The Academic and Student Success Master Plan was completed with broad participation across the College. A generous thank you goes to all faculty, staff and students who contributed their time, talents and efforts to the development of the Master Plan. Accomplishing the goals of this Master Plan – Increased student access opportunities, improved outcomes for students requiring developmental education, increased student persistence and completion rates, emphasizing a student-ready culture, and fostering a climate that prioritizes Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – is likely to have long-lasting and far-reaching effects on our students, their families and communities, our transfer partners, and the Philadelphia workforce.

Introduction

Community College of Philadelphia established a new strategic plan in 2017, Impact 2025: An Uncompromising Focus on Student Success. Under the College’s 2017-25 strategic plan, the Division of Academic and Student Success (AASS) developed a master plan for 2017-21. The AASS Master Plan incorporated the College’s Guided Pathways reforms as a major principle throughout its goals, objectives, and strategies. In order to increase student success under Guided Pathways, the division’s efforts addressed the four components of this movement: clarifying the paths for students; helping students get on a path; helping students stay on the path; and ensuring students are learning.

The Division of Academic and Student Success assesses its progress annually in yearly reports that detail accomplishments of the previous year and goals for the next year. The original AASS Master Plan was purposely limited to the first half of the College’s strategic plan. This allowed the division to holistically evaluate its efforts from 2017-21 and provided an opportunity to make any needed adjustments to further support the College in achieving its 2025 goals.

The timing of this overarching, multi-year assessment coincided with the major disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the pandemic’s emergence in 2020 and continued presence throughout that year and into 2021, the College instituted major changes to continue to support its students during this difficult time. These adjustments included a pivot to online learning and virtual student supports. These unexpected modifications to the operation of the College provided further impetus for the Division of Academic and Student Success to reexamine its offerings, supports, and practices. Some of the strategies in the master plan have therefore been adjusted to better suit the new learning environment.

In the four years leading up to the new AASS Master Plan 2021-25, the division regularly evaluated its efforts and relied on data in its decision-making. The division reviews data that encompasses outcomes such as course pass rates, credit momentum metrics, retention rates, and graduation rates; it also conducts surveys to gather additional information. The division consistently disaggregates data based on race/ethnicity, gender, financial status, and full-/part-time status. Based on both aggregated and disaggregated analyses, the Division was able to sharpen its strategies that are detailed in the master plan.

A key shift in the structure of the AASS Master Plan is the addition of the goal to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the College community. This new goal is not a reflection of new efforts to address DEI. The Division and the College have a long history of implementing strategies to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion. The 2017-21 Master Plan had strategies related to DEI woven throughout its goals and objectives. In light of recent events, including the Black Lives Matters movement and the tragic deaths of too many persons of color, the division determined that a goal related specifically to DEI would further highlight the need to address important issues to better support the College’s diverse students. Having a DEI-focused goal underscores that such efforts have been and continue to be a priority for the College and for the Division of Academic and Student Success.

The Academic and Student Success Master Plan is considered to be a “living” document. The College places great importance on assessment and continuous improvement. The AASS Master Plan is therefore continually a work in progress; it is not meant to be nor can it be exhaustive in its goals, objectives, and strategies. As the Division of Academic and Student Success assesses its efforts, determines areas of strength and areas for improvement, and makes adjustments to improve how it supports students, new strategies may be added or other adjustments made to the master plan. The division continues to welcome suggestions and ideas, and by clicking here, you can provide feedback at any time.

Outline:

• Structure
• GOAL 1. Increase student access 0pportunities
• GOAL 2. Improve outcomes for students requiring developmental education, such as Developmental English, Developmental Math, and English as a Second Language
• GOAL 3. Increase student retention and completion rates by redesigning the student experience.
• GOAL 4. Emphasize a student-ready culture
• GOAL 5. Foster a climate that prioritizes Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Structure

Structure of AASS Master Plan

The structure of the AASS Master Plan allows faculty, staff, and administrators in the division to scaffold their efforts into actions that will contribute to strategies that support objectives, which in turn lead to the achievement of observable and measurable goals. The master plan is organized around five overarching goals to support the College’s focus on student success:

1. Increase student access opportunities.
2. Improve outcomes for students requiring developmental education, such as Developmental English, Developmental Math, and English as a Second Language.
3. Increase student retention and completion rates by redesigning the student experience.
4. Emphasize a student-ready culture.
5. Foster a climate that prioritizes Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Each goal has then been broken down into multiple detailed objectives. The number of objectives per goal ranges from three to five. Each of the objectives is primarily aligned with one of the six pillars from the College’s Strategic Plan. In order to achieve the objectives and ultimately the five divisional goals, the division delineated focused strategies that if successfully implemented will contribute to the accomplishment of the objective and goal. Each strategy acts as an action item to be undertaken by departments within the division. The number of strategies under each objective range from two to twenty-nine. On an annual basis the departments within the division develop action items to align with AASS master plan strategies. Common metrics for objectives and goals have been identified as well as the benchmark for each metric which will define outcomes for the coming four years.

The Guided Pathways reform is a thread that runs throughout the AASS Master Plan. The strategies, objectives, and goals align with the major efforts of the College’s Guided Pathways work:

• Academic Pathways: groupings of programs that allow students to more easily make connections between careers and programs and to move more easily across programs
• Program maps that provide a structured curriculum to guide students through their studies as efficiently and effectively as possible. In addition to clear sequencing of courses, program maps provide important information to students on milestones and advisory notes
• Developmental education redesign
• Intake/Onboarding redesign
• Assessment of student learning

GOAL 1. Increase student access opportunities.

To meet the educational and workforce needs of Philadelphia residents and employers, students must have access to academic programs that prepare them for Greater Philadelphia jobs. This access includes delivering programs that meet workforce needs; making courses available to a diverse range of constituents with varying time, location, modalities, and accommodation requirements; and effectively providing the information and resources that enable students to access academic program offerings and related support. Assessment activities will ensure appropriate gap analysis and data-driven improvement over time.

Objective 1: Increase student access to information and resources associated with Community College of Philadelphia academic programs.

Provide multiple options for potential and current students to access information and resources associated with academic programs. Options are to include varying times, locations, and modalities with information services that meet the needs of students throughout their College experience. Engage in assessment and evaluation activities to continually improve access to academic program information resources.
(Student Experience)

Strategies:

1. Implement context-specific next steps for students, accessible online and based on their placement in English and Math courses, informing students of their options for choosing and attending a registration event.
2. Offer chat-now sessions for students related to student services, such as admissions, placement testing, counseling, and advising.
3. Create in-person information centers, available to students during day and evening hours, such that accurate information can be obtained.
4. Create centralized information centers for service guidance at each location.
5. Collaborate with Enrollment Management to improve students’ enrollment process from application to registration.
6. Work with Admissions to streamline the admissions process for select programs, as appropriate, and clarify the roles of admissions, counseling and program faculty for select program intake processes.
7. Create or expand venues for faculty and department heads to share information about their programs and course offerings to multiple audiences, internal and external to the College.
8. Communicate and support student enrollment responsibilities as an integral aspect of faculty roles in the management of their academic programs, including incorporating into expectations for Pathway Communities.
9. Develop websites as effective information resources for each academic program and Academic Pathway that are easily accessible.
10. Contribute to a more inclusive and intensive communications campaign for all prospective students from acceptance to the first day of class that can be incorporated into expectations for Pathway Communities.
11. In collaboration with the Workforce and Economic Innovation division and the Division of Access and Community Engagement, create clear, easily communicated information resources that outline non-credit to credit pathways, emphasizing program entrance and exit/transfer strategies.
12. Evaluate ways to more effectively communicate college scholarship information and funds to identified student populations, so as to increase access to scholarship applications and related resources.
13. Develop and implement effective communication strategies and information resources to educate internal and external stakeholders about prior learning assessment opportunities for academic credit.
14. Develop and implement program-specific summer camp and workshop opportunities for high school and middle school students, coordinated across the College to gain efficiencies and synergies.

Objective 2: Increase access to academic support and credit programming by expanding or refining course and program offerings, while enhancing quality, ensuring a focus on excellence, and aligning with local and regional workforce needs.

Increase College offerings that are consistent with the student and workforce needs of Greater Philadelphia, including new credentials, innovative support and credit programs focused on projected future demands, enhanced honors programming, and expanded offerings for non-program ready students. Engage in assessment and evaluation activities to ensure high quality academic support and credit programming.
(Student Experience)

Strategies:

1. Increase the number and types of credentials offered at the College for credit.
2. Develop innovative programs that meet the projected transfer and Greater Philadelphia workforce demands of the future.
3. Promote scaffolded degree and certificate options to students.
4. Review the general education program, make recommendations for improvement, and implement changes as appropriate.
5. Redesign the current Honors program to envision a more cohesive and visible imprint.
6. Identify, develop and implement additional (multi)discipline-specific Honors programs.
7. Identify, develop, and implement math sequences by program or Academic Pathway, as appropriate, to support math learning contextualized for students’ academic and career goals.
8. Increase ESL offerings at regional centers
9. Expand the credit course options available to students who place into developmental or ESL courses.
10. Refine entry program strategies in each Academic Pathway for undecided or non-program ready students, as appropriate.
11. Review College policies and procedures to remove or mitigate unintended obstacles and promote maximized access to academic support and credit programming.
12. Document and implement ongoing course, program, and unit assessment plans for all academic areas.
13. Review course evaluations annually, in conjunction with course and program assessment results, to ensure continued course and program effectiveness, and determine threshold for which action steps are required to increase effectiveness.
14. Review departmental faculty evaluation plans annually to ensure faculty effectiveness, and determine threshold for which action steps are required to increase effectiveness.
15. In collaboration with the Workforce and Economic Innovation Division and the Division of Access and Community Engagement, identify, define, and implement or further enhance non-credit to credit pathways that directly support Philadelphia workforce needs.

Objective 3: Increase access to courses or programs by expanding or refining delivery times, modalities, locations, and prior learning assessment options.

Provide increased student access to academic programs and course credit by delivering courses using online and hybrid methods, granting academic credit for college-level prior learning experiences and offering courses at student preferred times and locations.
(Student Experience)

Strategies:

1. Expand online course offerings, including the creation of new online or hybrid programs that reflect market demands.
2. Prioritize hiring faculty with online experience.
3. Formalize a strategy, centralized management structure, and process for Prior Learning Assessment (i.e., determining and assigning credit for learning experiences and related outcomes, such as work experiences, standardized exams, and industry certifications), so they are clear, efficient, and coordinated for all stakeholders.
4. Identify credit courses for which Prior Learning Assessment credit may be received and implement appropriate processes for receiving credit.
5. Determine how students want courses delivered to them (campus/regional center, online, hybrid) and use as input when creating master schedules as appropriate.
6. Develop and implement/fully utilize tools to determine optimal class times for students.
7. Develop and implement, or fully utilize, tools to determine optimal class times for students.
8. Identify and implement processes to ensure required courses are offered when needed to keep students on track for graduation.
9. Develop alternative term structures to better accommodate the schedules of adult learners.
10. Expand weekend class offerings, including in-person courses and accelerated hybrid classes that meet on Saturday with additional online work.
11. Explore the feasibility of linking main campus and regional center classrooms via technology to enable greater access to classroom sections and minimize physical location barriers, and implement if appropriate.

Objective 4: Increase access to courses and programs by creating or enhancing community partnerships.

Generate enhanced community interest and greater access to academic credit programming through collaborative community partnerships focused on curriculum alignment or joint development.
(External and Internal Community Relations)

Strategies:

1. Work with external partners providing non-credit programs to better align programmatic competencies, skills and expectations to facilitate establishing articulations with the College’s transfer and career programs, such that academic credit can be earned.
2. Form a collaboration between CCP and the Free Library of Philadelphia (FLP) to increase high school/college dual enrollment. The FLP afterschool LEAP program assists students K-12 with homework while utilizing library resources at over 50 city-wide library locations.
3. Work in conjunction with appropriate College units with Philadelphia Works, Inc. (PWI) to increase opportunities for Individual Training Account (ITA) funded programs that lead to College credit.
4. Offer innovative and unique programs, with community input or collaboration, to heighten the appeal and relevance to community constituents.
5. Develop and/or enhance College Centers/Institutes that establish partnerships with area businesses, provide programming for the public, and also provide experiential learning opportunities for students.
6. Partner with high school education providers to create solutions-oriented programming that facilitates greater high school graduation and college credit achievement (e.g., in collaboration with the School District or a charter partner, create a Community College of Philadelphia Cyber Middle College program).
7. Attend Advisory Committee meetings at high school career and technical education programs, as appropriate, at least once per year, scheduling additional meetings to meet with seniors.

GOAL 2. Improve outcomes for students requiring developmental education, such as Developmental English, Developmental Math, and English as a Second Language.

A substantial percentage of our students enter the College in need of foundational skills education. It often takes years for these students to become college-ready. The goal is to improve students’ success rates in foundational skills education, while decreasing their time to completion, and making their overall academic experience more meaningful. Assessment will promote continuous improvement in these areas.

Objective 1: Assess the specific focus and associated foundational skills education needs of each Academic Pathway to develop strategies, plans, and initiatives within each pathway.

Using a Guided Pathways approach, foundational skills education will move away from only implementing generalized College-wide strategies to customizing strategies as appropriate for each Academic Pathway. First steps include assessing what specific needs might be best addressed through contextualized strategies and creating structures to address those needs within each Academic Pathway.
(Student Experience)

Strategies:

1. Outline goals of using Academic Pathway approach for foundational skills education.
2. Create foundational skills education teams within each Academic Pathway to continuously assess and refine strategies and monitor student success.
3. Develop foundational skills education plans within each Academic Pathway, to include goals, objectives, and timelines.
4. Develop and implement foundational skills education performance metrics and associated assessment plans.

Objective 2: Design and implement a formative/diagnostic and multidimensional assessment approach that informs initial placement and future foundational skills curricular interventions for each Academic Pathway.

More holistic measures and placement rules contextualized for the curricular needs of each Academic Pathway will be examined and employed, as appropriate, to support and facilitate the most efficient and effective pathways to college-level coursework.
(Student Experience)

Strategies:

1. Increase the use of multiple measures such as test scores, high school transcripts, and high school GPAs for placement decisions.
2. Expand early college-readiness assessment programs in partnership with local high schools and other local organizations.
3. Use assessments designed to gather information and functional needs of foundational skills education students such that teaching and learning strategies can be effectively adapted to current student needs.

Objective 3: Integrate foundational skills education into each Academic Pathway, such that specialized needs are addressed, and contextualized education supports and enhances students’ career and education goal achievement.

Students choose programs within Academic Pathways based on their interests and future transfer or career goals. To the extent students’ foundational skills education experiences align with their interests and future goals, there may be greater likelihood of student success as they pursue completion of their foundational skills education requirements. Courses, including their course learning outcomes and sequencing, will be created or refined as appropriate based on assessment results to meet foundational skills education goals and objectives contextualized for each Academic Pathway.
(Student Experience)

Strategies:

1. Offer foundational skills education programming with goals and objectives contextualized to meet the specific focus and needs of Academic Pathways.
2. Create, or refine based on assessment results, the appropriate courses, course learning outcomes, and sequencing for foundational skills education within Academic Pathways to effectively move students through their foundational skills education requirements. 
3. Develop foundational pathways aligned to Academic Pathways, or areas such as STEM, Liberal Arts transfer, and career programs, which lead to initial college-level math course.
4. Explore the feasibility of program or course offerings, within each Academic Pathway, for English as a Second Language students.

Objective 4: Offer innovative instruction for foundational skills education to accelerate the trajectory of student achievement at this level.

Foundational skills education instruction is a cornerstone of student achievement and success in foundational skills courses. To support significantly improved foundational skills course outcomes, innovative instructional approaches will be examined and implemented as appropriate. Ongoing assessment will support the attainment of improved student success outcomes.
(Student Experience)

Strategies:

1. Evaluate use of instructional techniques that instill in students a growth mindset, emphasizing student strengths and the value of persistence.
2. Drawing from research and best practices, and using creative ways to present information (e.g., use of adaptive technology, lab sessions, use of interactive classrooms), develop contextualized Teaching and Learning approaches that relate to and align with each Academic Pathway (e.g., pairing foundational skills education courses with college-level courses within each Academic Pathway).
3. Create a cohort-based summer program for students needing developmental courses and a first-year experience course. 
4. Evaluate student outcomes in online, hybrid, and blended course options for students placed in foundational skills education courses.
5. Assess and refine Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) practices used to meet the needs of students placed in foundational skills education courses.
6. Assess and refine Intensive English Language (IELP) practices used to accelerate the progress of English language learners.

Objective 5: Reimagine, design, and implement a comprehensive support system for foundational skills education that is high-touch and customized as needed for each Academic Pathway.

A new, comprehensive College-wide support system for students in foundational skills education courses is needed to facilitate better outcomes and enhance their student experience. The new support system will consist of multiple components, including some customized to address the specific focus and needs of each Academic Pathway. Plans to assess the new support system will be created and implemented to determine outcomes and promote continuous improvement.
(Student Experience)

Strategies:

1. Continue to improve upon pre-enrollment intervention strategies (e.g., “Brush Up” workshops) to maximize student testing scores and placement outcomes.
2. Assess foundational skills education past practices and student outcomes to identify the most impactful barriers, obstacles, and problems.
3. Research, develop, and implement effective intervention strategies for students in foundational skills education for identified barriers, obstacles, and problems.
4. Examine the feasibility of disrupting foundational skills education course fail-repeat cycles by creating “rest stops” for individualized diagnoses and prescription plans for moving each student forward successfully.
5. Examine the feasibility of offering non-credit activities to address specific areas in which students taking foundational skills education courses are often in need of improvement.
6. Develop a mentor program for students in their first year of foundational skills education courses.
7. Design and implement registration support initiatives for students in need of foundational skills education courses.
8. Ensure all students in foundational skills education courses, required to take a first-year experience (or similar introductory) course, complete the requirement within their first 12 credits.
9. In alignment with Guided Pathways, mandate continuous enrollment in foundational skills education courses until all required foundational skills courses are completed.
10. Explore what additional foundational skills need to be addressed to further support student success (e.g., basic computer skills, Canvas use, time management and study skills), identify potential solutions, and implement new foundational skill assessments, courses or workshops as appropriate.

GOAL 3. Increase student retention and completion rates by redesigning the student experience.

The College currently experiences low student retention and completion rates. Through targeted strategies involving faculty, staff, and students, retention and completion rates of CCP students will increase. Assessment activities will promote the creation of data-driven interventions to achieve retention and completion goals.

Objective 1: Expand, develop, and implement student-centered initiatives that support students within their Academic Pathways and enhance student success.

Improve student completion by creating initiatives across the College and within Academic Pathways that focus on students’ needs and enable their success.
(Student Experience)

Strategies:

1. Create a sustainable, centralized first-year communications plan for students as a continuation of onboarding communications that includes information about financial aid, support services, academics, registration, campus life, etc., that can be supported by Pathway Communities.
2. Determine which students, within each Academic Pathway, will take first-year experience courses.
3. Create and implement a comprehensive student “registration tool kit” including an educational plan (including transfer plan), an up-to-date list of courses offered by semester, dates when students can register for courses and other registration information.
4. Assign Academic Advisors to specific Academic Pathways to enhance their specialized knowledge of program requirements and student issues within their assigned pathway(s), with a goal of increasing the number of students supported by a dedicated advisor within each pathway
5. 100% of new students will receive an educational plan to direct students to take the appropriate courses leading to completion of their certificate and/or degree.
6. Require students to meet with an academic advisor during their first semester to review and refine as necessary their educational plan.
7. Increase student knowledge base and use of Starfish and educational plans.
8. Increase support services use of Starfish to create wrap-around support for students.
9. Ensure that students are engaged through program-level management and advisement of returning students.
10. Identify leakage points for students within each program, and ensure the appropriate faculty, office, or support service addresses those issues within their purview.
11. Increase the effective use of Canvas among faculty.
12. Increase faculty use of Starfish, which is critical to the success of the Academic Pathways.
13. Increase the engagement and interaction of division faculty and students, outside of instructional time, through dedicated workspaces.
14. Increase tutoring services and programs aligned with academic pathways.
15. Increase the number the sections that have designated tutors to enhance access to tutoring and successful completion of courses, specifically in English, Foundational Math and Math courses.  
16. Create a new system to assess students’ risk levels (placement level, academic motivation general coping skills) so that appropriate targeted support can be given to students by offices and departments to increase retention and completion.  
17. Identify “high-risk” courses with low pass rates, regularly monitor semester course completion data, and include in assessment processes.
18. Address high cost of program textbooks, including through faculty evaluation, use, and creation of Open Educational Resources.
19. Increase quality, engaging co-curricular event opportunities sponsored by divisions, departments, and programs.
20. Develop and deploy online co-curricular transcripts.
21. In collaboration with Enrollment Management, expand regional centers to include more available courses and administrative services through the branding of Regional Centers.
22. Develop unique agreements, such as 2+2, 3+1, and other transfer programs, with key institutional partners.
23. Develop systematic processes for reverse transfer and denied student agreements with top transfer schools.
24. Review articulation agreements for continuous improvement.   
25. Implement targeted communications campaigns to current students based on number of credits, for example, “Countdown to Commencement” communications, as well as personal information, programs and other criteria.
26. Provide enrollment incentives for continuing students.
27. Investigate an emergency grant and loan program that will provide assistance to students in crisis and for emergency living expenses.
28. Enhance communications with students using technology resources.
29. Assess key intervention strategies to determine impacts on retention and retention rates and continuously improve strategies to achieve retention and

Objective 2: Expand experiential learning opportunities for students within each Academic Pathway to include, but not be limited to, service learning, internships, study abroad, research and other on-the-job experiences.

Strategies:

1. Increase number of students graduating with at least one high impact practice, including: undergraduate research; study abroad; service learning; engaged learning; capstone; and internships.
2. Provide career information, by Academic Pathway, to students through technology.
3. In collaboration with Career Connections, align work-study jobs, to the extent possible, with post-graduation career objectives.
4. Promote credit-bearing study abroad experiences for students in their Academic Pathways.
5. Partner with Institute for Community Engagement and Civic Leadership to develop and implement service-learning opportunities for students.
6. Employ individuals within Academic Pathways dedicated to creating and managing internships and research opportunities tailored to career and transfer interests.
7. Collaborate with Career Connections to identify internship opportunities and connect with the local community and businesses. 
8. Develop a resource for information on paid and unpaid internships related to the academic pathways.
9. Establish or enhance, as appropriate, assessment plans for experiential learning programs to better enable systematic evaluation of experiential learning across the College and promote the identification and communication of best practices.  

Objective 3:  Engage in ongoing activities within each Academic Pathway, including assessment, that support innovative teaching, learning, and academic support, and foster student success.

Strategies:

1. Continually improve teaching, learning, and academic support through ongoing assessment of student learning and support outcomes, including regular review of program learning outcomes to ensure they support student career or transfer success, as well as close equity achievement gaps.
2. Explore emerging teaching, learning, and academic support practices for the programs within each Academic Pathway.
3. Conduct annual data retreats with the department heads and program heads of each division.
4. Require ongoing development of current teaching practices and discipline knowledge, skills, and abilities, focusing on the needs of CCP students.
5. Encourage discussion among faculty to make links between courses so the curriculum becomes more interdisciplinary.
6. Encourage discussion among faculty and staff to make links between courses and support services to better support student success.
7. Create new and strengthen existing advisory committees, such that they are active, strong and work proactively to create or maintain up-to-date programs meeting local and regional workforce needs.  
8. Promote the benefits of student utilization of faculty office hours.

GOAL 4. Emphasize a student-ready culture.

A welcoming College environment that fosters a caring learning community, as well as operational efficiency and effectiveness, is an important aspect of achieving a student-ready culture. Improving our customer services, engaging in targeted student support initiatives, and assessing administrative and educational support units for continuous improvement are means to attain these outcomes. 

Objective 1:  Provide excellent customer service throughout the College both virtually and in-person.

Create a welcoming, service-oriented and student-centered physical environment in College buildings. Enhance and increase opportunities for professional development for faculty, staff and administration with an emphasis on creating a student-ready culture. Ensure all College employees engage in high customer service practices through effective assessment practices and to include continuous improvement strategies.
(Student Experience)

Strategies:

1. Expand “way finding” tools for assisting the college community and guests in navigating campus spaces, including options such as virtual campus tours.
2. Create a virtual student service center for students to easily connect with all services. 
3. Post and make available clear and coherent information about hours of operation for all service departments (e.g., advising, counseling, Single Stop, etc.) at the main campus and regional centers. 
4. Collaborate with Enrollment Management to develop and implement a centrally located customer service kiosk.
5. Provide customer service training sessions for all employees requiring, at a minimum, that all administrative staff attend and complete once per year.
6. Employ “secret shopper” type initiative once per semester, reporting findings back to the Vice President for Academic & Student Success.
7. Administer satisfaction survey to be distributed to a random sample of students at main campus and regional centers.
8. Develop a college-wide complaint form that will be easily accessible and consistent with our regional accreditor’s expectations. 
9. Develop and provide a mechanism for tracking college-wide complaints
10. In collaboration with Human Resources, infuse customer service training into the on-boarding process of new employees to the College.  

Objective 2: Initiate and sustain student support initiatives resulting in a culture of holistic support, customized to the needs of students within each Academic Pathway.

Implement initiatives focused on supporting students by employing a culture of holistic support for students within each Academic Pathway. Update and improve support services, focusing on the targeted needs of students within each Academic Pathway. Improve dissemination of information pertaining to student support services to both students and employees. Assessment and evaluation will inform and support ongoing continuous improvement efforts.
(Student Experience)

Strategies:

1. Intentionally infuse information about campus support services into on-boarding and in-take processes within each Academic Pathway, and employ direct assessment methods to determine the extent to which information was obtained.
2. Seek funding opportunities for financial support to assist student-parents with childcare expenses and assist all students with a demonstrated need for transportation support.
3. Develop and implement a sustainability plan for the food pantry/snack rack, including increasing partnerships with community organizations and identifying possible funding sources. 
4. Develop and implement robust Welcome Week experiences, customized as appropriate by Academic Pathway, that involve faculty, staff, and administration.
5. Create health, wellness and self-care initiatives, customized as appropriate by Academic Pathway, revamping workshops, programs, and fitness classes to better engage students and staff in utilizing the Athletic Center, foster engagement in the counseling center, and provide training for supporting students with mental health challenges, disabilities, and other unique needs.
6. Build a Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) to assist in managing student crisis and trauma through a non-punitive process and identifying additional resources for students who are food or home insecure.
7. Build robust relationships with external constituent groups, facilities, organizations that offer psychological support services, housing, and wellness support for students and their families. 
8. Assess key programs and initiatives contributing to the creation and maintenance of a culture of holistic student support.

Objective 3: Build an infrastructure to support a student-ready culture.

Infrastructure consists of the shared technology systems and facilities that can serve to support and enhance the student experience. Areas of focus include ensuring equity and diversity, reviewing and improving College policies and procedures, increasing student participation in shared governance, enhancing focus on shared spaces, and building an increased sense of school pride. Assessment will include administrative and educational support units, will promote long-term efficiency, effectiveness, and continuous improvement.
(Student Experience)

Strategies:

1. Review the system of College policies and procedures to ensure they appropriately support student wellness, equity and student success implementing policy and procedure changes as needed. 
2. Expand the shared governance model to include students not serving as Student Government Association representatives. 
3. Systematically strengthen the technology implementation process, including the establishment of iterative feedback loops involving appropriate stakeholders.
4. Assess College support services, including the use of in-person and virtual services, to address the changing needs of CCP students due to the pandemic at Main Campus and the Regional Centers to increase student retention.  
5. Provide classrooms with desks and layouts that facilitate the type of learning required for academic success.
6. Continue to incorporate smart technology into classrooms and labs, with the goal of a critical mass of classrooms being technology enabled while developing more active learning classrooms and adhering to the technology upgrade and maintenance schedule.
7. Continue to increase the number of and enhance technology-enabled collaborative spaces at the College to support student project-based work.  
8. Create and support ideas to build a stronger sense of school pride among students, faculty, and staff.
9. Expand the hours of service to include weekends and evenings.
10. Strengthen online education policies and procedures to ensure sustainable, high quality online courses and teaching.
11. Bolster effectiveness and sustainability of online education infrastructure (e.g., online student orientation, adequate numbers of faculty prepared to teach each online course, streamline process for converting traditional courses).
12. Support online access for all student services, for both the student population at large, as well as growing online-only students that closely replicates the face-to-face experience.
13. Develop and implement programs and activities that support students with disabilities and better enable them to achieve success in both academic and student programs.
14. In collaboration with marketing, ensure the usability of College websites meet stakeholder needs.

GOAL 5. Foster a climate that prioritizes Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

As the “city’s college,” the College should reflect its surrounding community, including in terms of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Students who are exposed to diverse perspectives in and outside the classroom are better prepared to be successful in a multicultural society. The College would benefit from a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community in terms of performance and innovation.

Objective 1: Close equity gaps in student achievement.

The College currently experiences equity achievement gaps. Achievement gaps related to metrics such as retention and graduation will close through targeted strategies involving faculty, staff, and students. The result will be more equitable student outcomes in terms of race/ethnicity, gender, financial need, and full/part-time status.
(Diversity, Equity and Inclusion)

Strategies:

1. Analyze race/ethnicity and gender equity data within programs, Academic Pathways, and learning modalities and develop strategies to close identified equity gaps serving as potential barriers to academic success.
2. Analyze race/ethnicity and gender equity data within developmental English and foundational math courses to identify and develop solutions for achievement gaps.
3. Design and deliver student specific diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) co-curricular programming, including programs that emphasizes Black and Brown Male issues and/or features Black and Brown male role models in alignment with the College’s Black and Brown male initiative.
4. Provide DEI related professional development programming for faculty and staff.

Objective 2:  Increase the diversity of faculty and staff to better reflect the diversity of the student population.

Students need to see themselves in the make-up of the faculty and staff at the College. Those who have traditionally been underrepresented can benefit from examples of people in their communities who have achieved success. A diverse College community also better reflects the city population.
(Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)

Strategies:

1. Recruit and retain faculty and staff that reflect the racial and ethnic make-up of the student body.
2. Analyze hiring and retention data for faculty and staff of color and determine if there are systemic issues that need to be addressed.
3. Fully support and implement the College’s Diversity Faculty Fellowship Program.

Objective 3:  Promote the use of pedagogical practices to address DEI issues and increase student success across all student groups.

Student achievement and closing equity gaps can be directly influenced by practices in and outside the classroom. Inclusive classroom practices should be encouraged and fostered with appropriate resources made available to faculty and staff.
(Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)

Strategies:

1. Develop and support the Equity Coach Initiative by working with academic departments to review disaggregated outcome data and develop strategies with the goal of closing gaps. 
2. Ensure universal accessibility for all faculty-developed online learning materials and systems.
3. Promote Caring Classroom Communities, which enable students to feel comfortable to request and obtain support within the online learning environment.
4. Advocate for Universal Design, making courses accessible to students from different cultures, non-native English speakers, etc.
5. Consider potential bias in technology tools when adopting new technology, e.g., algorithms with coded bias.
6. Examine the potential of open educational resources to advance equity and diversity of perspectives which are not always included in commercial materials.
7. Develop and implement a comprehensive plan to support ESL students including hiring a new ESL Coordinator to increase ESL students’ retention and completion rates.
8. Research inclusive design strategies to post on the College’s accessibility website.
9. Increase CCPTV programming featuring diversity issues including Cinema Bytes for LatinX and Afro-American cinemas, Black History Moments, The Aunt Nancy series, and Drop the Mic.
10. Increase educational programs and training related to issues of safety and acceptance of LGBTQ students and employees via the MarcDavid LGBTQ Center.
11. Continue to assess campus climate for LGBTQ faculty, staff and students.
12. When designing student experiences (programs, courses, assignments, activities in and outside the classroom), include consideration of students with disabilities.