Standard 1
Mission and Purposes
Team Members:
David
Hopcroft, lead, Professor
Lisa
Loveday, Coordinator of Job Placement
Svyatoslav
Sharapov, Instructor
Anita
Sherman, Professor
Dianne
Williams, President
Description
The mission
of Quinebaug Valley Community College is
summarized in the QVCC catalog in a concise Vision Statement, developed
and approved by the College in 1994 and reaffirmed in 2000:
· QVCC will be a center for intellectual and cultural enrichment that serves as a source of pride for our students and the community.
·
By providing high quality
postsecondary education and life-long learning in a student-centered
environment, the College will foster accomplished, well-rounded, employable
graduates.
·
The College will be an active
partner with the community in local economic, social, and cultural development.
·
QVCC pledges to realize and
revitalize its vision through continual self-examination, purposeful change,
and innovation.
In pursuit
of this vision, QVCC is inspired by the guiding principle of “Learners First,”
adopted by the College in 1997. The Learners First principle exemplifies a
shift in focus from a teaching-centered to a learning-centered, or
student-centered, focus. The principle has had special impact in the revision
of goals and the process of assessment, and it is often cited by staff members
in discussions about priorities and decision-making.
The QVCC
Vision Statement and the Learners First principle are consistent with the
mission of the Connecticut Community-Technical College system of which the
College is a constituent part. That mission is specified in the Statutory
Mission of the Connecticut Community-Technical College System
[Public Act 92-126, Section 27(a)], last approved by the Board of Governors for
Higher Education on June 21, 2000. The system goals derive from that mission,
and the College’s goals are aligned with those of the system. The mission
statement is available from the system office, a copy is kept in the
President’s office, and it is published online at the system’s web site in Section 2.3
of the Board Policy Manual. The system’s Chancellor allocates
resources to the College based primarily on credit enrollment and formulas or
parameters that are revised to reflect changes to system goals or exigencies.
Changes may occur because of new system initiatives, needs for new facilities,
or directions from the Office of Policy and Management or the Board of
Governors for Higher Education. During the tenure of the previous Chancellor
(1996-1999), considerable time and effort were spent in developing the new,
simpler, one-page system mission statement.
This statement was reviewed and approved by the Board of Trustees in 1997 and
distributed within the system. The Board of Governors has not acted upon
it.
QVCC also
has several institutional documents relating to its mission and purposes. The
College retains a comprehensive Role and Scope Statement that is regularly
reviewed and approved, first by the Board of Trustees and then by the Board of
Governors, with the most recent approval in June 2000. The Role and Scope
Statement describes the specific relationship of the College mission to the
specific characteristics and needs of the surrounding communities. This
document is not generally circulated, functioning instead as an internal
guidance tool, but an Executive Summary
of the document is available.
The QVCC
catalog also contains statements of the College’s institutional goals and its
goals for general education. These goals are used directly in the creation of
policy, the development of courses and programs, the allocation of resources,
and long-range planning. A College-wide effort is currently underway—and
nearing completion—to create specific linkages between College, general
education, divisional (including professional development), program, and course
goals. The goals thus developed are published as appropriate in program
brochures, area and program self-studies, official course records, and course
syllabi.
Appraisal
The College conducts scheduled reviews of its annual goals
at the college, divisional, and individual levels as described more fully in
this report under the Planning and Evaluation standard.
The Role and
Scope statement has not been discussed internally nor publicized to the extent
the vision and goals have been. Because the College’s
goals are accessible and visible, and because faculty and staff are fully
involved in the processes of assessment and revision, there is ample
opportunity for everyone to know and understand the College’s mission and purposes.
Because
faculty and staff are asked to consider the goals in courses, programs,
professional activities, and College initiatives, there is direct and immediate
application of the goals, as evidenced by course syllabi, faculty additional responsibilities plans,
Divisional Strategies statements, and individual activities reports.
QVCC has chosen to expand the services and programs in
Willimantic to meet the components of its mission at both its main Danielson
campus and its Willimantic branch campus. There is no public
transportation between the two sites, which are approximately thirty minutes
apart. The College has committed fiscal and human resources to meet
the needs of learners at both sites while retaining the characteristic
strengths of a small college. For example, in cases
where there would not be sufficient enrollment in Willimantic to run a section
of a particular course there, the use of compressed video between the two sites
provides instruction to students in Willimantic, bringing the College to the
students rather than putting the burden on them to come to Danielson.
The growth in
overall enrollment in Willimantic confirms that the decision to expand there
was correct. Because of this growth, in the
fall of 1999 the College applied for and received branch campus status from
NEASC, and in Spring 2000 the Board of Governors gave the College permission to
offer more than 50% of the requirements of four degrees and certificate
programs at the Willimantic Center, making it possible for students (over an
extended period of time) to complete some certificates and degrees at the
Center.
·
In order to improve the
visibility of program goals to students, QVCC plans to publish program outcomes
in its catalog, beginning with the 2001-2002 edition.
·
The College will continue to
assess regularly its mission and outcomes to best serve the needs of learners.
One indication of this ongoing review is the creation of an ad hoc work group
to improve the alignment of the Vision Statement with the College’s outcomes.
·
The College will continue to use
both current and emerging technologies to expand the ways it addresses its
mission and meets the needs of learners.
·
Funding issues will continue to
be a concern in meeting the College mission. However, the College will continue
to respond to funding concerns in ways that seek to reduce any negative impact
on instruction or services to students.
Documents
Applications
for NEASC branch campus status and approval letter
Application to
DHE for offering 50% of 4 degrees at Willimantic Center and approval letter
Board of
Trustees Policy Manual
Course syllabi
Divisional
Strategies statements
Faculty
additional responsibilities plans and reports
Individual activities reports
Program
brochures
Public Act
92-106
QVCC catalog
QVCC Vision
Statement
Role and Scope
Statement, including the Executive Summary
Section 2.3 of
the Board Policy Manual indexed
Statutory
Mission of the Connecticut Community-Technical College System