities and colleges that accept Valencia students and (4) the community at large and there will always be both internal and external changes ongoing as the work progresses.

The situational/need to partner is still there. We must continue to expand and deepen partnerships with other organizations because our student’s success is interrelated with how well do so. There have been internal and external changes since the situational/needs analysis was created in 2006 but the changes aren’t as important as the end result of having community relationships that enhance Valencia’s missions.

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Strategic Issue #11: Valencia can expect delays and challenges in hiring due to the highly competitive market for key positions.

Prepared by: 3.2 Goal TeamStrategic Issue from 2006 Situational/Needs Analysis:


The primary goal has to be preparing our internal candidates to fill key positions and compete for promotion opportunities.

HR now has completely online application review process using PeopleAdmin. There are additional opportunities to improve the pre-screening process.

We’ve decreased the size of the interviewing committees so there are fewer scheduling conflicts and to help speed up the process of reviewing potential candidates.

Valencia has completed a phased implementation of a faculty compensation plan to make our positions more desirable/competitive.

Professional & Career staff positions have been moved to an HR classification and pay review to help keep positions competitive with the external market. The completion of the process has been put on hold as a result of budget issues.


The recent economic environment has resulted in a larger externally available talent pool; vastly increasing the number of applicants for the screening process. This scenario has increased the length of time it takes to respond to candidate pools because of the volume of applications received. Often by the time you identify the desired qualified candidates, they have accepted other positions.


We believe this statement stands true. We need to continue to refine the process in response to the current market environment.


Review of the 2008 – 2013 Strategic Plan The Strategic Plan’s Data Analysis Results Interview with Human Resources Employment Manager

Goal Team 3.3 Comments on Issue 11

(Of primary relevance to objective 3.3)

While the job market has changed since this was written, Valencia will always seek to hire “the cream of the crop.” Wellness offerings demonstrate that Valencia cares about those who work here and can serve as an important indicator to people whom we want to attract to fill open positions, helping us to be a first choice among the top applicants. The best people will want to work in an environment that includes attention to wellness and provides wellness programs.

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Additional comments offered: Kim Foster spoke with HR, and learned that the status of our wellness program has not been a problem for Valencia in attracting employees to date.

Report from Goal Team 4.3/4.4 – March 4, 2010

Prepared by: Andrea Bealler & Ron OliverNotable internal changes related to Strategic Issue:

Increased Student Enrollment - Total FTE 2008/2009: 26,821; total FTE 2007/2008: 24,227; Total FTE 2006/2007: 21,925 (Institutional Research)

Growing Osceola Campus - Reflects population growth in the county- Reported Population in 2008: 255,815; Projected Population for 2012: 451,900. Osceola County was reported as the 16th fastest growing county in the U.S. (Workforce Central Florida’s State of the Workforce Survey 2008)

Developing Southeast/Lake Nona Campus - Initial plans: 85,000- to 100,000-square-foot facility, which would open in spring 2012. Current staffing is limited, but will require additional faculty and staff as campus develops. (Orlando Business Journal, 12/18/09 & President Shugart’s College Update 11/2/09)

Applicants - Information regarding Valencia’s Applicant numbers, general quality of applicants, and employment projections has been requested from HR and is forthcoming. Brief will be updated and resubmitted once this information is received.


The Economy - “The economy is the number one challenge facing all employers regardless of location, size or industry sector. This is a major turn from only two years ago when the region’s economy was identified as the greatest strength.” (Workforce Central Florida’s State of the Workforce Survey 2008)

Rising Unemployment Rates - November 2009: Florida: 11.6%, Orange County: 11.8%, Osceola County: 13.4% ; December 2008: Florida: 7.6%, Orange County: 7.8%, Osceola County: 8.7%; December 2007: Florida: 4.5%, Orange County: 4.2%, Osceola County: 4.8% (Workforce Central Florida’s Employer News, 1/22/2010)

Higher Education Trends - “From Sept. 2008 to September 2009 the total number of jobs in the U.S. economy declined 4.2% while the number of higher education jobs was only down .2%” It was also noted that colleges and universities have shifted hiring towards faculty positions and away from administrative/staff hires. Nationally, demand at community colleges is stronger than that of universities, driven in part but the economy and workers returning to college to gain additional skills and education. (Higher Education Employment Report, November 2009)

Budget Cuts - The State of Florida cut funding to higher education by 6% last fiscal year (The Chronicle of Higher Education-2/17/09)

Trend - Other colleges and universities (including institutions in Florida) have had layoffs and eliminated academic programs adding additional candidates to the job market. (South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Economic Recovery Programs - Obama's new higher-education initiative includes funding for: construction and renovation at the nation's community colleges, development of new online courses and funding for "challenge grants" aimed at spurring innovation at the colleges. (Washington Post-7/15/2009 & speech transcription on Whitehouse.gov)

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Example: Workforce Central Florida is utilizing Recovery Act funds to add and expand several opportunities for job seekers and employers, specifically -1,300 additional training scholarships of $2,500 to $5,000. (Florida Office of Economic Recovery website)


Include acknowledgment of the college’s growth in student enrollment and facilities “Key positions” may change or be created due to new initiatives created by economic recovery efforts and

college expansion.


Valencia Community College Institutional Research and Human Resources Departments Workforce Central Florida, State of the Workforce Survey 2008 Orlando Business Journal, 12/18/09 President Shugart’s College Update, 11/2/09 Workforce Central Florida’s Employer News, 1/22/2010 Higher Education Employment Report, November 2009 The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2/17/09 South Florida Sun Sentinel, 4/16/2009 The Washington Post, 7/15/2009 Remarks By the President on the American Graduation Initiative, 7/14/2009 (whitehouse.gov) Florida Office of Economic Recovery website (flarecovery.com)

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Strategic Issue #12: Current faculty & staff have unrealized potential that should be developed to further the College’s goals.

Prepared by: 3.2 Goal TeamStrategic Issue from 2006 Situational/Needs Analysis:

Notable internal changes related to Strategic Issue:Two notable internal changes have occurred since this issue was identified in 2006:

Faculty has implemented a Professional Development Plan that includes financial incentives for professional growth and HR is piloting a new performance appraisal process that includes a component for each individual to set appropriate career goals.

Valencia Enterprises is partnering with HR on the rollout of their plan this year, which includes training for all staff.

Both of these will impact the way faculty and staff view and respond to their individual development needs. The new performance process is a good starting point for aligning internal professional development.

Plans should include other systems to support professional development.

Notable external changes related to Strategic Issue: Our Data Analysis Results from the 2006 Strategic Planning process indicate that the number of students

starting at community colleges will increase at the same time that the retirement of baby boomers is creating workforce vacancies.

Current HR trends predict that the necessity of growing talent from within will continue to increase for this very reason. In addition, our current expansion plans will only add to the need to grow and develop our employees to their full potential.

While none of this has changed, recent economic conditions may delay the exodus of baby boomers from the workforce. It is not clear at this time how significant this delay may be.

Update(s) suggested to the Issue Statement and/or to the Situational/Needs Analysis narrative: While there has been some progress on this issue, there is still a need for further development and support.

We feel this issue is still valid.

Resources consulted in preparation of update(s): Review of the 2008 – 2013 Strategic Plan The Strategic Plan’s Data Analysis Results Input from HR/Valencia Enterprises on the new Performance Appraisal process Review of “Alerting a Talent Void” article in NACUBO’s Business Officer journal regarding Daytona

College’s response to the anticipated leadership gap caused by retirements HR.com


(Of primary relevance to objective 3.3) Energy that comes from being healthy is important to job performance. Wellness fuels us and helps to develop our human potential. Likewise, stress reduction techniques help us to perform well.

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Strategic Issues Brief #13 – Sally WitcampCollege staffing levels, systems and processes can sometimes lead students to feel as if they are “numbers” rather than persons to be served. Objectives 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 (based on the consequence of the issue.) Follow up: Sally Witcamp

This has a direct effect on at least four of the “Big Hairy Audacious Goals” (BHAGs) on page 37 of the Strategic Plan.

1. Every student develops high aspirations and the tools to achieve them.2. Each student is treated as a person to be respected, challenged and served, and not as a problem to be solved.3. Valencia’s students can begin to pursue any higher educational goal by starting at Valencia.4. Valencia creates learning experiences designed to support each student’s needs and aspirations.


Refer to Strategic Plan 2008-2013, External and Internal Questions beginning on page 19.

I.Q. 1: How does Valencia invite or restrict access to higher education?

Our Doors are Opening Wider: Valencia is experiencing record enrollment. Offerings of Flex Start courses and on-line courses have expanded. The record enrollment has posed a challenge to facility and faculty/staff resources.

Barrier: the Front-Door. “Valencia may be losing prospective students during their earliest experiences with our college, before they even register for class.” (2008-2013 Strategic Plan, pg. 27) The enrollment process can be very confusing and frustrating for many of our students. Record enrollment combined with the current economic situation has resulted in facility and staffing challenges.

I.Q. 2. What are the perceptions of students (current and prospective) about access to the college and their experiences in attending Valencia?“Many assume that the space will always be available for them at Valencia—a belief that may be challenged in the coming years should increasing demand outpace our available resources.” (Strategic Plan 2008-2013, p. 29) In many ways, we have already reached this point. For example, students coming in at the end of registration are able to complete the enrollment process, attend New Student Orientation, and then find they are not able to complete a schedule. Lack of mandated courses forces students to post-pone enrollment.


E.Q. 1: What are the potential changes to our community and its needs between 2003 and 2013? What are the most significant changes that will impact the programs and services Valencia delivers to the community to meet those needs?

Refer to Strategic Plan 2008-2013, External and Internal Questions beginning on page 19.

Current economic situation was not a consideration (not predicted) when the plan was written.

The Population Growth Explosion Continues: Florida’s population actually declined in 2008, losing 58,000 residents. (1) (At the same time, our enrollment has risen due to the loss of jobs in Central Florida.)

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Additional Job Growth on the Horizon: Florida’s seasonally adjusted annual unemployment for December was 11.8%, up 4.2% from December 2008. (2)

E.Q.2: How might our relationships with community and partners support, enhance, and detract from our ability to meet needs arising from community changes:

Partnerships with Middle Schools and High Schools: The College Transitions Team currently has fourteen different programs annually to include Middle School and High School audiences, including College Night, Counselor Day, High School Visits, Freshman Orientation and College Preview Days.

E.Q.4: What is our current and projected public policy environment, our strategy for navigating that environment, and the results we wish to achieve in garnering resources to serve our employees, clients and students?

State Funding: Valencia continues to be under-funded compared to the Florida community system average. The current economic situation has resulted in even higher fees for students than was originally predicted. State funding is unpredictable and on an annual basis. This has had a direct effect on services to students.


Recent changes in the economy should be reflected in Situational/Needs Analysis


Valencia Community College Strategic Plan 2008-2013; (1) Floridians for a Sustainable Population; (2) State of Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation

Goal Team Two comments – February 9 –

CCSSE data may assist in addressing the extent to which students have person to person experiences, as opposed to feeling like a number. The Foundations of Excellence work will also focus on this during the first year of college. We are adding positions to serve students as the budget allows. The team inquired about whether IR can analyze staffing levels and FTE served.

Goal Team One comments – February 11, 2010 –

To what extent is the issue statement accurate and is it applicable more to those who are entering? Closely ties to issue 8. Process evaluation is needed since bureaucracy can get in the way. Atlas is not very user-friendly. Students are frustrated and hurt when they lose their entire schedule over financial deadlines. If something on Valencia’s end is at fault, can’t we fix that? Need to determine what makes students feel like a number and not a person. It is thought to be most likely up front in the admission and enrollment processes. What can we do to eliminate this feeling?

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Strategic Issue # 14 – Melissa Pedone

The College’s operating, technology and capital budgets do not always align clearly with the strategic plan. Objectives 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5.


Significant increases in student enrollment. Development of the Lake Nona Campus.


Poor economic climate impacting funding and enrollment. Delays in funding capital projects. Holds on state matching funds for the Foundation.


External question #4 “What is our current and projected public policy environment, our strategy for navigating that environment, and the results we wish to achieve in garnering resources to serve our employees, clients, and students?

o Update the status of state matching grants for Foundation endowments.

Internal question #4 “How do our fiscal, facility, technological, student affairs and human resources capabilities, policies and strategies support and/or hinder students in meeting their learning goals?”

o Funding for the “Hi-Tech Classroom Building 4 (Osceola Campus)” has been significantly delayed. o In the “Facilities” section the Southeast Campus should be updated to reflect the progress on the

development of Lake Nona.o Significant growth in enrollment since 2006 should impact the statistic “Career Program advisors

report that Fall 2006 student contacts increased 28% compared to Spring 2005” in the Student Affairs section.


Strategic Plan for 2008-2013 “Situational/Needs Analysis”

http://valenciacc.edu/strategicplan/documents/StratPlanBOOKMARKED_000.pdf

Goal Team 3.3 Comments on Issue 14

Issue 14 (primary relevance)This issue requires that we examine the extent to which we have committed funding and space to activities that fall under 3.3.See data gathered for the Wellness Program and from HR.

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http://valenciacc.edu/strategicplan/documents/StratPlanBOOKMARKED_000.pdf

Report from Goal Team 4.3/4.4 – March 4, 2010

Prepared by: Susan Stone and Barbara Frazier


-The amount allocated for Instruction in the operating budget has increased by 26.2% over the last three years. Some of this may be attributed to an increase in instructional cost, but Valencia has been intentional about providing courses for students when they need them (Precision Scheduling). This directly supports Goal 1.3 – Goal Achievement

- The amount allocated for Staff Program Development in the operating budget has increased by 36% over the last three years. We continue to evaluate the needs of the employee for professional development and training to ascertain its effectiveness. This increase is consistent with Goal 3 – Invest in Each Other


With state cuts to college programs running as high as 20% in some areas, Valencia Community College’s efforts to emerge as a first-tier investment the for philanthropic community is mission critical. One of the areas that can greatly benefit from this practice is to support our Capital Outlay projects. Efforts should be made to identify key partners with whom we share mutual goals and objectives. These partners can be from our business or educational community. The Valencia/UCF Joint-Use Facility project is a shining example of the results that could be achieved through joint ventures.

In the future, companies with clean green, health care or information technology initiatives would be great partner to support for example, the Lake Nona campus as well as some of our newly-proposed baccalaureate degree programs.


The College’s operating, technology and capital budgets has made significant strides in aligning with the Strategic Plan.


The Valencia Session Report – May 19, 2009 -Operating Budget FY 0607-0910-PECO Allocations FY 0707-0910-Conversation with Keith Houck, Vice President of Administration- Strategic Indicators Report - 2005-2006

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PROPOSED ADDED STRATEGIC ISSUE FROM GOALTEAM TWO:

Impediments in systems, processes, and curricula

See report on Gold Standards submitted by Joe Lynn Look, on the Big Meeting web site.

She provided this note:

I know the articulations for industry certifications were discussed at our last Strategic Goal One meeting. It looks as though the first of the industry certification articulations will be in place for next fall. I have copied Karen Borglum (if I remember correctly she was gathering articulation information). This will be something very different for Valencia, because we have not awarded credit solely on certifications in the past.

Goal Team 1 Comments – Feb 11, 2010

This was integrated into Issue #7.

Note from Amy Bosley and Susan Kelley:

This also has ties to issue 13.

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