Educational Master Plan 2021-2026: Strategic Planning Steering Committee

Rebecca Alvarez, Executive Assistant to the President, will serve as the recorder and provide support to the CBT team and SPSC. Additional College faculty and staff may be called upon as needed to serve as resources to the SPSC as it progresses in its work.

1. College President - serves as committee chair and meeting convener.
2. Membership will include representatives from all three areas of the College: administrative services, academic affairs, and student services.
3. Membership will include administrative, mid-management, faculty, classified/support staff, and student representatives.
4. Membership will include a researcher, a representative of Career Technical Education (CTE), and a representative for equity and inclusion.
5. Membership will include a diverse (gender, age, ethnicity) group of representatives, including both long-standing employees and those in their positions less than five years.
6. Membership will be inclusive, with marginalized voices elevated through member selection.
7. Total membership will not exceed 16 persons.
8. Non-member Resource Persons may be called upon to support the team’s work.

1. Members will communicate with colleagues between meetings.
2. Project and EMP updates will be provided to the College Council & Academic Senate.
3. A designated internal-facing web page has been established for transparency, communication and to maximize input/feedback. Marginalized voices are especially encouraged, welcomed, and valued.
4. The EMP project overview, SPSC Purpose Statement, meeting agendas, monthly updates, and project documents will be posted to the College’s EMP web page as developed.

• College Council
• College President

The EMP Project began September 2, 2020, and a kick-off meeting was held with the SPSC, which has administrative, management, faculty, classified staff, and student representatives from across the college. President Kashima serves as the chair of the SPSC, which will steer the project and work with the CBT team, as the team facilitates the activities of the project.

This next era of College planning must be sensitive and inclusive of the changing needs of the region: its current and prospective students, employers, and communities. It must also support expanded educational opportunities for an increasingly diverse student population that spans the learning continuum of students – from dual credit, to certificate and degree-seeking academic and career-technical education, to returning adults and Veterans, to lifelong learners and seniors. This requires breadth in both curriculum and delivery modes – a challenge to any institution of higher education, and especially when confronted with the current COVID-19 Pandemic, whose future is still unknown.

Five key principles will guide the SPSC and CBT Team for the project:

• Collaboration and Flexibility
• Responsiveness
• Transparency
• Equity and Incisiveness
• Accountability

As a team of professionals who have extensive experience with strategic and educational master planning, and who have worked with dozens of colleges across California and the nation, the CBT team will share best practices and provide coaching as needed to build the institutional capacity of West Valley College in this exciting project. The resulting EMP will stretch WVC into the future to provide equitable student access and success, serve the College’s communities and employers, and enhance quality of life of the region.

The EMP project will progress through three phases of development as follows:

• Phase I: Discovery (September to February)
• Phase II: Portfolio Development (February to March)
• Phase III: Goal-Setting (March to May)

Working in concert with the SPSC, the CBT Team will exercise the five principles identified above. Communication, transparency, and the inclusion of all voices are paramount to the success of the project. Debriefing meetings, sharing of documents as they are developed, and posting materials on the EMP website will be ongoing throughout the project. The SPSC has been formed with a broad representation of members from across the College, including students. SPSC members are listed on the SPSC Purpose Statement (posted on the EMP website). Input and feedback through these SPSC representative members, and the EMP website, are strongly encouraged as the plan is under development. In addition, the complete EMP document will be available on the EMP website late spring for review and comment before being finalized.

The project is expected to complete by mid-May. The resulting EMP will be provided to College Council and posted on the EMP website. The final WVC Educational Master Plan 2021-2026 is planned to commence Fall 2021.

In this phase, both internal and external quantitative and qualitative data and information will be collected, synthesized, and analyzed. Trends and themes will be identified, examining the College’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for the future. The four data sources are represented in the table below.

EMP Discovery Phase Data Sources

A wide array of strategies will be used for gathering data including document review, interviews, focus groups, “listening sessions” and surveys.

In this second phase of the project, results of the Discovery Phase will be compiled into a College Data Portfolio, and Planning Assumptions for the College will be identified to guide development of the College’s five-year plan. An analysis of programs and services will provide opportunities for optimizing the efficiency and effectiveness of the College, providing insight for future staffing and organizational structure needs, and providing a bridge between the educational plan and the existing and future facilities plans.

The third and final phase of the project will focus on developing the key goals and institution-wide objectives that will form the core of the Educational Master Plan (EMP). Ongoing College planning initiatives will be integrated into this framework, so that the College will have a unified and purposeful approach to support equity and success for all students in the next five-year cycle.

The CBT Team will also provide the College with any recommendations identified during the project, suggested next steps for the College in operationalizing the EMP, and strategies to ensure strong monitoring and accountability for its success.

The Educational Master Plan (EMP) project continues to progress on schedule. The project is in Phase III and will complete in just a few weeks. The Strategic Planning Steering Committee (SPSC) has continued to work diligently on the project and is to be commended for its work.

The SPSC and the Collaborative Brain Trust (CBT) team, who is facilitating and providing technical services support for the project, have reviewed the College Data Portfolio and Planning Assumptions from Phase II to conduct the work in Phase III – the final phase of the project. Six overarching goals have been identified for the EMP. Each goal has several institution-wide objectives, and ongoing College planning efforts have been integrated into the goals and objectives in order to have a single, comprehensive plan for the College moving forward. There are 30 institution-wide objectives in total, many of which are already in progress at the College. ACCJC recommendations have also been incorporated, and the plan is in alignment with the West Valley Mission Community College District (WVMCCD) Board’s seven Initiatives and goals.

The Executive team has reviewed the goals and objectives; an accountable vice president has been assigned to each of the six goals, and each objective will have an accountable manager. The SPSC has begun identifying respective operational and participatory governance committees, and ongoing task forces to be aligned with each as well. In Fall 2021 a Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) will be developed to operationalize the plan, identifying tasks, measurable outcomes, responsible individuals and groups who will work on each area, and an appropriate timeline for each. Progress will be tracked and the SIP will be dynamic in nature to remain current, nimble, and responsive each year of the plan. An internal and external “roll-out” of the completed EMP is planned for Summer and Fall 2021 to familiarize everyone with the newly developed West Valley College Educational Master Plan 2021-2026.

On April 6th, the draft EMP was shared with the WVCCD Board for any additional input/feedback. On April 9th, at 11 am, there will be a Zoom open forum for the campus community to see the results of the SPSC’s work and gain an understanding and clarity on the direction of the College for the next five years. The presentation will include highlights of the project, five-year planning assumptions, and the resulting goals and objectives; it will also be posted on the EMP web page for those who may not be able to attend. The SPSC will meet next on April 15th and May 13th to complete the project and celebrate the launch of the new plan.

The Final Draft EMP, along with ongoing work from the project, has been added to the EMP web page, which can be accessed through the Faculty and Staff Committee page. For students and community members there is also a link off the WVC home page, under the “About Us” tab. This will be the last EMP Update, as the project will be completed in a few weeks and the final EMP will be available on the WVC website.

The Educational Master Plan (EMP) project continues to progress on schedule. Phase II is now completed, and the planning assumptions for the EMP’s five-year life span have been identified. The focus for March has been Phase III (Goal-Setting).

The Strategic Planning Steering Committee (SPSC) and the Collaborative Brain Trust (CBT) team, who is facilitating and providing technical services support for the project, met in two half day sessions in March to work on Phase III (Goal-Setting). During this phase, they have reviewed the synthesized data and information from the Discovery Phase, examined the emergent themes as a collective, reviewed planning assumptions for West Valley College for the future, and identified the key goals and objectives needed to provide direction and advance the College over the next five years and beyond.

At the March 5th session, the SPSC heard from the President and three vice presidents their vision and goals for the next five years. During this session planning assumptions for the next five years were reviewed, and a set of six goals with accompanying college-wide objectives were identified from all the EMP Discovery Phase data. These were synthesized and then reviewed at the second session on March 19th. Each vice president will serve as the accountable executive for two of the six goals, and discussion has begun regarding committees, managers, faculty, and classified staff that will work on each of the objectives to develop their timelines and implementation action plans.

The EMP, and its goals and objectives, were developed by the SPSC from over 1200 “input voices” of students, faculty, staff, administrators, and community members, as well as from an extensive review of internal and external data. Existing and ongoing planning efforts at the College were also integrated into the process in order to continue work in progress and generate a single, unified, comprehensive five-year Educational Master Plan for West Valley College. This is an exciting time to see the results of all the data, voices, and existing planning efforts that have been synthesized for the final draft document.

On April 9th, from 11-1, there will be a Zoom open forum for the campus community to see the results of the SPSC’s work and gain an understanding and clarity on the direction of the College for the next five years. Highlights of the project, and the framework of goals and objectives will be shared at the campus forum and, as always, will be posted on the EMP web page. The final draft EMP is targeted for completion by the end of this Academic Year in May.

The Educational Master Plan (EMP) project continues to progress on schedule. We are nearing completion of Phase II (Portfolio Development); Phase III (Goal-Setting) will begin in March. February’s focus has been on local employers, and synthesizing the Data Profile to develop planning assumptions in preparation for Phase III.

The Strategic Planning Steering Committee (SPSC) continues to meet as needed to guide the project. At the February 18th meeting President Kashima provided the SPSC with her “President’s Message” for the EMP, articulating her vision for the College for the next five years. Additionally, she shared a graphic representation from the Aspen Institute, depicting the vision for community colleges across the country. The SPSC also reviewed results from the EMP’s survey of 150 employer representatives who sit on the College’s 14 Program Advisory Committees (PACs). Respondents represented 13 of the 14 PACs, and the response rate (31%) was good. Feedback was generally very positive, and several suggestions were made for improvements in programs and the advisory committees themselves.

The SPSC and the Collaborative Brain Trust (CBT) team, who is facilitating and providing technical services support for the project, are now studying the synthesized data, survey results, and emergent themes from listening sessions to ascertain direction for the College over the next five years. With a comprehensive College Data Profile now complete, and workforce data and survey results compiled, initial planning assumptions are being identified, along with any facilities implications. The emergent themes and planning assumptions will frame the March goal-setting sessions. Existing and ongoing planning efforts at the College will be integrated into the EMP in order to generate a single, unified, comprehensive five-year Educational Master Plan for West Valley College.

At its February meeting, the SPSC also revisited the EMP’s Table of Contents to ensure all desired components have been included, and to review progress to date. The EMP continues on schedule, with expected completion by the end of May. Once the draft is complete, it will be posted to the website along with all the other documents that reside there, for transparency and review by college stakeholders. Additionally, the SPSC will the Friday open forum venue as a vehicle for dialogue about the draft five-year goals and objectives of the plan.

The EMP web page can be accessed through the Faculty and Staff Committee page; for students and community members there is also a link off the WVC home page, under the “About Us” tab. The EMP web page provides an overview of the project, the SPSC, and other important and timely information, including monthly updates, data presentations, project work products and documents as they are developed. Anyone can provide input at any time through their SPSC representative(s), and also via the EMP web page by clicking “Feedback” in the left panel of the page. The next EMP Monthly Update will be in March.

The Educational Master Plan (EMP) project continues to progress. We have completed Phase I (Discovery), and are now in Phase II (Portfolio Development). The listening sessions were completed in December, and January’s focus has been on the Labor Market. The College’s Data Portfolio is also under development as we move forward in Phase II.

The Strategic Planning Steering Committee (SPSC) continues to meet monthly and as needed to guide the project. The committee was joined by the College’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) Team on January 21st to examine workforce data for the four-county area surrounding West Valley College. This data was reviewed (along with information on job postings) and compared to programs currently offered by the College. Job skills desired by employers was also reviewed.

The committee and the Collaborative Brain Trust (CBT) team, who is facilitating and providing technical services support for the project, are now moving through Phase II project activities, which are expected to complete by the end of February. The SPSC will meet again on January 28th to look at the results from College listening sessions, and then again on February 18th to review the draft College Profile and preliminary five-year Planning Assumptions in preparation for Phase III (Goal-Setting), which begins in March.

The College’s Student Services Strategic Plan 2021-2023 is now complete. This plan, along with the 2020 WVC Anti-Racism and Inclusion Action Plan, and several other planning efforts at the College will be woven into the Educational Master Plan (EMP) to generate a unified, single, comprehensive plan for the College for the next five years. Additionally, a cross-walk of the resulting West Valley College Educational Master Plan 2021-2026 will be developed, linking it to the West Valley Mission CCD District eight strategic Initiative goals and objectives, and also to the State of California’s Vision for Success goals.

The EMP web page can be accessed through the Faculty and Staff Committee page; for students and community members there is also a link off the WVC home page, under the “About Us” tab. The EMP web page provides an overview of the project, the SPSC, and other important and timely information, including monthly updates, project work products and documents as they are developed.

Each month a one-page update like this one is posted to the EMP web page, along with data presentations, the Data Profile, etc. as they are developed. This keeps everyone apprised of the project’s activities and progress. Anyone can provide input at any time to their SPSC representative(s), and also via the EMP web page by clicking “Feedback” in the left panel of the page. The next EMP Monthly Update will be late February, following the SPSC’s February 18th meeting.

The Educational Master Plan (EMP) project is progressing well. Phase I – Discovery is nearing completion, with the last few listening sessions scheduled this month. The Strategic Planning Steering Committee (SPSC) continues to meet monthly and as needed to guide the project. The last meeting of the 2020 calendar year was held December 3rd. The committee and the Collaborative Brain Trust (CBT) team, who is facilitating and providing technical services support for the project, are moving through the Phase I project activities. The SPSC will meet twice in January, on the 21st and the 28th, and again on February 18th, when the committee will complete Phase I and move into Phase II of the project. Additionally, the College is compiling the goals of 11 key ongoing planning initiatives for integration into the new EMP.

At its December 3rd meeting, the SPSC welcomed two new members: Jennifer Keh and Khalil A El-Khatib. The committee reviewed results of the EMP College Survey, the internal scan, and the external scan. There was good discussion about the results, which will be used to help shape the five-year Educational Master Plan.

The focus for the next three meetings is as follows:

• January 21st – Workforce data meeting
• January 28th – Focus on internal data (quantitative and qualitative)
• February 18th – Focus on external data (quantitative and qualitative)

In February, the project will move into Phase II, where the College Portfolio will be developed, along with planning assumptions for the next five years and beyond. Phase II activities will position the College SPSC to move forward to the Goal-Setting sessions, scheduled for March.

The EMP web page can be accessed through the Faculty and Staff Committee page; for students and community members there is also a link off the WVC home page, under the “About Us” tab. The EMP web page provides an overview of the project, the SPSC, and other important and timely information, including monthly updates, project work products and documents as they are developed.

Each month (mid-month) a one-page update like this one is posted to the EMP web page to keep everyone apprised of the project’s activities and progress. Anyone can provide input at any time to their SPSC representative(s), and also via the EMP web page by clicking “Feedback” in the left panel of the page. The next EMP Monthly Update will be mid-January.

The Educational Master Plan (EMP) project is in full swing now and we are about half-way through Phase I. The Strategic Planning Steering Committee (SPSC) continues to meet monthly and as needed to guide the project. The next meeting is scheduled for December 3rd. The committee and the Collaborative Brain Trust (CBT) team, who is facilitating and providing technical services support for the project, are moving through the Phase I project activities.

During this first phase of the project, called “Discovery”, a wide array of data and information is collected to learn more about the college, its staff, the student body, the communities and employers served by the College, and the region as a whole. The Discovery Phase will continue through January, providing ample opportunity for all to participate.

On October 22nd, a survey was distributed to all employees and students at the College, with a November 2nd deadline. The response rate was excellent; respondents were as follows:

The second survey was distributed November 13th to community members who serve on the College’s CTE Program Advisory Committees. The SPSC will review survey results on Dec 3rd.

“Listening sessions” with internal College stakeholders and students are nearing completion, and those with external stakeholders will be scheduled for December. These sessions provide an opportunity for the CBT team to hear first-hand dialogue about College activities and initiatives, and to explore current and future priorities for strategic planning. Additionally, the College is compiling the goals of its many planning initiatives for integration into the new EMP.

The EMP web page can be accessed through the Faculty and Staff Committee page; for students and community members there is also a link off the WVC home page. The EMP web page provides an overview of the project, the SPSC, and other important and timely information, including monthly updates, project work products and documents as they are developed.

Each month (mid-month) a one-page update like this one is posted to the EMP web page to keep everyone apprised of the project’s activities and progress. Anyone can provide input at any time to their SPSC representative(s), and also via the EMP web page by clicking “Feedback” in the left panel of the page. The next EMP Monthly Update will be mid-December.

The Educational Master Plan project is now well underway. The Strategic Planning Steering Committee (SPSC) has held several meetings; the committee and the Collaborative Brain Trust (CBT) team, who is facilitating and providing technical services support for the project, are busy initiating the Phase I activities of the project. Each month an update will be provided and posted to the EMP web page to keep everyone apprised of the project’s activities and progress. Anyone can provide input at any time to their SPSC representative(s), and also via the EMP web page by clicking “Feedback” in the left panel of the page.

During this first phase of the project, called “Discovery”, data and information will be collected to learn more about the college, its staff, the student body, the communities and employers served by the College, and the region as a whole. The Discovery Phase will continue through January, providing ample opportunity for all to participate as we collect and analyze a rich and wide array of data and information.

One of the first activities is the College survey. On October 22nd, a survey was distributed to all employees and students at the College. The survey takes about 10-15 minutes to complete and everyone is encouraged to participate and submit by the November 2nd deadline.

The EMP web page is now live and can be accessed through the Faculty and Staff Committee page; for students and community members there is also a link off the WVC homepage. The EMP web page provides an overview of the project, the SPSC, and other important and timely information. It is there that you will find the monthly updates, such as this one, and project work products and documents as they are developed.

This month, the Discovery Phase has begun with data collection, the all-staff and student survey described above, and the scheduling of interviews and “listening sessions” with College stakeholders. These sessions will take place throughout November, providing an opportunity for the CBT team to hear rich stories, ideas, and dialogue among faculty, staff, and students. During these sessions, we will examine the College’s current initiatives, and explore current and future priorities to think and plan strategically for West Valley’s next five-year Educational Master Plan.

This is an exciting time in the project. Through this broad and inclusive process, we hope to hear from each and every individual, bringing both ongoing and marginalized voices to the forefront in planning this next era of West Valley College.