Three Rivers board OKs 5-year plan

A new five-year strategic plan called 2020 Vision has been approved by the Three Rivers College Board.

It is broken into several major pieces, including student services; staff and resource development; student enrollment, retention and transfer; quality instruction; and learning environment.

The plan will be finalized in January and take effect on July 1, said TRC president Wes Payne.

In terms of student services, the college plans to continue providing access to high-quality education at a reasonable cost. Areas of emphasis include academic advising, registration, student accounts, financial aid, communication, policies and procedures, curricular requirements and student feedback.

Training goals include include anticipating emerging technologies, professional development opportunities, new initiatives, cross-training, orientation and resources for wellness and support.

In terms of resource development, the college plans to seek alternative funding sources and use resources responsibly. Areas of emphasis include expanding scholarships, seeking alternate funding streams, making data-informed decisions, fostering partnerships, initiating cost savings for efficient operations and finding focused fundraising opportunities.

In the area of enrollment, importance will be placed on retention initiatives. Program completion and job placement rates will act as a success measure. Goals include increasing student completion rates, fall-to-fall student retention rates and student transfer rates, improving job placement rates, focusing on enrollment initiatives for targeted programs, expanding relationships with education partners and developing comprehensive student retention initiatives.

Environmental goals include expanding and improving policies, processes and procedures, enhancing instructor training and support, building a sup- portive environment for adjunct instructors, aligning salaries with peer institutions, attracting and retaining high-quality candidates through competitive salaries, promoting quality higher education instruction, maintaining learning resources appropriate to curriculum, championing innovative teaching strategies and promoting a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

Learning environment goals include maintaining adequate facilities, ensuring a sustainable and flexible technology infrastructure and enhancing safety and security.