State Fair Community College
Internal Communication Plan
Developed by Institutional Advancement/Marketing and Communications Office
Situation Analysis
Efficient communication is necessary to carry out effective work at State Fair Community College.
Good communication promotes a culture that values employees and enables SFCC to achieve its
strategic goals.
In May 2006 the Campus Quality Survey was taken by 75 employees. The results indicate that
the fifth largest performance gap was in response to the statement, “It is easy to get information
at this institution.” The report goes on to state, “Communication impacts all operating systems of
an organization. It also plays an important role in the overall atmosphere and staff morale. Thus,
communication must be considered among the highest priority areas of a campus’ quality
improvement process.”
Introduction
This plan was developed under the auspices of the Office of Institutional Advancement with the
assistance of nine faculty and staff representatives from across the institution that participated in
five Business Process Analysis sessions. It incorporates communication channels currently in
place judged to be functional as well as new channels intended to improve existing ones.
While SFCC seeks to foster a culture of inclusion in information sharing, dialogue and decisionmaking, it should be noted that there may be decisions made by both the president and the
Executive Leadership Team that cannot, by their nature, be the subject of institution-wide
consensus.
Institutional Strategic Goal
Bearing testimony to the fact that internal communication is considered a high priority at SFCC, in
February 2005 the Board of Trustees approved an institutional strategic plan that includes the
following vision statement:
State Fair Community College will be an exemplary college dedicated to institutional
effectiveness, strengthening communities and partnerships, ensuring student success,
valuing people, and practicing continuous quality improvement.
Goal 2 of the State Fair Community College Strategic Plan is “Ensure an institutional climate
that values employees.” The development of this internal communication plan supports that
goal.
Objective 1 of this plan addresses the one-way dissemination of information, and Objective 2
addresses institutional opportunities for dialogue and upward communication. The plan is not
intended to address the information needs of individual subgroups throughout the institution. It
assumes that the subject matter being communicated should be of interest to all SFCC
employees.
Objective 1.
To increase SFCC employee access to sufficient, consistent and timely information
regarding internal plans and actions so that they are well informed and able to
work effectively.
Strategy 1.1.
Approved: 12/11/06
Updated: 6/18/2007
Internal Communication Plan
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State Fair Community College
Internal Communication Plan
Developed by Institutional Advancement/Marketing and Communications Office
Disseminate information utilizing the organizational hierarchy
Tactic 1.1.1. Face to Face Communication in Organizational Unit Meetings
As appropriate, information and issues discussed in Executive Leadership Team
meetings is cascaded though the system starting with weekly staff meetings conducted
by ELT members in their respective units. Vice presidents, deans, associate deans,
directors and all others who have staff reports have responsibility for sharing/passing
along information intended to be disseminated institution-wide in a timely manner. By
way of example, the vice president for educational services is a member of the Executive
Leadership Team. This individual is responsible for seeing that the appropriate
information is disseminated at the Vice President for Educational Services team meeting
which is attended by deans, associate deans and the CTC director. The associate deans
are responsible for disseminating the appropriate information to department chairs and
department chairs are responsible for passing the information to faculty at department
meetings.
At the end of each meeting the Executive Leadership Team identifies the agenda
items/information that should be communicated throughout the system and vice
presidents are then responsible for initiating the information cascading process.
Tactic 1.1.2. All-College Meetings
The president conducts all-college meetings at the start of the fall and spring semesters
and as is otherwise deemed necessary. These meetings convey timely information about
institutional issues and/or give the president the opportunity to make a “state-of-thecollege” address to employees.
Strategy 1.2.
Disseminate information utilizing internal mass media
Tactic 1.2.1. Intranet (mySTAR)
a.
In the Know tab
Mission. The In the Know tab on the SFCC Intranet is the official employee communication of
State Fair Community College. The purpose of In the Know is to inform employees of college
business, policies, news, and events, and provide information that helps employees fulfill the
college vision, mission, core values and strategic directions. Employees are responsible for
logging into mySTAR and reviewing the In the Know tab on a regular basis.
Oversight. In the Know is published by the Marketing and Communications Office. The director
of Marketing and Communications serves as the editor of In the Know.
Circulation. The In the Know tab is accessible only by SFCC employees with a valid login.
Frequency. Because of its Web-based nature, the Intranet is accessible at any time by
employees with a valid login. The In the Know tab is generally updated on Wednesday and
Friday, or as deemed appropriate.
Approved: 12/11/06
Updated: 6/18/2007
Internal Communication Plan
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State Fair Community College
Internal Communication Plan
Developed by Institutional Advancement/Marketing and Communications Office
Content. Content is subject to editorial discretion in determining what is of interest to the college
community. Political advocacy is prohibited. All items are subject to editing for reasons of clarity
and space.
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PRESIDENT’S PEN is information from the weekly ELT meeting and other news from the
president.
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KUDOS AND PERSONAL NEWS is good news about college employees and their
successes and achievements, both personally and professionally.
o Due to issues of privacy, notices of illness, hospitalizations, births or deaths will
not be included unless the information is submitted or approved by a member of
the individual’s immediate family.
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DEPARTMENT NEWS is information provided by college departments about their news,
services, deadlines, etc.
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News is routinely provided by the Advancement and Business offices,
Educational Technology Services, Human Resources, and the Multipurpose
Center. Other departments are encouraged to provide relevant news either on a
regular or as-needed basis.
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LATEST NEWS is information that does not pertain to a specific department, or has
feature-story characteristics that appeal to the broad interests of the campus. Examples
include policies or issues under institutional review, campus improvements, or activities
taking place.
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TECH TIP is content provided by ETS designed to inform and educate the campus on
shortcuts, tips or updates related to the campus technology environment.
Submission Instructions. News may be submitted via e-mail at any time to the director of
Marketing and Communications. Submissions should include the contributor’s name, department,
e-mail or phone. Items will be attributed to the contributor unless other attribution is indicated.
Publication cannot be guaranteed.
Format and Style. In the Know is a notes-style publication. Submissions are edited for brevity
and Associated Press (AP) style.
b.
Personal Announcements
Personal Announcements are located in a channel on the Welcome tab on the Intranet, and are
messages that can be targeted to employees only.
Personal Announcements are more pointed in nature than news found on the In the Know tab
and may require action or immediate attention on the part of employees.
Requests for Personal Announcements should be made to the director of Marketing and
Communications.
Employees are responsible for logging into mySTAR and viewing Personal Announcements on a
regular basis.
Tactic 1.2.2. All-User E-Mail
Approved: 12/11/06
Updated: 6/18/2007
Internal Communication Plan
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State Fair Community College
Internal Communication Plan
Developed by Institutional Advancement/Marketing and Communications Office
The decision to send an all-user e-mail rather than submitting the information for the In
the Know tab or a Personal Announcement is based on whether or not the information
that needs to be disseminated is time-sensitive or needs focused attention. Employees
who have information that is believed to require institution-wide dissemination and meets
either criterion should contact their immediate supervisors to obtain approval for as well
as facilitate the sending of an all-user e-mail message. Employees are discouraged
from utilizing a conglomeration of user groups as a means of sending an e-mail
message to all-users.
A list of time-sensitive events includes but is not necessarily limited to the following:
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Deaths
Crisis communication and emergency closings
IT notices about viruses or imminent problems
Power/service outages or interruptions
Public safety advisories
Parking or construction issues
Presidential messages
Other messages deemed of high importance
The following positions have access to all-user e-mail: president and administrative
assistant to the president; vice president for educational services; vice president for
educational technology services; vice president for finance and administration;
administrative assistant to the executive director of the foundation/director of
development; vice president for student services; director of physical plant; and director
of marketing and communications.
Tactic 1.2.3. Broadcast Voice Mail
The president has the authority and access to generate a voice mail message to all-users
simultaneously. It is at the president’s discretion as to when and under what
circumstances this medium is used.
Access to this communication venue will expand with the planned development of the
college’s crisis communication plan.
Tactic 1.2.4
Screen saver messages (TBA)
The Marketing and Communications Office will be responsible for managing messaging
general and emergency messages on this internal communication tool, and the vice
president for Student Services will also have access in order to send emergency
messages.
Tactic 1.2.5. Directory of Internal Documents
Links to internal documents of interest to all SFCC staff are located
on the SFCC Intranet at http://mystar.sfccmo.edu.
Links to internal documents, and their location on the Intranet, include, but are not limited
to the following:
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Expense account form for non-ELT staff members
Expense account form for ELT members
Approved: 12/11/06
Updated: 6/18/2007
Internal Communication Plan
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State Fair Community College
Internal Communication Plan
Developed by Institutional Advancement/Marketing and Communications Office
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Vendor request form
Contract for Services
Petty cash form
Incident Report
Job notification form student department paid
Job notification form work study or student employment
New hire checklist faculty
New hire checklist non-instructional
Authorization for payroll deduction
Direct deposit authorization form multiple accounts
Pay authorization form
Retirement system notification
Address change form
Employee outprocessing checklist
Tuition waiver scholarship application
Position requisition form
Medical certification/accommodation request
Student time sheet
I-9 fillable form for new employees
2007 Missouri W-4
2007 Federal W-4
Employee benefits
Star’s Club and President’s Mission award nomination forms
Links to external documents, and their location, include, but are not limited to the
following:
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Fact Book – Institutional Planning and Effectiveness Web page
Strategic Plan – Institutional Planning and Effectiveness Web page
Policies and Regulations – SFCC Web site
Employee Handbook – Human Resources Office
Campus Security Report – SFCC Web site
Personnel Directory – SFCC Web site
Identity Standards Manual – Marketing and Communications Web page
Fast Facts – SFCC Web site
AQIP Action Projects – Institutional Planning and Effectiveness Web page
Faculty Handbook – Faculty Center Web page
Student Handbook – SFCC Web site / Student Services Office
Master Calendar – Outlook shared calendar
Report List – Institutional Planning and/or Institutional Research (planned)
Systems and Processes-requesting data from STAR – Institutional Planning and
Effectiveness Office (planned)
SFCC Board of Trustees monthly meeting agenda-SFCC Web site
Tactic 1.2.6. President’s Annual Report
The President’s Annual Report is an internal document printed and mailed
to the homes of employees in July of each year. The report is designed to report on the
state of the institution at the end of each fiscal year.
Tactic 1.2.7 SFCC Magapaper
Approved: 12/11/06
Updated: 6/18/2007
Internal Communication Plan
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State Fair Community College
Internal Communication Plan
Developed by Institutional Advancement/Marketing and Communications Office
This is a short publication mailed to the home of employees in March and
November of each year featuring articles of interest to SFCC employees.
Objective 2.
To increase SFCC employee opportunities for dialogue and upward
communication so that each individual may impact the college’s efforts to achieve
its strategic goals.
Strategy 2.1.
Formalize institutional opportunities for dialogue and upward communication
Tactic 2.1.1. Review, Recommendation, Feedback/Consensus Process
While there are decisions that must be made unilaterally by the
Executive Leadership Team (ELT), the college values decision-making at all levels and
places an importance on involving affected employees in the decision-making process
when possible and appropriate. The review, recommendation, feedback, consensus
process for seeking institutional input is as follows:
a. Policies, regulations, processes or issues that may have an institution-wide
impact are discussed as an agenda item at a regular meeting of the ELT. An
item is placed on the agenda by the president or by the president at the request
of another ELT member.
b. If the agenda item is determined to have an institution-wide impact and broadbased institutional input is appropriate, the ELT assigns it for review and
recommendation to an institutional unit. A unit is defined as a group that is a
constituent of the whole. The group may be an ad hoc committee, an AQIP hot
team, an administrative unit, an advisory committee, etc. The unit as well as the
unit members may be assigned by ELT. Policies are always subject to the
institutional review, recommendation, feedback, consensus cycle process.
c. Policies, regulations, processes or issues assigned to a unit for review will be
published in In the Know. Unit members will also be identified in In the Know in
order that employees may have the opportunity to provide input early in the
process.
d. After the policy, regulation, process or issue is reviewed by the institutional unit,
a document is generated by the unit.
e. The document is then circulated by the unit for institutional comment. This
circulation must include In the Know and may or may not include forums or other
communication venues. Although documents are circulated for institutional
comment, this should not be interpreted to mean that all comments or
suggestions will be integrated into the document or recommendation.
f. After the institutional comments are integrated as deemed appropriate by the
unit, the document is forwarded to the ELT for review.
g. After the ELT reviews the document or recommendation, either consensus is
reached and the document or recommendation is approved or the document is
returned to the unit for further consideration.
h. The cycle begins again until consensus is reached.
Employees may request that an item be placed on the ELT meeting agenda. This
request should be made to and carried forward by the immediate supervisor. Should a
determination be made by the president that the issue will not be placed on the ELT
agenda, the supervisor will apprise the employee as to the rationale.
Approved: 12/11/06
Updated: 6/18/2007
Internal Communication Plan
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State Fair Community College
Internal Communication Plan
Developed by Institutional Advancement/Marketing and Communications Office
Tactic 2.1.2. Communication Liaison
In an effort to ensure that every employee at State Fair Community College has the
opportunity to bring ideas and issues of concern to the attention of the SFCC
administration, the presidents of the Faculty, Professional and Classified associations will
serve as communication liaisons between staff and the president of the college during
their terms of office. The communication liaison’s primary responsibility is to bring ideas,
issues and concerns to the president on behalf of individual employees and/or the
separate associations they represent who choose to utilize this venue and to follow-up
with the employee/association on a timely basis.
While members of the Executive Leadership Team maintain an open door policy and the
communication liaison provides employee access to the president, employees with
issues and concerns are encouraged first to pursue standard administrative channels.
Tactic 2.1.3. College Forums
When there is detailed information about an issue that needs to be presented collegewide and requires the opportunity for questions and input, a forum format may be utilized.
Tactic 2.1.4. College Focus Groups
From time to time SFCC will seek input from employees about
various aspects of the college. Focus groups consisting of 10 to 15 employees are
facilitated by college employees or an outside facilitator.
Tactic 2.1.5. Kitchen Cabinet
Once each month, except during summer, the president invites interested employees to
lunch to discuss specific college issues. Topics are announced prior to the event on
mySTAR (Intranet) or by e-mail. This provides an excellent opportunity for two-way
communication about specific issues.
Key Performance Indicators
The key performance indicator for the effectiveness of this plan will be a reduction in the
performance gap from the 2006 to 2007 Campus Quality Survey for the statement, “It is easy to
get information at this institution.”
Conclusion
Key ingredients in developing effective communications for any organization include each
individual taking responsibility for accessing information utilizing the channels through which it is
being disseminated.
In addition to direct means of communication (person-to-person and telephone), the college
provides and expects all employees to use and to be aware of the information distributed via the
primary means of campus communication:
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Campus mail
Electronic mail and calendar
Voice mail
mySTAR Intranet
Approved: 12/11/06
Updated: 6/18/2007
Internal Communication Plan
7
State Fair Community College
Internal Communication Plan
Developed by Institutional Advancement/Marketing and Communications Office
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SFCC Web site
Official campus communication may be sent by any and/or all of these above means. All
employees are expected, on a regular basis, to accept their mail communication (campus,
electronic, voice and portal) within a reasonable time period from the date of receipt.
Employees should also make it known when a communication is not understood; and suggest
when and how information could have been communicated more effectively.
In an effort to ensure continuous quality improvement in the college’s communication efforts, an
AQIP hot team will periodically be assigned by ELT to review and make recommendations
regarding the Internal Communication Plan in light of the Campus Quality Survey and other input
received by the director of Marketing and Communications throughout the year.
Approved: 12/11/06
Updated: 6/18/2007
Internal Communication Plan
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