GraysonCollege2020StrategicPlan
The Grayson College Strategic Plan has been developed, refined, and
implementedthroughacollaborativeprocess,whichbeganduringtheSpring
2013semester.Duringthefallof2013,astrategicplanningretreatwasheld
where 75 faculty and staff participated in a three‐day dialogue about the
desired future of the College. In spring 2014, each strategic planning
committee provided the Executive Cabinet with recommendations for
initiatives to consider funding during the 2014‐15 budget cycle. In spring
2015,thecollegedeepenedthecommitmenttousingtheplanto informthe
budgetbyprovidingtheBoardofTrusteesareportontheprogressmadein
thestrategicplan,alongwithaproposedroadmapformovingforward.This
occurredduringaretreatwiththeBoardonFebruary9,2015withasecond
retreatonMarch3,2015.
Inbetweentheseretreats,staffincorporatedfeedbackreceivedduringthefirst
retreat and further developed the strategic plan based upon dialogue at the
AchievingtheDream(AtD)annualmeeting.1Itissuggestedthecollegehave
oneoverarchinggoal(1500completersby2020)Completersincludedegrees,
certificates, core complete, and marketable skills awards. The logic is that
everything we do as a college should work toward this end. The ATD Core
Teamwithinputfromfacultyandstaffhavedefinedacompleteras“onewho
finishesalloftherequirementstowardsacredential.”Itisimportanttonote
that Grayson has completers from Adult Basic Education and the Center for
Workplace Learning and Continuing Education. With these change, we are
proposinganewwaytothinkofourplanasfollows:
INCREASECOMPLETERSBY50%,FROM1000TO1500BY2020.
ACCESS
ENGAGEMENT
EXCELLENCE2
SUCCESS
Overall
Goal:
Planning
Goals:
Foundational
Requirement
1Notably, AtD Core Team members, division chairs (academic) and the workforce
dean attended the AtD meeting in Baltimore Feb. 17-21, 2015. 2During the 2/9/15 retreat, the Board expressedadesiretomaintainthegoalof
Excellenceasafoundationalmeasure.
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*Alltargetswillneedtobeupdatedfrom2016targetsto2020targets.
(*NOTE:Widespreaddiscussionshouldprobablyoccuroncampuspriorto
wholesalechange;however,EChasalreadyblesseditasaviablemove)
PRIORITIESASIDENITFIEDBYSTAFF
GRAYSONCOLLEGE
2015‐16PRIORITIESCURRENTLYIDENTIFIED
Weareinaworldwherewemustbalancestudentaccessandsuccessifweareto
fulfillourmissiontoprovideviablepathwaysforstudentstoalifeandcareerthatis
transformative,buildourcommunity,andinspireexcellence.Allelementsofthe
strategicplanareimportant;however,thecollegecanmakechoicesaboutwhereto
putmoreenergyorourfirsteffort.Eachdecisionshouldbedrivenbydataor
informationweknowaboutourcollege,andshouldbeinformedbywherewethink
wemighthavethegreatestimpact.Itisnotthatagivenelementis“more”
important,ratherthatitisthoughtthatthetacticemployedinagivenareaisneeded
priortothesuccessfulexecutionofanotherareaoftheplan(orthesameareaofthe
planforthatmatter).
Theprioritiesoutlinedhererepresentourprofessionaljudgmentastowhatwould
bethefirstlogicalstepinmovingforwardtoaccomplishourgoalofXXXX
completersby2020.TheCollegerecommendsafocusonthefollowingitemswithin
thestrategicplanoverthecourseofthenextyear:
CourseCompletion:
WithAtDdatasuggestingthisisanareawhereGraysonCollegelagspeerAtD
colleges3,theCollegeisrecommendingadeeperfocusonwaystoaccomplish
successfulcoursecompletionwithagradeofA,B,orC(withoutloweringcollegiate
standards).Agooddealofworkhasgoneintocoursecompletionthisyear;
including:
 TwodayDataSummitwithfacultylookingatcoursecompletionintheir
disciplines.
 Everyacademicdepartmenthasidentifiedastrategytoimprovecourse
completioninahighimpactcourseintheirarea.
 TheAtDCoreTeamhaspilotedanattendanceandgradereportproject
wherebyfacultyreportthosedataelementsat3,9,and16weeks.
Appropriateanalysisarebeingdeveloped,andinterventionshavebeen
pilotedwithagooddealoflearningoccurringalready.
3AnAtDmeasureofstudentsinastartingcohortwhocompleteallcourseswithan
A,B,orCwithinathreeyearperiod.(GC9%;Peers18%)
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
ExplorationoftheDropRateImprovementProgram(DRIP)atOdessa
College,whichlooksatanalternativemeanstoimprovecoursesuccess.
Intheupcomingyear,
 Supportandmonitortheeffectivenessofdepartmentalimprovementplans
forcoursecompletion.
 AttendanceandGradesReporting:Muchmoreneedstobedoneinthis
regardifthisistobecomeaneffectiveearlyalertsystem,including:
integrationwithtechnologysystems(CANVAS&CAMS),andthe
developmentofsoundstrategiesforintervention.
 Implementalternativemeanstoimprovecoursesuccess,likeOdessa
College’sDRIP.
 Datasummittoanalyzetheeffectivenessofstrategiesimplemented.
 Implementdepartmentaldashboardsfortrackingprogresstowardscourse
completiongoals.
Pathways
Whenwelookatthedataontimetodegree(4+years)andhours(92hours)to
degree,weseeaneedtobecleareraboutourpathways.Therearemultiplethings
thatcanbedonetoaffectastudent’sdegreecompletion,themostbasicofwhichis
toprovideclearcommunicationoftheexpectationsandtoprovideregular“check‐
ups”todeterminetheirprogress(orlackthereof).Currently,thesearegoalsthat
areheldbyourteam;however,wehavemuchworktodosincethisyearwehave
changedourcorecurriculum,revisedallofourdegreestoallbeingnomorethan60
hours(withafewexceptions),andneedtorealignourtransferpathwayswith
Universities.
Agooddealofworkhasgoneintopathwaydevelopmentthisyear;including:
 Alldegreeshavebeenreducedto60hours(withafewexceptions).
 Transitionedtonine(9)academicassociatedegreesdownfromdozens).We
willnowawardoneoftheninedegrees(e.g.studentswillgetanAAin
LiberalArts,notanAAinHistory,orAAinSociology).
 Eachdepartmenthasidentifiedhoweachofthepathwayswillimpact
studentsupontransferatvariousdestinationuniversities.
 Studentservicesdepartmentcontinuestoautomaticallyawardassociate
degreesandcertificates(amanualprocesscurrently)
 completeapolicyreviewandrecommendchanges
Intheupcomingyear,
 Tightenthepathwayssothatstudentshaveclearlydelineatedpathways
presentedtothematentrytoGC.
 Buildayear‐longclassschedulefor2015‐16.
 PushtheGraysonPathways,orMeta‐Majorsasawayforstudentsto
conceptualizeprogramcompletion.
 ProgramnewERPtoautomaticallyawardassociatedegreesand
certificatestostudentswhohaveearnedmorethan60hours(and
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completedappropriatecourses)[viaERPprocess]
 ProgramthenewERPtoenrollstudentsincoursesin‘lock‐step,’so
thattheydonotgetofftheirpathway(whetherregisteringonlineorin‐
person).
 Generateinterventionsthatwillfacilitatestudentswhoareoffcourse
togetbackon‐courseintheirGraysonPathway.

Datasummittoanalyzetheeffectivenessofstrategiesimplemented.
 Updateandstreamlinecollegecatalog
 DevelopschedulesforFT,PT,andEveningstudentsensuringaclear
pathwaytodegrees
 Scaleuplearningframeworkstoembedkeyoutcomesacrossthe
curriculum
DeepenCommitmenttoStudentSuccessThroughCommunication
Agooddealofworkhasgoneintopathwaydevelopmentthisyear;including:




Started“BreakfastwithPresident”
ContinuedCommunicationsCouncil
RevisionofStrategicPlanningProcesses
RevisionofExecutiveCabinetmeetings
 TransitionedtheCollegeEffectivenessCounciltobecomethecollege
SuccessCouncilandimplementedanewAtDCoreTreamtoleadthe
studentsuccessagendaatGrayson.AdditionofCollegeSuccessCouncil
Intheupcomingyear,
 Utilizeacommonlanguageforchangemanagement,suchasFour
DisciplinesofExecutionbyStevenCovey.
 Leadershipdevelopmentfordivisionchairsanddeans
 ContinueBreakfastwithPresident
 ContinueCommunicationsCouncil
 Usesocialmediaforinternalandexternalmarketing.
 UseYouTubeasameanstocommunicatecommitment.
 Haveregularpresentationsbythe“unusualsuspects”attheBoard,in
conferences,andinourattemptstoearnexternalrecognition.
OnlineProgramExpansion
Wehaveinvestedintechnologythatwillmakeusmoreabletobesuccessfulwith
onlinestudents.Additionally,thisislikelyasourceofstudentsthatareseeking
theireducationelsewheresincemanyofouronlinecoursesarefull.
Intheupcomingyear,
 Inventoryprogramsoffered100%online.
 Researchbestpracticesfordevelopingonlineprograms.
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



Identifystudentsupportservicesnecessaryforonlineprogramsand
roadmaphowandwhentheseserviceswillbeavailabletoonlinestudents.
Developamechanismtotrackstudentswhoare100%onlinestudents.
Identifyandroadmapprogramstobedelivered100%online.
Developpathwaysforonlineprogramsforgreaterstudentsuccess.
OTHERPRIORITIESTOCONSIDER
EarlyCollegeHighSchool.
GraysonCollegeisdeeplyinvolvedinatransitionofTiogaISDtoanECHSforcareer
techprograms.Eventhoughthisisnotlistedasapriorityabove,thisisa
commitmentwehavemadeandneedtofollowthroughon.
MasterPlan.
GraysonCollegeisinneedofanupdatedCollegeMasterPlan.Thecostisestimated
at$40,000‐$50,000.
GraysonCollegeStrategicPlan(3/2/2015)
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ACCESS
Beabestinclassinstitutionforstudentaccessincredit,non‐credit,andonline
instruction. Close the gaps in these areas,ensuring participation of students
representingthediversityofourcommunity.
A1.IncreaseEnrollment
By2016,havea20%increaseinenrollmentoverall,ensuring
representationofthediversityofourcommunity.
(and)
A2.IncreaseOnlineEnrollment
By2016,havea30%increaseinonlineenrollment,ensuring
representationofthediversityofourcommunity.
(and)
A3.IncreaseNon‐CreditEnrollment
By2016,haveanincreaseinnon‐creditenrollmentby20%,ensuring
representationofthediversityofourcommunity.
2014‐15
 Finalizebrandinginitiativeacrossallmaterials.
 Finalizethewebsiteredesign(mobileready).
 InitiateEnterpriseResourcePlanning(ERP)conversion(CAMS–
ThreeRivers);updatedtechnologythatismobile‐ready.
 InitiatethepurchaseofanewLearningManagementSystem
(LMS),knownasCANVAS;updatedtechnologythatismobile‐ready.
 ExpandofferingsintheCenterforWorkplaceLearning(skillsfor
smallbusiness)
 DevelopanEarlyCollegeHighSchoolmodelwithatleastone
areaschool.
2015‐16
 ImplementanEarlyCollegeHighSchoolmodelwithatleastone
areahighschool.




Implementaprimarily4‐dayclassschedule.
Developpathwaysforstudents(MetaMajors)
Go‐livewithERP(CAMS–ThreeRivers),Feb.2016
ExpandCWLofferings(morecustomizedtraining,grants,and
offerings).
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

Expandonlinedegreeoptions(developcourses,market,andevaluate
effectiveness).
Expandbaseoffacultywhoteachonline,usingqualitymetricsfor
courses.
Expandonline‐supportoptionsavailableforstudents.

2016‐20
 TrackSuccessesofabovestrategiesandmakerecommendations
fornextsteps.
RELATIONSHIPTOGOALOFINCREASINGGRADUATESBY2020:
Inordertohaveavolumeofgraduatesthatexceedsthecurrent1,048,we
mustenrollmorestudentsasoneportionofthisstrategy.Ifwehavethe
same success rates (%s) that we currently have, we will need to enroll
proportionally more students. Given that the number of high school
graduates in our area is decreasing, and the unemployment rates for
Texoma are near the 4% mark, it is unlikely that we will find a pool of
students large enough to make up the difference through enrollment
growth.Totheextentthatweareabletopositivelyaffectthesuccessrates
(%s) of our students who become completers, we will need fewer
additionalenrolledstudents.Nevertheless,wewillneedatleastthesame
number of students as are currently enrolled or more if we are to
accomplishourgoal.
SUCCESS
Be a best in class institution for student success, especially in the areas of
course completion (including developmental courses), fall‐to‐fall retention,
transfer, and graduation. Close the gaps in these areas, ensuring the
performanceofstudentsrepresentingthediversityofourcommunity.
B1.ImproveCourseCompletion
By2016,havea20%increaseincoursecompletion(Corbetter).(from
63%tojustover75%)
By2016,havea20%increaseindevelopmentalcoursecompletion.(from
54%inMathtonearly65%)
2014‐15
 Pilotanattendanceandgradereportingsystemforthecollege.
 HostanAchievingtheDreamDataSummitfocusedoncourse
completioninallcoursesatthedepartmentallevel,resultingin
departmentalplansforimprovement.
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
DevelopmentalMathandreading/writingfacultycontinuedto
trackdevelopmentalenrollment/completion.
2015‐16
 Developintegratedearlyalertsbaseduponattendanceand
gradereportingfromthenewLearningManagementSystem
(CANVAS)intothenewERP(CAMS),sothatitisaseamless
process.
 Triggeractionsbyappropriateofficeswhenstudentsarelagging
inperformance.
 Departmentalactionsbaseduponlocalizedrecommendationson
howtoimprovecoursecompletion(i.e.mathmaylookatwhether
participationinalabforanumberofhoursperweekleadsto
greatersuccess)
 Deployasystematicprofessionaldevelopmentplanforthose
involvedwithcourseswithhighdroprates,modeledafterOdessa
College’sDropRateImprovementPlan(DRIP).
 Explorethe“aidasapaycheck”approachtoawardingloans(and
otheraidasappropriate).
 Explore“bigdata”analyticsasatoolforhelpingstudentssucceed
(incourses,degrees,etc...
2016‐20
 Implementa‘bigdata’approachtohelpingstudentsthrough
earlyalerts.ProductslikeCivitasLearningusebigdataanalytics
tohelpstudentssucceed.
 TrackSuccessesofabovestrategiesandmakerecommendations
fornextsteps.
B2.ImproveStudentRetention
By2016,havea25%increaseinfall‐to‐springretention(From70%to
87.5%)
By2016,havea20%increaseinfall‐to‐fallretention(From50%to60%)
2014‐15
 Communicatewithallcurrentlyenrolledstudentsmultipletimes
inthecurrentlyenrolledtermsoastohelpthemenrollinthe
subsequentterm.
 Assignfacultyadvisorsoallstudentstoincludethecreationofa
robustfacultyadvisingprogram
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2015‐16
 Furtherdevelopthefacultyadvisormodelafterimplementing
thenewERP(CAMS)anddevelopingandtrainingonthe
GraysonPathways.
2016‐20
 TrackSuccessesofabovestrategiesandmakerecommendations
fornextsteps.
B3.Increasethenumberofstudentsprogressingtowardadegree,
ensuringrepresentationofstudentsrepresentingthediversityofour
community
By2016,havea20%increaseinthenumberofstudentsearning15
hoursofcredit.
By2016,havea20%increaseinthenumberofstudentsearning30
hoursofcredit.
By2016,havea20%increaseinthenumberofstudentsearning45
hoursofcredit.
By2016,havea20%increaseinthenumberofstudentsearninga
certificate.
By2016,havea20%increaseinthenumberofstudentsearningan
associate’sdegree.
(and)
B4.Improvetimetodegree,ensuringrepresentationofstudents
representingthediversityofourcommunity
By2016,havea25%decreaseinthetimetodegree(fromjustover4
yearstonearly3years)
By2016,havea25%decreaseinthenumberofhourstakenbyastudent
whoultimatelyearnsadegree(from88hoursto66hours)
2014‐15
 Awardassociatedegreestostudentswhohaveearnedmore
than60hours(andcompletedappropriatecourses)without
makingthestudent“apply”forgraduation[manualprocess]
 Buildayear‐longclassschedulefor2015‐16.
 DevelopanEarlyCollegeHighSchoolmodelwithatleastone
areaschool.
2015‐16
 ImplementanEarlyCollegeHighSchoolmodelwithatleastone
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




areahighschool.
Develop15hoursastheexpectedfull‐timeenrollmentfor
marketingpurposes(notforfinancialaidorSAP)
PushtheGraysonPathways,orMeta‐Majorsasawayforstudents
toconceptualizeprogramcompletion;pairedwithayear‐long
classschedulesotheycanseewheretheyaregoing.
ProgramnewERPtoautomaticallyawardassociatedegreesand
certificatestostudentswhohaveearnedmorethan60hours(and
completedappropriatecourses)[viaERPprocess]
ProgramthenewERPtoenrollstudentsincoursesin‘lock‐step,’so
thattheydonotgetofftheirpathway.
Generateinterventionsthatwillfacilitatestudentswhoareoff
coursetogetbackon‐courseintheirGraysonPathway.
2016‐20
 TrackSuccessesofabovestrategiesandmakerecommendations
fornextsteps.
B5.Increasestudenttransfersuccess
By2016,havea100%increaseinthenumberofstudentswhotransfer
afterearning30hoursofcredit.
2014‐15
 ReviseallexistingtransferagreementswithUniversities.
2015‐16
 EnsuretheGraysonPathways,orMeta‐Majors,areclearly
articulatedtoeachUniversity.
 ProgramthenewERPtoenrollstudentsincoursesin‘lock‐step,’so
thattheydonotgetofftheirpathway.
2016‐20
 TrackSuccessesofabovestrategiesandmakerecommendations
fornextsteps.
RELATIONSHIPTOGOALOFINCREASINGGRADUATESBY2020:
In order to have a volume of graduates that exceeds the current 1,048,
having a greater proportion of our students who are successful is key.
Manymeasureswithinthisgoalmaybeconsideredleadingindicatorsof
whetherwewillaccomplishthelargergoalofmorestudents.So,afocus
on coursecompletion, semesterto semester retention, progresstowards
15/30/45hoursshouldhelpthecollegetoincreasetheoverallnumberof
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graduates. Within this goal is a target to increase the number of
degrees/certificates, and ultimately transfer. These are obviously lag
measures.Overall,moresuccesswiththestudentswehaveisgoingtobe
the most likely source of movement to an increase in the number of
graduates.
ENGAGEMENT
BeabestinclassCollegeforstudentandcommunityengagement.
C1.Increasestudentengagement
By2016,haveimproveallCCSSEmeasuredbenchmarkstobeatleastto
the50thbenchmark,withthoseoverthe50thbenchmarkincreasingby
atleast2%.
2014‐15
 CCSSEScoresincreasedsubstantiallyinvariousareas.
 Provideprofessionaldevelopmentforfaculty/staffgeared
towardstudentengagement(primarilyactivitiesofDirector
forTeachingandLearning);including:LearningDay(2xper
year),adhocmeetingswithfacultyintheirclassroom,and
structuredpresentationsonspecializedtopics.
 Engageinacampus‐widereadingactivity(Bridgesoutof
Poverty)todevelopadeepcommitmenttoengagingstudents.
 IncludestudentsinLearning‐Dayactivitiesasapartofa
panelexchangeonhowGraysonimpactsstudentlives.
2015‐16
 AdministerCCSSE/SENSEsurveyinspring2016todetermine
whereGraysonCollegestands.
 Continuetoprovideprofessionaldevelopmentforfaculty/staff
gearedtowardstudentengagement(primarilyactivitiesof
DirectorforTeachingandLearning);includingconsiderationof
revisiontopolicyonwhenevaluationsoccur(annuallyorevery
threeyears)
 Engageinacampus‐widereadingactivityonanewbookchosen
bymembersofthecampuscommunity.Thegoalistodevelopa
deepcommitmenttoengagingstudents.
 ContinuetoincludestudentsinLearning‐Dayactivitiesasapartof
apanelexchangeonhowGraysonimpactsstudentlives.
 Deployasystematicprofessionaldevelopmentplanforthose
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involvedwithcourseswithhighdroprates,modeledafterOdessa
College’sDropRateImprovementPlan(DRIP).
2016‐20
 TrackSuccessesofabovestrategiesandmakerecommendations
fornextsteps.
C2.EngageinServiceLearningwithinourcommunity
2014‐15
 Studentgroupswillengageinservicelearningactivitiesand
willreporttheirinvolvementtotheDirectorofStudent
Activities.
 Developarepositoryofservicelearningopportunities,and
trainfacultyonhowtoeffectivelyinfuseservicelearninginto
theirclassroomexperience(DirectorofTeachingand
Learning)
 InitiateRotaractClubforGraysonCollegestudents.
2015‐16
 Studentgroupswillengageinservicelearningactivitiesandwill
reporttheirinvolvementtotheDirectorofStudentActivities.
 Expandrepositoryofservicelearningopportunitiesandtraining
onservicelearning(DirectorofTeachingandLearning)
 Involveatleast50studentsinaRotaractClubforGraysonCollege.
2016‐20
 TrackSuccessesofabovestrategiesandmakerecommendations
fornextsteps.
C3.Increasebusinessandindustrypartnerships
2014‐15
 ReinvigoratetheCenterforWorkplaceLearning,adding
focusonskillsemployersneedwhilebuildingbalanceintothe
operationsforasustainablefuture.
 EngageinastudyofthepipelineforAdvancedManufacturing
andHealthcarefromtheISDtothecompanyfloor.(EDC’s,
ISD’s,andGC)
 BuildtheTexomaCraftBeverageAllianceasacomponentof
theViticultureandEnologyProgram.
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2015‐16
 DelivermorevaluetothecommunityfromtheCenterfor
WorkplaceLearning.
 Buildabiggerpipelinefortheareascomingfromthepipeline
study(AdvancedManufacturingandHealthcare);includes:
expandingtheIndustryIntern(I2)program,doingmorewithnon‐
credithealthcaretrainingandbuildingstackablecredentials,and
exploringtheconceptofatechnicalhighschoolcenteratGrayson
College.
 GettingTexomaReadyforGrowthandchangebyfacilitating
conversationsaboutpotentialtrainingneedsthatwillrequire
partnersforadvancedofferings(suchasaviationand
healthcare/BSN).
 NurturetheTexomaCraftBeverageAllianceasacomponentof
theViticultureandEnologyProgram.
2016‐20
 TrackSuccessesofabovestrategiesandmakerecommendations
fornextsteps.
RELATIONSHIPTOGOALOFINCREASINGGRADUATESBY2020:
Engagement is a key pre‐requisite to the improvement of any of the
measuresinaccessandsuccess.Withouteffectiveengagementwithour
students, it is difficult to fathom great leaps in students who complete
courses,semesters,ordegreeswithahighsuccessrate.Servicelearningis
atactictoaccomplishthisoutcome,andisafoundationalcomponentto
many of the new requirements of the Texas core curriculum (which
includes, teamwork, civic responsibility, social responsibility, and
communication among the outcomes we are to affect in students).
Additionally,wemusteffectivelyengageourbusinesscommunitytoensure
thatthethingsweareteachingareinlinewiththeneedsofourarea.A
strengthofGraysonCollegeisourconnectionwithourcommunity,andthe
continuedsuccessofourcollegeandourstudentsdependsuponthisvital
linkage.
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