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STANDARD 1: MISSION AND PURPOSES

The statutory mission of the CTC system is unchanged since QVCC’s last report to NEASC in 2001. The College has continued to advance this mission by providing high-quality degree and non-degree programs and continuing education in a learner-centered environment. QVCC remains a center for intellectual and cultural enrichment in its service area. Both the credit and non-credit areas of the College conduct assessment, and the institution has added both degree and non-degree programs that respond to community and industry needs based on these assessments. Programs such as the Community Health Worker certificate demonstrate the institution’s awareness of its role and investment in regional economic and human resources development. The Incumbent Worker Training Program, offered through QVCC’s Business and Industry Services in partnership with the local Eastern Workforce Investment Board, is an example of the College’s collaboration with other agencies. This partnership invests in the intellectual and economic potential of underserved and economically disadvantaged populations. Furthermore, in response to an increase in home schooling in the area, QVCC has made access to higher education easier and more transparent for this population.

The Community and Professional Learning (CPL) Division of the College actively contributes to the economic health of the region and the achievement of the CTC system mission through business and industry and continuing education programs. QVCC maintains an impressive commitment to its service area and offers lifelong learning opportunities for all with CPL programs such as the Kids Academy and Learning in Retirement. Moreover, the for-credit Learning and Student Development (LSD) Division addresses the needs of community learners through high school partnership outreach to area schools and co-curricular activities sponsored by the Multicultural Program Planning Committee and by faculty members in various academic areas. The physical expansion of QVCC’s Danielson campus has been configured with community space needs in mind. Renovations to the main building include smart classrooms and technology upgrades for meeting spaces used by business and community leaders. These leaders’ enthusiastic moral and financial support of the expansion project is proof of the community’s awareness of QVCC’s vital role in the area’s economic, intellectual, and cultural growth. Thus the community is well aware of the College’s effective accomplishment of the community service objectives of the CTC system’s mission.

Since the last NEASC review, the institution has increased awareness of its Role and Scope statement by further promoting the Learners First principle, which informs goal setting and the specific objectives of QVCC’s various units. Program outcomes have become more clearly stated in the College catalog as well as on the website.

Demonstrations of program effectiveness permeate the culture of QVCC. The results of various measures are used to enhance planning and delivery of services and to directly inform College and divisional goals. By employing formative and summative evaluations, the institution has worked to collect evidence that graduates are, according to the Vision Statement, “accomplished, well-rounded, employable, and lifelong learners.” Periodically, students are prompted to respond to a brief assessment of their satisfaction with College services before they access their grades. Also, student surveys are conducted at graduation, and there is an Entering Student Survey. Various other evaluations are regularly undertaken and acted upon. For example, in response to student interest expressed during academic advising, LSD has expanded its online courses and established a weekend college schedule of courses. Also, to meet student needs CPL has expanded summer credit and non-credit offerings and added both a second summer session and a winter session of credit courses. In 2004, the CTC system invested in an assessment of institutional effectiveness entitled The Socioeconomic Benefits Generated by Quinebaug Valley Community College. This report demonstrates that QVCC is a sound investment from multiple perspectives.

Institutional Effectiveness

QVCC is committed to the continued use of periodic internal and external scans, College surveys and CTC system surveys, and other data to validate the College’s commitment to its mission and purpose statements. In light of its mission, QVCC is responsive to community needs and will continue to assess the institution’s effectiveness in meeting local economic, intellectual, and cultural needs.

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