Strategic Plan | 2020-2023

The strategic plan, developed in 2015 with input from a wide variety of internal and external constituents, has become an integral part of how St. Louis Community College operates. The plan guided us through achieving major projects such as redesigning developmental education, establishing the online college, improving operations, and most importantly, enhancing our students’ experience. The strategic plan also guides day-to-day operations such as budgeting and performance evaluations. As a result, the strategic plan is now a living document embedded in all aspects of St. Louis Community College’s operations.

The 2020-2023 Strategic Plan was also developed with input from internal and external college community members. It continues some multiyear projects from the previous plan and includes several new ones designed to continuously improve the student experience. Ongoing projects like sound fiscal management are especially critical in the current global environment. New projects such as implementing a student app and streamlining the entire student entry process will help us serve students better. Other new projects, including the strategic facilities plan, will help us maximize the College’s resources and help us respond to student and community needs. As part of our process to build out the 2023 Strategic Plan, we also revisited and refreshed our mission, vision, and core values statements.

The following illustrates the high-level aspects of the plan including the vision, mission, core values, strategic themes, and broad goals for the 2020-2023 Strategic Plan. I would like to thank all our students, faculty, staff, trustees, and community members who contributed to our Strategic Plan, and I invite you to stay engaged with us in the years ahead.

Sincerely,

Jeff L. Pittman, Ph.D., Chancellor

MISSION

Empowering students. Expanding minds. Changing lives.

VISION

St. Louis Community College will be a national leader and model institution for inclusive and transformative education that strengthens the communities we serve through the success of our students.

VALUES

▶ Students First

Everything we do supports student success and removes barriers.

▶ Respect for All

We promote equitable treatment and respectful discourse in all interactions with students, each other, and the community.

▶ Integrity

We act with honesty, trustworthiness, and ethical behavior.

▶ Collaboration

Working collectively, we achieve more than working individually or within separate groups.

▶ Data Informed

We make decisions in the best interests of students and the institution based on reliable data.

2020 - 2023 Strategic Plan Themes, Goals and Projects

THEME 1:  PREMIER STUDENT EXPERIENCE

Supporting Departments: Academic Affairs; Student Affairs

Goal A.
Provide academic experiences designed to prepare students for success in their chosen field of study.

1. Continue to accelerate academic readiness through developmental education innovation.
2. Explore opportunities for districtwide academic programming.
3. Expand opportunities in dual credit, dual enrollment and early college.
4. Expand opportunities for apprenticeships, credit for prior learning, articulation agreements and transfer agreements.
5. Expand programming to promote inclusion, diversity and global education.
6. Identify programs and courses suitable for the online modality.
7. Implement best practices in online course development, redevelopment and instruction.
8. Enhance support services and increased communication channels for distance learners.
9. Create, modify and publicize policies, processes, and procedures for the Online Campus.
10. Promote the Online Campus in collaboration with marketing and communications.

Goal B.
Provide students with outstanding support services.

1. Build on the Students 1st philosophy.
2. Identify recruitment outreach opportunities, design effective recruitment strategies and tactics and improve the overall new student experience.
3. Create guided pathways for students’ continued enrollment and develop specific strategies to increase student success and completion.
4. Streamline key points in the onboarding process to increase the enrollment of newly admitted students.
5. Support students through a strong advising process, embedded in the pathway experience and supported by appropriate technology, to help students make informed choices, strengthen clarity about transfer and career opportunities at the end of their chosen college path, ensure they develop an academic plan, monitor their progress, and intervene when they go off track.
6. Develop opportunities and outcomes that Campus Life can implement to increase student engagement.

Goal C.
Remove barriers to equitable student access and success.

1. Use data to improve student course success.
2. Infuse universal design principles across the student experience.
3. Improve student-centered scheduling.
4. Create and refine meta-majors and outline recommended academic plans to facilitate student goals.
5. Decrease excess credits to achieve student goals.
6. Reduce student achievement gaps.
7. Identify milestones and implement academic advising intervention strategies to increase retention and completion.
8. Establish a student support program for visa, immigrant and refugee students.
9. Develop co-curricular experiences to support global and cultural awareness.

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THEME 2:  COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

Supporting Departments: Marketing and Communications; Workforce Solutions Group

Goal A.
Attract and work with diverse external partners to address the needs of the communities we serve.

1. Strategically partner with Chancellor, STLCC Foundation, creative partners, etc. to realize STLCC capital campaign.
2. Expand the STLCC branding and awareness campaign into fall 2020/spring 2021.
3. Continue to enhance STLCC’s YouTube site with videos for our academic programs, continuing education programs and other STLCC services vital to our students.

Goal B.
Effectively promote student, employer, and community successes.

1. Launch updated full-scale branding and awareness campaign that aligns with the College’s strategic plan, enrollment and marketing goals.
2. Continue to develop continuous quality and improvement strategies to utilize social and traditional media to communicate the value of the College, building the success of Sprout Social.
3. Implement brand strategy highlighting the College’s workforce mission.
4. Enhance and maintain the College’s newly rebuilt website.
5. Continue research and development work to rebuild the College’s intranet site.
6. Expand recruiting, enrollment and marketing partnerships with school districts and media entities (e.g. Parkway School District and St. Louis American).
7. Expand the College’s social media brand/presence to capitalize on industry standards (e.g. the College’s display advertising nets a 17% click-through rate, the industry standard is 2%).

Goal C.
Offer excellent lifelong learning, worker training, and pre-employment training opportunities.

1. Leverage the annual State of the St. Louis Workforce Report as the de facto standard for civic discussion around workforce development to drive earned media and employer interest.
2. Collaborate with STLCC marketing and communications to support Workforce Solutions Group (WSG) and Career and Technical Education (CTE) in marketing, advertising and employer engagement for workforce education and training.
3. Ensure employers recognize the value of STLCC CTE and WSG programs and are willing to pay for high-quality education and training.
4. Engage with employers to increase awareness of and willingness to support earn-while-you-learn programs, particularly formal apprenticeships.
5. Identify, develop and pilot new non-credit programs aligned with the process for CTE programs that address workforce needs for in-demand, high-wage careers, including identification of barriers and resources required.
6. Develop and use a transparent and data-informed process to identify high-demand, labormarket needs appropriate to the mission of the College, whether credit or non-credit. Develop or revise programs to meet those needs.
7. Coordinate WSG, CTE and career development to ensure that students and staff have a clear understanding of current workforce and labor market needs and the programming available at STLCC to meet those needs.
8. Transition non-credit programs to credit, where appropriate, to increase sustainability of the offering; similarly, transition credit programs to non-credit where appropriate to ensure flexibility in timely delivery of up-to-date education and training.
9. Adopt a continuous improvement model to address student learning outcomes and employer satisfaction for workforce training programs; adjust existing programs to incorporate these findings.
10. Develop and implement a model to enhance engagement of employers, trade associations and economic development organizations in identifying, developing and delivering new or enhanced training programs.
11. Engage with internal (e.g. STLCC Foundation) and external (e.g. government, labor, workforce and economic development, and community-based organization) partners to seek and secure funding from state, federal and private sources to develop new programs or expand existing program offerings.
12. Ensure that non-credit programs are appropriately transcribed to ensure a seamless stackable credentials experience for students.

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THEME 3:  EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Supporting Departments: Human Resources

Goal A.
Create an environment that allows for diverse opinions and perspectives.

1. Provide equity, diversity and inclusion training to all employees:
1. New Employee Orientation.
2. First year follow-up.
3. STLCC joins the National Conversation.
4. STLCC Diversity and Inclusion Book Club.
5. Annually within SafeColleges programming.
6. Various speakers and programs.
7. Climate surveys.

Goal B.
Increase equity in student success.

1. Implement a mentoring program:
1. Recruit community and business leaders to mentor students.
2. Create a summer institute for students.
1. Develop a program similar to Washington University’s model.

Goal C.
Recruit and retain employees at all levels who better reflect the diversity of the St. Louis region.

1. Emphasize diversity in hiring at receptions, webinars, job fairs, and in messaging, as well as advertisements of positions, supported by the following:
1. Unconscious bias in hiring trainings.
2. Official reviews of applicant pool, interview selections, offers to hire.
3. Employee resource groups.
4. Affirmative action reports and accountability shown in annual performances.
5. Current and annual assessments.

Goal D.
Continue to develop an atmosphere of diversity, civility, and respect.

1. Develop methods for enforcing administrative procedures B.14 civility.
1. STLCC civility committee.
2. Annually within SafeColleges programming.
3. Analyze climate survey measures of diversity, civility and respect and develop continuous improvement plans. 

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THEME 4:  RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

Supporting Departments: Finance and Administration

Goal A.
Ensure organizational excellence using fiscal responsibility and data.

1. Ensure planned expenditures in all carry-forward budgets align with strategic goals and objectives.
2. Ensure requests for new expenditures align with strategic goals and objectives.
3. Review strategic plan goals for FY planning period to ensure champions include necessary funding requests to align resources with goal completion.
4. Secure funding from private sources, locally, regionally and nationally to support student success and STLCC capital projects.

Goal B.
Continue to cultivate relationships with external partners and officials.

1. Actively participate in MCCA efforts to support legislative initiatives that advance community college objectives.
2. Continue outreach to local legislators and government officials to support STLCC standing in community.
3. Continue STLCC outreach activities.

Goal C.
Maximize effective use of technology to provide supportive systems for students and employees.

1. Implement an app to become the students’ portal to STLCC systems, academic offerings and support.
2. Upgrade systems, beginning with Student Affairs, to enhance the student experience and reduce expenses by removing duplication.
3. Develop innovative ways for students to enjoy a streamlined and supportive technology experience.

Goal D.
Develop a long-term facilities plan to strategically meet the future needs of the market and community.

1. Select an architectural firm to develop the plan using information from the tax levy survey and market/industry forecasts.
2. Upon completion of the plan, prioritize and approve projects.