It has been almost one year since Dr. Tim Taylor was selected as the President of Shawnee Community College and in this past year many changes have taken place at SCC. After several months of dealing with Covid-19 restrictions that could have prevented forward progress, the SCC Board of Trustees and Dr. Taylor were undeterred in their efforts to chart a new course for SCC’s future as they worked together to institute a new strategic plan for the college.
At its regular meeting on Tuesday, July 6, Dr. Taylor presented the new data driven plan and the Shawnee Community College Board of Trustees approved the plan that is set to guide the institution through 2025. The new plan will assist the college with fulfilling the mission of SCC to provide quality higher education, community education, training, and services that are accessible, affordable, and promote life-long learning.
Board Chairman Mr. Steve Heisner said, “The plan includes significant input from all areas of the college community as well as the district constituency at large. As an evidence-based plan, it provides a structure for the future growth and development of the college and for the first time in recent memory provides a platform that ties the strategic plan not only to the college’s fiscal planning and budget process but also a focused revision of the college’s current policy manual and the development of new policies and procedures that provide governance ensuring that the plan is both dynamic and accountable. Dr. Taylor and his team have done an outstanding job providing a well thought out framework that will guide SCC into the future.”
“This plan represents the voice of many of our community members. The focus of our strategic plan is the result of numerous discussions that took place with stakeholders and helped us to build our strategy around their input and to move the College in a positive direction, genuinely making a significant impact on our community.” – Dr. Taylor
SCC’s new plan was recently released publicly on the college website along with two additional documents: a research-based tool, called The Shawnee Community College Effectiveness System (SCCES), and the “College Status Report”. Both documents were created to ensure the strategic plan was informed by data during the development of the strategic plan. The College’s new plan provides a complete refresh of the 2019 plan and includes numerous changes developed around four specific goals:
Goal 1: Identifying and Developing Programs that Meet the Educational Needs of the Community and Region.
Goal 2: Increasing Student Completion 10% by FY23.
Goal 3: Strengthening College Processes and Systems in Ways that Create an Institutional Culture of Excellence, Inclusiveness, Engagement, Accountability, and Mutual Respect.
Goal 4: Strengthening the College’s Infrastructure in Ways that Promotes Student Learning, Completion, and Institutional Sustainability.
The new plan also has an increased focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion and provides a framework that offers a more inclusive campus environment for students, faculty, and staff. The plan was approved just in time to provide a guiding framework as SCC moves towards the fall semester which begins on August 18th. Rob Betts, Executive College Director of Communications for the college says that there is an air of hopefulness around campus from the employees. “We are grateful for the effort made by the Board and Dr. Taylor to provide a framework that we feel will meet the needs of the entire SCC community We are confident that the future is bright for our students and our community.”
For more information about the new strategic plan or to view the plan and The Shawnee Community College Status Report visit the strategic planning webpage.