Strategic Plan
See also:
IRP's Strategic Initiatives and Plans webpage
Strategic Plan Brochure PDF 
and
Strategic Plan OutcomeFY 2007 PDF 
Preparations for the college’s third Strategic Plan began in mid-2006 with the decision to utilize Appreciative Inquiry (AI) as the planning process. Appreciative Inquiry is a strengths-based philosophy, founded on the belief that institutions flourish when focused on best practices, achievements, and "moments of excellence."
In the fall of 2006, the Appreciative Inquiry Planning Committee was formed, comprised of faculty, staff, students, administrators, and trustees.
Guided by two nationally known practitioners in the field of AI, the Planning Committee met in January and March 2007 over a period of several days.
Members of the Committee conducted more than 150 appreciative interviews, seeking input and comment from those throughout the college community, both internal and external stakeholders.
In May 2007, this planning process culminated in an Appreciative Inquiry Summit, entitled “Inspiring the Future: Achieving Regional Excellence.” The Summit drew more than 200 faculty, staff, students, administrators, trustees, and community members to identify and discuss the college’s strengths and capacities, and help to forge a new strategic direction designed to advance the college and maximize its potential over the next three years.
The following Strategic Plan reflects the voices of those who participated throughout the process and provides the framework within which departments and offices can realistically develop major operational goals, objectives, and benchmarks that will assess progress and chart a clear course of action for the college’s future.
Core Values
While the Strategic Directions represent the heart of this Strategic Plan, the college’s following Core Values represent the soul of the institution:
- Student Engagement
We are committed to fully engaging our students as active learners by providing a diverse range of educational experiences.
- Collaboration
We are committed to developing productive, collaborative relationships within the college and among our various constituencies in the greater Merrimack Valley.
- Personal and Professional Growth
We are committed to the personal and professional growth of faculty, staff, and students alike. We believe that lifelong learning is essential to the personal enrichment and professional growth of each individual.
- Respect
We are committed to fostering mutual respect that enables faculty, staff, and students to grow and work together in a supportive environment of shared governance, open communication, and fairness.
- Diversity
We are committed to creating an institutional climate that deepens our appreciation for diversity and for the unique attributes of each individual.
- Access and Opportunity
We are committed to providing affordable access to educational opportunity.
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Excellence
We are committed to a high standard of educational excellence in teaching and learning. Nothing less than the best will do for and from our students and ourselves.
Vision Statement
It has been said that leadership means the ability to move people from where they are now to where they have never been before, but need to go – and to do so by evoking for them a shared vision for the future. The Northern Essex Community College Vision Statement reflects this:
To create a supportive learning environment
that embraces diversity and inspires initiative and excellence.
Strategic Directions
Five Strategic Directions comprise the heart of the college’s Strategic Plan. They include the following:
- Engage Students as Active Learners
- Be the First and Best Resource for the Community
- Support Leadership at Every Level
Being an effective leader means being a person of integrity and honesty, of determination and compassion. It means having clear objectives and knowing how to accomplish them. It means being an effective communicator and building a team of people that share a passion and commitment to working together.
We are all called upon to be leaders at different times. Whether it’s the professor in the classroom who inspires and unlocks the creativity of a student; or the administrative assistant who demonstrates specific knowledge, skills, and abilities in preparing a document; or the student helping a peer endeavor to do the right thing -- we are each challenged to lead.
As time moves forward, each of us will be called upon to provide leadership by applying our unique set of talents to a particular objective or challenge. In preparation for our roles in leadership and as a college community, we will need to think institutionally and strategically to anticipate change. We will welcome accountability and continue to develop strong and measurable outcomes and standards that are ambitious yet attainable. We will work smarter and carefully focus our resources. These actions will strengthen the capacity of the college in becoming a high performing college.
We will endeavor to support each other, motivate, and inspire each other. We will be respectful, work to resolve our differences in an appreciative manner, and bring out the best in each other. We will be innovative and participatory and willing to take risks. We will all be leaders.
- Embrace Diversity
First and foremost, the theme of diversity promotes an inclusive environment in which all individuals are respected and valued, regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, physical characteristic, disability, age, gender, religion, or socio/economic background.
This Strategic Direction challenges us to expand our ideas about diversity beyond multiculturalism to encompass the full spectrum of differences and similarities that comprise the cultural landscape of our college community. This ‘synergy of diversity’ is the dynamism which provides the color and contrast, the richness and texture of our collective campus experiences.
We envision a community in which there is a pervasive climate of appreciation and respect for individual ideas, perspectives, beliefs, learning styles, values, cultures, personalities, talents, and histories. In this sense, diversity, in all of its dimensions, will be valued; and the quality of experience for all members of our community will be enhanced.
As a college community, we will work collaboratively to develop the systems, infrastructure, and practices to support the open expression of opinion and the vigorous exchange of ideas. We will recognize the diversity of our student body and set the same high learning goals for all. We will provide a curriculum that explores diverse perspectives and cultures and cultivates multicultural awareness in our students. We will ensure that our students are well prepared to work and thrive in the international community and global workforce of the 21st century. We will create an equitable, hospitable, safe, and inclusive campus environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. We will ensure that our community of staff and faculty reflect the diversity of the communities that we serve. We will be role models for our students through our acceptance and respect for others. We will provide every individual with equitable opportunity for personal and professional growth. We will appreciate the unique talents and strengths of each individual and encourage the participation and contribution of all.
- Strive for Educational Excellence
We have known for a long time that good practice in undergraduate education relies on a few very important ingredients: recognizing diverse talents and ways of learning; encouraging student involvement in the learning process; conducting assessment and providing timely feedback; and, importantly, communicating high expectations. Expect more and get more. Believe that educational excellence is all around us -- expect it from our students, and from ourselves.
This Strategic Direction calls upon all of us to focus on helping our students develop their maximum potential as adult learners with unique strengths, capable of adapting, learning, and excelling. We will have high expectations for the work we do with our students and we will enthusiastically pursue innovative pathways that maximize opportunities and broaden access to knowledge. We will expect outstanding performance from our students both in- and out-of-the-classroom, and we will provide highly effective, pacesetting teaching and support services to help our students and the college achieve educational excellence.
The theme of student engagement urges us as a college to heighten our expectations for our students beyond academic survival toward a more holistic vision of how students learn and grow. Student engagement expands our construct of student success to emphasize self-discovery, collaboration, community connection, leadership, personal challenge, and contribution to the larger good. By promoting a deeper level of student engagement, we will help students to develop the academic, interpersonal, and collaborative skills essential for them to thrive in the 21st century global economy.We will fully engage and challenge our students by providing purposeful educational experiences which are associated with deeper levels of engagement, learning, and personal development. Further, we will design and implement effective practices as a means to intentionally guide students toward active involvement in these activities.
Our commitment to further student engagement will require the strategic mobilization of existing resources from all areas of the college. It will also require creative initiation of new programs and active collaboration to implement those programs. Intrinsic in the theme of student engagement is a broader commitment that will more fully engage the college in meeting the emerging needs of the broader community.
As a community college, being an active and contributing member of the community is central to our mission. This Strategic Direction asks each of us to recognize the importance of being active participants in our community and to take ownership for building pathways that connect us and create dialogue with diverse organizations in our community.Central to this theme is recognizing the interdependence of the members of healthy communities. Shaping the future of the community requires a shared vision and an ongoing dialogue that is based on data-driven decisions and on cultivating mutual respect and openness.
We will strive to become the resource of choice for the community by strengthening our involvement in defining community priorities, providing access to our resources, linking agencies, businesses and organizations, and continually building upon and broadening our impact in the region. We will be both proactive and reactive in forging new alliances in the community. Our goal is to foster an ideal that locally-based entities and organizations will draw upon Northern Essex as their first and best resource in helping them to achieve their own goals and address their needs.
