2012 – 2015

Strategic Plan

Greetings,

It is such an exciting time at Lone Star College-Tomball! We have gorgeous new buildings and wonderful students to fill them. There are several initiatives underway that will continue to propel our system as a national leader among community colleges. We continue to see healthy enrollment growth at our campus. And, there is a strong commitment among the faculty and staff to provide a rigorous and productive learning experience for our students.

Even during times of success, it remains critically important to review our vision and stay focused on a strategic and purposeful plan of action. Therefore, through a broad-based process that engaged a large number of faculty and staff in thoughtful dialogue about the future of Lone Star College-Tomball, a three-year strategic plan for 2012 – 2015 has been developed. This plan was built upon strategic initiatives that have been adopted for the Lone Star College System. However, specific objectives and actions have been identified to guide our campus through the next three years.

As President, I couldn’t be more proud of the good work we are accomplishing on behalf of students and our community. I extend my sincerest appreciation to those who participated in the development of the 2012 – 2015 Strategic Plan.

Sincerely,

Dr. Susan Karr President

A Message from our President

Our Vision and Mission

Lone Star College System provides comprehensive educational opportunities and programs to enrich lives.

Lone Star College System is recognized globally as the premier community college for student success, innovation and partnerships.

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Our Value Statements

Affordable AccessWe believe that the Lone Star College System provides an affordable and accessible educational experience which meets the needs of its diverse communities.

Building Communities and PartnershipsWe believe that the Lone Star College System is the catalyst for promoting a seamless educational journey and for nurturing the intellectual and cultural life of the community.

Commitment to International EducationWe believe that the Lone Star College System demonstrates its commitment to international education by embracing multiple perspectives, promoting understanding and educating students to become contributing members in a culturally and ethnically diverse world.

CommunicationWe believe that the achievement of the Vision and Mission of the Lone Star College System requires an

which rewards excellence and innovation, creates opportunities for professional development, fosters meaningful involvement in shared governance and provides excellent compensation.

LeadershipWe believe that the Lone Star College System, building on a solid foundation of growth and service, is a recognized leader in the community college movement, making important contributions to the profession through partnerships, innovation, scholarship, creative services and integrated technologies.

Learning EnvironmentWe believe that the Lone Star College System is a dynamic learning environment, distinguished by academic freedom and excellence in teaching, allowing citizens to develop to the full extent of their ability, to succeed in a competitive work environment and to be effective lifelong learners.

StewardshipWe believe that the Lone Star College System is committed to rigorous stewardship of the resources entrusted to its care to ensure maximum benefit for the community.

TechnologyWe believe that technology is a critical resource in supporting and achieving instructional, operational and strategic goals of the Lone Star College System.

effective system of communication among both internal and external constituencies.

DiversityWe believe the Lone Star College System provides an inclusive learning and working environment for our diverse students, faculty, administrators and staff and that our System programs, services and personnel reflect the communities we serve.

Economic and Workforce DevelopmentWe believe that the Lone Star College System serves as the critical link for economic and workforce development to provide prosperity through partnerships with business, government and community organizations.

Ethics/IntegrityWe believe that it is essential that all Lone Star College System employees adhere to the highest standards of ethics and integrity.

Evaluation/AccountabilityWe believe that it is essential that the Lone Star College System employ data-supported decision making and regularly assess the impact and outcomes of our efforts for continuous improvement.

Human ResourcesWe believe that the most important resources of the Lone Star College System are the individual faculty and staff members, who are entitled to a supportive collegial work environment

Our Framework

1.1 Strengthen all academic and student support services. 1.1.1 Establish academic advising model based on targeted cohort groups.1.1.2 Improve knowledge of student services staff through training and the provision of support materials and resources.1.1.3 Improve student awareness of and satisfaction with all academic and support services. Use results to celebrate areas of strength and to effect improvements in identified areas of weakness.1.1.4 Improve faculty and staff knowledge and awareness of student success departments’ functions and services.1.1.5 Expand student services programs to fulfill identified gaps, meet enrollment demands and support other system initiatives.

1.2 Focus on discipline-specific advising opportunities.1.2.1 Improve effectiveness of discipline-specific advising resulting in an annual increase in completion rates and retention from fall to fall.1.2.2 Conduct an Academic Majors Fair where faculty and area professionals are available to answer questions for students about opportunities in various academic majors.1.2.3 Increase availability of workforce advisors.

1.3 Develop a method to track student goals and completion.1.3.1 Utilize a system to track student use of support services and track students’ progress toward goal completion and milestones. Implement tracking system.1.3.2 Improve graduation application processing and tracking resulting in an annual increase of graduates.

1.4 Strengthen clarity of degree program course requirements.1.4.1 Provide students with resources that clearly indicate current degree plan requirements.1.4.2 Develop a proactive advising system that allows for increased degree planning advising opportunities and results in an annual increase in completion rates and retention from fall to fall.

Goal 1INCREASE COMPLETION AND ACHIEVEMENT OF ALL STUDENTS.

Our Framework

2.1 Maintain faculty driven academic review process of programs.2.1.1 Increase full-time and adjunct faculty awareness of the academic program review process. 2.1.2 Increase full-time and adjunct faculty involvement in the academic program review process.

2.2 Make accountability and performance transparent to stakeholders.2.2.1 Distribute Annual Performance and Accountability Report on student success, completion and engagement to internal and external constituents.2.2.2 Simplify access to existing sources of performance and accountability data.

2.3 Maintain high academic standards.2.3.1 Cultivate a campus culture that fosters a commitment to high academic standards through meaningful on- going conversations about academic rigor, integrity, freedom and responsibility.

2.3.2 Strengthen oversight of dual credit curriculum and instruction.2.3.3 Pursue external accreditation opportunities.2.3.4 Improve the validity and usefulness of students’ course evaluations.

2.4 Enhance community service learning programs.2.4.1 Increase awareness of faculty, staff and students about service learning opportunities.2.4.2 Increase numbers of faculty and students who participate in service learning opportunities.

2.5 Develop faculty driven outcome assessment.2.5.1 Transform the culture so that outcomes assessment is understood and valued.2.5.2 Implement institutional effectiveness processes in accordance with new system guidelines.

Goal 2PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY ACADEMIC INSTRUCTION.

3.1 Strengthen student orientation programs.3.1.1 Increase participation in new first-time-in-college (FTIC) student orientation annually. 3.1.2 Increase effectiveness of orientation program in strengthening students’ knowledge about available services on campus.3.1.3 Improve awareness of ADA resources on campus.

3.2 Improve visibility of student and on-line support services.3.2.1 Promote all available student services more prominently throughout the college and in the community.3.2.2 Create a centralized point of access to on-line support services available at LSC- Tomball.

3.3 Enhance student service assistance to speakers of other languages. 3.3.1 Increase availability of Spanish-language resources.3.3.2 Increase number of translators in student services.3.3.3 Connect with more families for whom English is a second language through increased outreach efforts.3.3.4 Increase enrollment in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses.

3.4 Promote student engagement and connectivity.3.4.1 Encourage interested faculty to participate in advising.3.4.2 Increase fall-to-fall retention of special populations of students, including FTIC, veterans, PASS, GED, international and disabled students.3.4.3 Increase opportunities for student involvement in planning and implementation of campus events and activities.

3.5 Enhance quality and visibility of extra-curricular and student organizations across the system.3.5.1 Establish learning outcomes for student life and all student organizations. 3.5.2 Connect activities, events and programs to classes. 3.5.3 Increase student participation in extracurricular activities and student organizations.

3.6 Strengthen career and job placement services for students.3.6.1 Establish a stand-alone career center for students.3.6.2 Establish more internships and a program for business and industry leaders to come to campus to speak to students about jobs and skills needed.3.6.3 Establish collaborative processes between career services and advising and counseling.

Goal 3PROVIDE QUALITY STUDENT FOCUSED SERVICE.

Our Framework

4.1 Deliver quality education to the regional and global workforce.4.1.1 Develop new workforce programs in collaboration with the Workforce Council.4.1.2 Support international initiatives and campuses.4.1.3 Strengthen the relationship between credit and continuing education. 4.1.4 Partner with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to help existing companies grow and compete in today’s global economy.4.1.5 Strengthen existing workforce programs.

4.2 Expand flexible class offerings.4.2.1 Maximize the number of second-start and fast-track course offerings and reach enrollment potential.4.2.2 Maximize the number of weekend and evening course offerings and reach enrollment potential.4.2.3 Expand self-paced, computer-based developmental math courses.4.2.4 Increase number of online students.4.2.5 Explore offering early morning (6 a.m.) and late evening (10 p.m.) classes.

4.3 Increase opportunities to diverse populations in the region.4.3.1 Develop educational and support programs to reach underserved populations in Tomball’s service area.4.3.2 Re-establish a Study Abroad Program.4.3.2 Implement recommendations of Foundations of Excellence (FoE) Diversity Dimension Committee.

4.3.3 Revitalize orientation and mentoring programs for International students.4.3.4 Promote the message that “college-is-an-option” for citizens of all ages in the Tomball service area.

4.4 Promote financial aid and scholarship opportunities to students.4.4.1 Develop scholarship programs for unique populations (i.e., music, online, workforce, diversity, etc.).4.4.2 Fully utilize existing scholarships.4.4.3 Increase utilization of Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funding for students in workforce programs.4.4.4 Generate additional external funding for scholarships.4.4.5 Partner with business and industry for equipment donations and potential faculty.4.4.6 Improve communication regarding financial aid and scholarships to internal stakeholders.

4.5 Provide high-quality facilities convenient to all students.4.5.1 Enhance current facilities to meet changing needs and demands.4.5.2 Improve ADA accessibility in buildings and around campus.

Goal 4MAINTAIN AFFORDABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY.

5.1 Strengthen system-wide orientation programs for all employees.5.1.1 Develop and promote formal, onboarding process for new LSC-Tomball full-time faculty and staff, part-time staff and adjunct faculty.

5.2 Expand active mentoring and professional development programs for all employees.5.2.1 Support and communicate HETI requirements for all new full-time faculty and their supervisors. 5.2.2 Develop a formal mentoring program for all new full-time administrators and staff as appropriate. 5.2.3 Create mentoring opportunities for new full-time administrators and staff.5.2.4 Expand professional development activities.

5.3 Foster a culture of feedback and continuous performance improvement.5.3.1 Establish a formal development plan for career ladder progression.5.3.2 Ensure formal evaluations are conducted for all employees in accordance with college policy.5.3.3 Conduct informal evaluations of new full-time employees on an on-going basis during their first year of employment.5.3.4 Celebrate and promote faculty and staff excellence.

5.4 Provide employee compensation package competitive with benchmark employers.5.4.1 Assist SO with compensation analysis of benchmark employers to ensure LSC-Tomball employees are compensated within the accepted range of the benchmark schools.

5.5 Promote an inclusive workplace that celebrates and values all.5.5.1 Ensure the LSC-Tomball campus culture reflects the diversity of the communities we serve.5.5.2 Embrace a concept of diversity beyond ethnicity to include gender, sexual orientation and differing philosophies to create shared application and understanding of differing viewpoints.5.5.3 Include adjunct faculty more purposefully in the college community.

5.6 Maximize human resources to achieve system mission and goals.5.6.1 Create a trained workforce on current technologies, processes and procedures, ensuring that employees are cross-trained for critical processes.5.6.2 Assess, develop and document critical operational processes.

Goal 5RECRUIT AND RETAIN TALENTED FULL AND PART-TIME FACULTY, ADMINISTRATORS AND STAFF.

Our Framework

6.1 Promote electronic communications.6.1.1 Expand use of electronic communication resources to communicate with college community.6.1.2 Increase students’ use of My.LoneStar.edu for email and text messaging.

6.2 Strengthen interpersonal communication within system.6.2.1 Nurture a campus culture that promotes visibility and accessibility of system-office leaders.6.2.2 Promote an environment of open communications vertically and horizontally throughout the organizational structure.

6.3 Continuously improve LSCS website.6.3.1 Keep LSC-Tomball webpages, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts accurate and current.6.3.2 Ensure that the LSC-Tomball website is comprehensive and easy to navigate.

6.4 Maintain a consistent emergency/crisis notification and response plan.6.4.1 Ensure the college community is fully prepared to respond to, recover from, and mitigate losses due to an emergency or crisis situation.

6.4.2 Communicate emergency response procedures that are clearly visible and easily understood by visitors, students and employees throughout all LSC-Tomball buildings.

6.5 Continue LSCS brand to improve system recognition, cohesion and pride.6.5.1 Showcase successes of students and employees internally and externally.6.5.2 Increase understanding and compliance with LSCS branding standards.

6.6 Promote system-wide connectivity. 6.6.1 Create a campus culture in which employees readily bring information back to campus.6.6.2 Increase employee knowledge of the role and purpose of system-wide councils and committees.

Goal 6ENHANCE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL SYSTEMS OF COMMUNICATION.

Goal 7STRENGTHEN EFFICIENCIES IN OPERATIONS.

7.1 Refine business procedures across system.7.1.1 Develop local Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) guide for campus-wide business processes and procedures to supplement existing documentation.7.1.2 Increase satisfaction with customer service areas.

7.2 Increase revenues and decrease costs.7.2.1 Develop departmental budget monitoring system.7.2.2 Increase overall contact hours.7.2.3 Improve efficiencies in the purchasing process.

7.3 Maximize efficient use of state, local and federal funds.7.3.1 Utilize total Perkins allocation each year.7.3.2 Raise consciousness of ways to be effective stewards of existing resources by reducing waste and increasing recycling efforts.

7.3.3. Increase income from alternative sources of revenues, including auxiliary services and facilities rentals. 7.3.4. Increase use of Telepresence, WebEx and Skype to reduce mileage and travel costs.7.3.5 Reduce campus copying costs.

7.4 Identify resources for innovative projects.7.4.1 Increase the amount of external funding flowing into LSC-Tomball. 7.4.2 Establish a campus process for independently seeking small grants.

Our Framework

8.1 Strengthen relationships with local, national, and global profit and non- profit entities.8.1.1 Establish LSC-Tomball as a valued and conscientious partner in the service area communities.8.1.2 Publicly recognize entities who partner with LSC- Tomball and/or who contribute to the communities in the service area.8.1.3 Give back to the communities we serve by taking a visible role in community efforts.

8.2 Engage in partnerships to develop programs in existing and emerging career areas.8.2.1 Follow-through on existing partnership opportunities.8.2.2 Pursue new partnership opportunities.

8.3 Promote enrollment in technical programs to meet projected workforce needs.8.3.1 Improve relationship with high school teachers in technical programs.

8.3.2 Create and/or update workforce program marketing materials.8.3.3 Implement Strategic Enrollment Management and Integrated Marketing Plan.8.3.4 Connect college students involved in student organizations with ISD students.

8.4 Expand relationships with P-12 to inspire/promote postsecondary education.8.4.1 Establish a LSC-Tomball P-16 Council, in accordance with guidance by system P-16 Council, to accomplish system and local goals.8.4.2 Inform independent school districts about the performance of their students at LSC-Tomball.8.4.3 Expand workforce dual credit offerings.

Goal 8DEVELOP AND SUSTAIN MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL PARTNERSHIPS.

Goal 9LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY TO INCREASE AND ENHANCE EDUCATION, OPERATION, AND INNOVATION COMPETITIVENESS.

9.1 Expand IT security initiatives, procedures, and awareness.9.1.1 Raise user awareness of IT security.

9.2 Develop a System-wide strategic plan for LSC-Online.9.2.1 Support the effort to develop a strategic plan for LSC-Online.

9.3 Create a technology training guideline for faculty, staff, and students.9.3.1 Identify specific training guidelines or pathways defined by role and job requirements at LSC-Tomball.9.3.2 Develop a matrix outlining technology tools and processes needed for specific roles or job functions at LSC-Tomball.

9.4 Improve and increase IT resources that enable agility and innovation.9.4.1 Optimize communications between OTS and instructional and administrative support units.9.4.2 Increase the number of applications submitted for campus innovation grants.9.4.3 Increase the number of applications submitted to the Chancellor’s innovation grant.

9.5 Expand access to new and emerging technologies.9.5.1 Identify internal and external funding sources for pilot testing of new and emerging technologies.9.5.2 Raise awareness of new and emerging technologies and solicit participation in pilot testing groups.9.5.3 Create pilot testing groups for new and emerging technologies.9.5.4 Identify existing technology implementations that can be repurposed in an innovative manner.

9.6 Recruit and retain talented IT professionals to increase technology effectiveness, efficiency, and value.9.6.1 Emphasize professional development opportunities to OTS team members.

Our Framework

Goal 10PLAN AND MANAGE SUSTAINABLE QUALITY GROWTH.

10.1 Build innovative, environmentally sustainable learning facilities.10.1.1 Plan for opening of Creekside Campus.10.1.2 Explore building a new student services building on LSC-Tomball campus.10.1.3 Enhance innovative and environmental features of LSC-Tomball campus.10.1.4 Plan for completion of 3rd floor of the Health Science Building.10.1.5 Participate in HWY 249 coalition.

10.2 Strengthen security measures across system.10.2.1 Establish clear plans and protocols for preventing, responding to and recovering from threats on campus. 10.2.2 Implement required training for faculty, staff, students and employees on plans and protocols for preventing, responding to and recovering from threats on campus. 10.2.3 Improve mechanisms for communicating about threats on campus.10.2.4 Ensure sufficient staffing levels for Police Department to maximize coverage at all times and at all campus locations. 10.2.5 Improve existing security equipment to maximize usefulness and coverage of all locations. 10.2.6 Improve cell phone connectivity on campus.

10.3 Promote facility management to support growth.10.3.1 Provide sufficient parking for students, visitors, faculty and staff.10.3.2 Ensure sufficient staffing levels for Facilities Department.

10.4 Maximize efficient utilization of space.10.4.1 Study campus usage potential, identify existing inefficiencies and determine under-represented times and underutilized areas.10.4.2 Incorporate facility utilization information into the process of building credit course schedules.10.4.3 Convert existing space to meet instructional needs.10.4.4 Convert existing space to meet student services needs.

10.5 Continuously monitor trends to anticipate growth.10.5.1 Target areas North and West of Tomball as a source for enrollment growth.10.5.2 Project impact of the completion of the Grand Parkway that will connect Katy to Tomball.

About Lone Star College

Each employee at Lone Star College represents a LSC promise to help people improve their lives through training and education.

That promise becomes an integral part of the LSC brand and reputation. The brand of Lone Star College is not just a logo, a design or a color scheme. It is how a phone gets answered, how an employee treats a student, how a course is taught and how a student advisory session is conducted. It’s all of these things and more.

The system’s six colleges—LSC-CyFair, LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Montgomery, LSC-North Harris, LSC-Tomball, and LSC-University Park—provide educational excellence for students of all ages with a multitude of educational needs. Through its progressive partnerships with four-year universities, LSCS can also offer seamless opportunities to obtain bachelor’s and master’s degrees at one of its two University Centers.

As the largest college system in the greater Houston area and the fastest-growing in the state of Texas, Lone Star College is well-positioned for even more growth. But accomplishing the goals, mission and vision of Lone Star College requires input and participation by the entire Lone Star College family. The Lone Star College reputation depends on it.

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Board of Trustees Randy Bates, J.D., ChairDavid Holsey, D.D.S., Vice ChairPriscilla Kelly, SecretaryDavid A. Vogt, Assistant SecretaryRobert J. Adam, J.D.Thomas J. Forestier, J.D.Linda S. Good, J.D.Stephanie MarquardBob Wolfe, J.D., CPA

Dr. Richard Carpenter, Chancellor

LSC-CyFair9191 Barker Cypress Rd.Cypress, TX 77433-1383281.290.3200

LSC-Kingwood20000 Kingwood Dr.Kingwood, TX 77339-3801281.312.1600

LSC-Montgomery3200 College Park Dr.Conroe, TX 77384-4500936.273.7000

LSC-North Harris2700 W.W. Thorne Blvd.Houston, TX 77073-3499281.618.5400

LSC-Tomball30555 Tomball ParkwayTomball, TX 77375-4036281.351.3300

LSC-University Park20515 SH 249 (SH 249 and Louetta Road)Houston, TX 77070-2607 281.290.2600

Opening doorsto student success and completion.

LSC-University Center at Montgomery3232 College Park Dr.The Woodlands, TX 77384-4500281.618.7140

LSC-University Center at University Park20515 SH 249 (SH 249 and Louetta Road)Houston, TX 77070-2607 281.290.2600