Agenda

A warm welcome to the Southern Metro-Mini at Valencia College.

Lewis is the new incoming SCUP Southern Regional Representative.

Higher education continues to be challenged by the public, business and industry, accreditors, students, parents, donors, and policy makers to document learning results for students. Valencia began a journey to focus its planning on achieving learning results in the mid-1990s, a journey that continues in 2011. The college has worked to structure planning to enable the institution to answer two learning-centered questions about everything it does: How does this enhance learning? How do we know?

When Dr. Shugart joined Valencia in 2000, he recast many of the questions the college had asked itself, urging the college to consider answers to questions such as “What are the top 10 courses in terms of the failure rate, and why?” He will share lessons that he and his colleagues have learned about asking the right questions, gathering and analyzing data, and communicating throughout the planning process in ways that help sharpen the focus on learning and help to achieve measurable improvements in student learning.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Review the challenges faced by higher education in the last decade.
2. Consider the necessity of focusing on student learning as a key goal for campus planning.
3. Evaluate the strategies that drive a continued and committed focus on learning outcomes.
4. Identify the questions that need to be addressed to uncover opportunities for increased student learning.

The University of Central Florida joined with four regional community and state colleges (Brevard Community College, Lake-Sumter Community College, Seminole State College, and Valencia College) to create a unique, yet replicable, model that increases the opportunities for students to achieve a baccalaureate degree and beyond. When a student enters the DirectConnect to UCF program, he or she is supported in completing the associate degree and is guaranteed admission to UCF with the associate degree in hand.

The benefits for students are:

• Guaranteed entry to UCF – Students graduating with A.A. or select A.S. degrees are guaranteed admission to UCF.
• Accelerated admissions to UCF – Provides smooth transition through the UCF admissions process, including orientation, transcripts, advising and financial aid.
• Convenient locations – 10 UCF Regional Campuses located across Central Florida.
• Enhanced academic advising – Students receive comprehensive on-site advising from both community/state college and UCF advisors.

This model functions within the UCF Regional Campuses, which share the following Vision: UCF’s Regional Campuses will be recognized as the model for university and community/state college partnerships to increase access to baccalaureate and graduate degrees for Florida citizens, acknowledged for its leadership in providing local access and unsurpassed value for students in communities throughout Central Florida and known for its prominence in preparing students for success in the 21st century economy.

Waldrop will share ways in which this model might be used to help other universities and colleges partner to increase baccalaureate degree production.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Review the effects of a regional partnership among community colleges and a four-year institution on increasing the baccalaureate completion rate.
2. Identify the key supports that should be in place to encourage successful articulation between a two-year and a four-year institution.
3. Evaluate the strategy of guaranteed admission to a four-year institution on the rate of baccalaureate completion.
4. Consider how partnerships for increasing baccalaureate and graduate degree production can affect national competitiveness. 

Foglesong will address the public policy environment at the national and state levels as it impacts expectations of, and support for, higher education. This presentation will help planners put policy makers' views into strategic context for their campuses. How can we interpret the messages received in the 2010 mid-term elections, and the 2011 Congressional and legislative sessions, as we plan for our institutions? What policy directions are taking shape for debate in the 2012 elections? To what extent do shifts at the state and federal levels regarding education reflect public opinion and priorities? What major differences are being debated regarding the role of government in ensuring that higher education meets national and state needs?

Learning Outcomes:

1. Review the recent and predicted trends in national and state policy towards higher education.
2. Interpret the likely effects of the mid-term elections in 2010, particularly on the 2012 presidential election.
3. Consider how policy and legislation is affected by the ways in which the public views higher education.
4. Evaluate the ways in which planners can incorporate policy makers' views into the institution's strategic context.

Dr. Snaith will provide an economic forecast featuring data and information that are important to planning teams in conducting situational analyses, which are the basis for strategic planning. Also, he will share information about the services that are provided through UCF’s Institute for Economic Competitiveness.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Review the economic forecast for the state and nation.
2. Determine how the economic forecast is likely to affect institutions of higher education.
3. Identify the ways in which an institution's strategic planning must be influenced by its strategic economic context.
4. Evaluate the ways in which an institute for economic competitiveness can aid a campus in understanding the meaning of its local economic environment. 

This team presentation will have two areas of focus. First, Houck and Loiselle will provide an overview of the sustainability goals of Valencia. Hsu will then address the challenges and opportunities in designing LEED-certified higher education buildings. Discussion will continue as the team conducts a walking tour of two LEED Gold Certified buildings on Valencia’s West Campus: the Special Events Center and the University Center. They will review the structure and goals of Valencia’s Sustainability and Energy Savings Committee, formed in 2005, and the ways in which the President fulfills the commitments made in signing the “President’s Climate Commitment” in 2009. They will share Valencia’s successful efforts as a member of the US Green Building Council in building three LEED Certified Gold buildings on the West Campus.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Evaluate the structure and goals of a college's sustainability and energy savings committee.
2. Consider how signing the Association of College and University Presidents Climate Commitment pledge affects decisions about campus facilities and operations.
3. Tour two LEED Gold buildings to identify the features that brought them to that standard.
4. Identify the challenges and opportunities inherent in building and designing LEED certified buildings.