Learning Resources

Abstract: Too often, Boards of Trustees feel that final approval of the institution's Strategic Plan is sufficient. However, most Plans will only be successfully implemented if the Board has complete ownership and a commitment to be actively involved in many areas of the institution (not only fund raising). This article describes a successful process and key strategies to develop Board engagement and ownership of the Strategic Plan and ongoing involvement in the successful implementation of the Plan.

Abstract: A look at the long-term impact of trends on the future of higher education suggests that climate change, access to energy post-peak oil production, as well as globalism and international terrorism are the major externalities to be considered in strategic planning.

Abstract: Creating a campus master plan is the first step in the process of managing enrollment growth; however, the plan is not just a document about buildings and parking spaces and classrooms and square footage. The plan should be viewed as an investment in the future of the institution and a way to link the college's mission and vision statements to the physical learning environment. This article examines the planning process, with special emphasis on community and consensus building, using case studies from two rapidly growing community college districts in Texas and California.

Abstract: In 2004, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education published Ensuring Access with Quality to California's Community Colleges, funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. That report called attention to the considerable challenges facing the community colleges and the importance of addressing these problems. A central critique included in the report's findings was that current community college finance mechanisms "serve to provide barriers to progress rather than promoting it." The "essential first step" in aligning resource allocation mechanisms to programmatic priorities was to perform a policy audit of the system's finance infrastructure, the Ensuring Access report concluded. The Institute for Higher Education Leadership & Policy at Sacramento State University was subsequently funded by the Hewlett Foundation to perform the policy audit. This paper summarizes the methodology and the findings of the research and discusses the prospects of using the policy audit to influence public policy regarding the financing of California's community colleges.

Abstract: The student demographics of community colleges have necessitated that districts offer a variety of programs in different learning environments. Many of today's community college students aspire to earn career-related certificates or improve employment skills and want close proximity to home or work to maintain their schedules while advancing their education. The study described in this article reviews two community college districts in proximity to one another to evaluate their student demographics and identify the trends in student movement. Both districts offer associate's degrees and certificate programs and use Internet components to serve their students, but differ in their facilities approach to providing services.

Abstract: Effective strategic planning for community colleges contains four key elements:
- It must be mission driven.
- It must be integrated with capability and resources.
- It must define measurable standards for determining outcomes.
- It must be transparent in its intent and strategic goals to all levels of the organization. Using a planning matrix, Brookdale Community College provides planning information and a useful communication tool for the entire college community.

Abstract: The Neglected Majority represents that 70 to 80 percent of our nation's population who, for a myriad of reasons, do not hold baccalaureate degrees. In 1985, Dale Parnell, Ed.D., described this Neglected Majority for the first time in one of the most influential works in the history of the community college movement. This article presents some concepts and strategies to help with program and enrollment planning for this critical mass. The article explores the impact of The Neglected Majority publication and includes a recent conversation with Parnell. The author argues that the promise of solutions for The Neglected Majority have not been realized both to the detriment of community colleges, four-year institutions, and society as a whole.