Strategy for
Action Workbook
North Central State College, Ohio
A. North Central State College’s Present
1. Distinctive organizational features

North Central State College (NC State) is chartered by the Ohio Board of Regents as a stateassisted, not-for-profit, two-year technical college with the authority to grant Associate Degrees and
certificates of achievement. The College is governed by a nine member Board of Trustees – three
members are appointed by the governor, the remaining six members are local appointments. The
College’s official district consists of three primarily rural counties in North Central Ohio and is colocated in Mansfield with a branch of The Ohio State University.

NC State is an open-enrollment institution. The College’s mission is: “To provide quality, responsive,
lifelong learning opportunities, including occupational, degree and other educational programs for
individuals, business and industry, and the communities we serve.”

NC State is participating in the Achieving the Dream initiative, sponsored by the Lumina Foundation.
2. Scope of educational offerings
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North Central State College offers credit courses, certificates, and degrees in business, engineering
and the health sciences. Degrees conferred include: the Associate in Applied Science in 13
programs, the Associate of Applied Business in 6 programs, and the Associate in Technical Studies.
Certificates are awarded in 26 areas. In addition, workforce development programs are available in
concert with local industry. Other academic initiatives include participation in the Tech Prep
Consortium, the Post-Secondary Enrollment Option for high school students, the College NOW
Engineering Academy, and numerous transfer and articulation agreements with high schools,
colleges and universities.
3. Students

Fall 2005 enrollment consisted of 3129 students. Of those students, 28% were new, 34% were full
time, 75% were enrolled in day classes, 66% were female, 7% were minorities, 45% were under 20
years old and 37% were between 20 and 29 years old, 71% were single, 94% had a high school
diploma, and 36% had previously attended a college/university.
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63% of first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students received financial aid in Fall 2004.
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68% of the Fall 2005 student cohort (excluding Post-Secondary Enrollment Options and College
NOW students) tested into developmental education courses based on COMPASS scores.
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Although limited student housing is available, most students commute to campus.

The College is an open-access institution. The targeted student population are non-traditional
students and students who are unlikely to attend a residential four-year college or university.
©2005 Academic Quality Improvement Program, The Higher Learning Commission. All rights
reserved. Last revised 10/05.
4. Collaborative or partnership arrangements

NC State receives grants and contracts from the Richland County Foundation, Ohio Department of
Job and Family Services, Head Start, North Central State College Foundation and Richland County
Job and Family Services.

Corporate partners for NC State include Mansfield Area Electrical Union, Braintree (local business
incubator), General Motors, Pepperidge Farms, MTD Products, Shiloh Tool and Die, PPG
Corporation, and various agencies and businesses serving as clinical and internship sites for
students.
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Other educational partnerships of NC State occur through the Tech Prep Consortium, the Mid-Ohio
Educational Service Center, the Post-Secondary Enrollment Option, local career centers and adult
high school education programs, high school and university articulations, and the University Center.
5. Faculty and staff

For Fall 2005:
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Faculty – Full-time (70) and Permanent Part-time (2): 3-Doctorates, 2-Juris Doctorates, 44Masters, 15-Bachelors, 3-Associates, 5-HS Diplomas
Executive/Administrative (17): 2-Doctorates, 11-Masters, 3-Bachelors, 1-HS Diplomas
Other Administrative (5): 1-Doctorate, 2-Masters, 1-Associates, 1-HS Diplomas
Other Professionals (Support/Service) (42): 7-Masters, 22-Bachelors, 11-Associates, 2-HS
Diplomas
Technical & Paraprofessional (17): 5-Bachelors, 5-Associates, 7-HS Diplomas
Clerical/Secretarial (42): 1-Masters, 10-Bachelors, 18-Associates, 13-HS Diplomas
Service/Maintenance (18): 2-Associates, 16-HS Diplomas
Adjunct Faculty (128): 1-Medical Doctorate, 5-Doctorates, 54-Masters, 50-Bachelors, 11Associates, 7-HS Diplomas
North Central State College employs 70 full-time faculty and 2 permanent, part-time faculty. Also,
there are 130 full-time staff and 8 permanent, part-time staff. 100% of full-time faculty teaching in
the Arts & Sciences division have at least a Master’s Degree. During Fall quarter 05-06, the
College had 49 work-study students/student workers.
There are no bargaining units at the College.
6. Three operational environment requirements

The NC State is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of
Colleges and Schools. The College was last reaccredited in 1998 and was accepted into AQIP in
February 2005. The College adheres to state and federal laws to include: Ohio Revised Code,
Federal Student Aid Regulations, Campus Security Act, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act,
Americans with Disabilities Act, Solomon Act and the Patriot Act.

As a state technical college and a political subdivision of Ohio, NC State is directed by a Board of
Trustees whose members are public representatives of Ashland, Crawford, and Richland Counties.
For many issues and funding, the College works closely with the Ohio Board of Regents, an oversight
body which coordinates higher education in the state. In addition, the Ohio Legislature has had an
increasingly active role with mandates to higher education ranging from accountability measures to
course transfer recommendations.
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Ohio is in a financial crisis and a major economic downturn resulting in a diminished capacity to
support post-secondary education and problems associated with a reliance on tuition increases to fill
the gap. In addition to the impact of reduced state support, there are new requirements for greater
accountability, price elasticity pressures and increasing regulation from state and federal policy
makers. Even if the state government closes the current budget gaps with regular sources of
revenue instead of quick-fix solutions, the conclusion is that Ohio will continue to face problems in
financing current services and will not have sufficient resources to support real increases in spending.
©2005 Academic Quality Improvement Program, The Higher Learning Commission. All rights
reserved. Last revised 10/05.
7. Three important competitors
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The Ohio State University–Mansfield is an important competitor for students who intend to live at
home while attending college and preparing for transfer to a four-year institution. It also is an
important competitor for adjunct faculty.
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Med-Central College of Nursing competes with NC State for students and faculty.

The adult education programs at various career centers are competitors for non-credit and nontraditional students.
8. Three important opportunities and three critical vulnerabilities

Opportunities:
 Enrollment growth
North Central Ohio residents are undereducated in comparison with the rest of Ohio and Ohio residents
are undereducated in comparison with the rest of the U.S. population. (In 2000, the percent of the
population having Associate Degree or higher was 31% for the U.S., 27% for Ohio, and 18% for North
Central Ohio.) In this region of Ohio, there exists a large pool of unskilled and/or low-skilled workers in
need of additional education, as well as a significant Appalachian population. There also is an
opportunity to increase African American participation at this college. The College can accommodate
significant enrollment growth.
 Curriculum redesign and expansion
The College is analyzing data on developmental and “gatekeeper” courses in order to improve success
rates in these courses and persistence rates in general. In addition, the current curriculum is being
reviewed for effectiveness and viability. Expansions in certificate and online offerings are being
explored. Plans are underway for partnerships with universities and private colleges in order to create a
“university center,” so that students in the region may pursue a baccalaureate (or higher) degree at the
College’s Kehoe campus.
 Achieving the Dream
Participation in this national initiative requires a commitment to data analysis to make decisions, a focus
on improved outcomes for students, and a goal of institutional transformation. Through this initiative, the
College has access to a coach, a data facilitator, a vast network of other community college participants,
and a host of national partners.

Vulnerabilities:
 Need for a culture of inquiry and evidence
The College has been characterized as “data rich and information poor.” NC State, like many other
institutions, has at times been quick to implement strategies without first determining the root cause of
issues. The College must be willing to analyze data and glean information to use as the basis for sound
institutional decisions.
 Financial vulnerability
The College recognizes that it is dependent on ever-declining state support. During recent years of
enrollment growth (2000-2002), that growth was not funded by the state. In the past year the College has
experienced an enrollment decline (6%) which will result in lost subsidy.
 Planning and communication issues
The College needs a common process for planning and change – a mechanism/process to involve and
engage all stakeholders, communicate challenges and opportunities, respond to input, and anticipate and
plan for change and growth.
©2005 Academic Quality Improvement Program, The Higher Learning Commission. All rights
reserved. Last revised 10/05.
B. North Central State College’s Future
1. Three chronic frustrations
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A lack of effective communication of the college’s direction, initiatives and projects, as verified by
internal surveys.
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Poor use of data in decision making, exacerbated by an institutional research department/position
that had been unfilled for years. (Position was filled in October, 2005.)
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Strategic planning that lacked follow-through at all levels of the College.
2. Three elements of your shared vision
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NC State will provide a learning-centered environment that allows staff, faculty and administration to
be responsive to the individual needs of every student through strong cooperative and communication
efforts. The College will be the state leader of all technical colleges in achieving the highest level of
success for admission, retention, and graduation rates.
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NC State will be the driving force behind development of new programs that boost the educational
level of the region’s workforce and continue to stimulate the economic resources of the region. The
College will adapt and develop programs related to needs of the area’s current industries and
programs that will stimulate new growth for the region.
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NC State will impact the social, educational and cultural foundation of the community served through
social, educational and cultural partnerships.
3. Three most critical Principles of High Performance Organizations
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Leadership – Leadership at the College has been impacted by reorganization in 2004-05, is being
impacted by having many key positions, including dean and vice presidential positions, filled by
interims, and will be impacted in the future by the large number of faculty, staff and administrative
leaders approaching retirement. The College must strive to maintain consistent leadership.

Focus – NC State needs to have ongoing communication, discussion, and reinforcement of the
College’s common mission and vision in order to build trust, confidence and loyalty.
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Information – The College needs to plan for innovation and continuous improvement which will
advance the College’s efforts to become a more agile, flexible and responsive institution. Planning
and decision-making must be based on good information and data, especially in an environment of
limited resources.
4. Three to four tentative Action Project ideas; titles (up to 10 words) and descriptions

Using Data to Make Decisions: This project will be designed to establish a culture of evidence at the
College where decisions are based on quantitative and qualitative data. The project will develop
processes for obtaining and using data for the Achieving the Dream initiative, then apply those same
processes to other areas of the College.
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Improving Communication: The purpose of this project will be to develop, implement, and evaluate a
communication system with the Achieving the Dream initiative as the focus for communication. The
system will be promoted as a model for communication of other projects and initiatives at the College.
©2005 Academic Quality Improvement Program, The Higher Learning Commission. All rights
reserved. Last revised 10/05.

Strategic Planning: The purpose of this project will be to take the Board of Trustee’s recently
approved Institutional Goals and make them operational through strategic planning at each level of
the College organization.
Please enter a page break between each Action Project Worksheet
©2005 Academic Quality Improvement Program, The Higher Learning Commission. All rights
reserved. Last revised 10/05.
Action Project Worksheet
Challenging
North Central State College,
Ohio
Complex
Action Project idea # 1 :
High Payoff
√
Easy
√
Simple
√
Low
Payoff
Using Data to Make Decisions
AQIP Criterion to which this primarily relates: Helping Students Learn
Briefly describe what you would like this project to accomplish.
This project is designed to establish a culture and foundation throughout the college whereby strategic and
operational decisions that affect student success are founded on data-driven evidence. The process of gathering,
analyzing and presenting data in a manner that both drives sound decision making as well as generates an
environment of acceptance is the ultimate goal.
Where did the idea or stimulus for this project originate?
The driving force behind this project was the college’s decision to participate in the Achieving the Dream initiative
for improving student success. The initiative integrates the concept of data-driven decision making into the ideals of
their process. Additionally, the College had an environment with territorial data collection and analysis combined
with anecdotal consideration driving many direction changes and decisions – a problem as evidenced by the data
mining project of the AQIP Steering Committee.
Which specific needs of your students or other external stakeholders would be
better met if you accomplished this project? How?
The process of making data-driven decisions and change will enhance the responsiveness of the College for all
interested parties. As for specific needs of students and external stakeholders, the ultimate goal to improve student
success – the thrust of the Achieving the Dream initiative -- will be much more likely if the College begins focuses
decisions and resources toward the performance gaps identified through the use of data.
How would doing this project allow you to better meet
Which, specifically?
your employees needs?
While the action project tends to be more directed toward the improvement of student success, a major component
of that goal involves the interaction of the College’s employees with those students. As seen through initial
participation in the Achieving the Dream initiative, employees hunger for relevant and pertinent information about
their specific departments and divisions. They welcome and often request assistance in evaluating and monitoring
the effectiveness of their policies, practices and processes and in the past have had to rely mostly on anecdotal
responses.
How would accomplishing this project change or affect your institution’s
culture?
The entire idea of establishing a culture of inquiry and evidence is a major focus of this project. The willingness for
people to consider and implement change is largely based on their belief that the change is needed and will have an
impact. Through the use of fact-based data combined with systematic analysis, the opportunity to begin to accept
change and create the culture which embraces that change is greatly enhanced. It is believed that this action project
will establish a solid foundation to begin to shift the college culture in this manner.
What leadership and employee enthusiasm and support is there for doing this
project now?
This project concept has received wide-spread acceptance from all areas of the College. The desire to have both
consistent institutional data collection and in-house expertise analysis capabilities is seen as a needed change by
everyone. The initial concept for this project was generated from the AQIP Data Mining project and the Achieving
the Dream initiative. Both have received full executive level support. The action project concept also has been
embraced by faculty and staff.
©2005 Academic Quality Improvement Program, The Higher Learning Commission. All rights
reserved. Last revised 10/05.
Action Project Worksheet
Challenging
√
Easy
North Central State College,
Ohio
Complex
√
Simple
High Payoff
√
Action Project idea #
:
Low
Payoff
Improving Communication
AQIP Criterion to which this primarily relates:
Leading and Communicating
Briefly describe what you would like this project to accomplish.
The purpose of this project is to develop and implement an effective communication model using the Achieving the
Dream initiative as a test case. Within the test case the communication project will entail both promoting the
initiative and providing a repository of information about the initiative. The communication model will be evaluated
and promoted across the College.
Where did the idea or stimulus for this project originate?
During the AQIP Steering Committee’s data mining process, the problem of poor communication was repeatedly
revealed. The advent of the Achieving the Dream initiative with its emphasis on communication provided further
impetus for this project.
Which specific needs of your students or other external stakeholders would be
better met if you accomplished this project? How?
As a result of improving communication across the College, employees will better support the College’s mission and
become better ambassadors, recruiters, teachers, advisors, and supporters of the College’s students.
How would doing this project allow you to better meet your employees needs?
Which, specifically?
Effective communication of the College’s direction, projects and initiatives, such as Achieving the Dream, allows all
employees to put their own work into a the larger context, to make connections and tap into resources that help them
to be more productive.
How would accomplishing this project change or affect your institution’s
culture?
By effectively conveying a cohesive message to every corner of the College, all employees will be informed and a
stronger sense of community and purpose can be developed. Nay-sayers will lose viability.
What leadership and employee enthusiasm and support is there for doing this
project now?
There is tremendous support throughout the College for improving communication. Communication was one of the
problems addressed in a recent Problem-Solving Process training workshop. Both AQIP and the Achieving the
Dream initiatives have received full support from the College administration and the Board of Trustees.
©2005 Academic Quality Improvement Program, The Higher Learning Commission. All rights
reserved. Last revised 10/05.
Action Project Worksheet
Challenging
North Central State College,
Ohio
Complex
Action Project idea #
:
High Payoff
√
Easy
√
√
Strategic Planning
Simple
Low
Payoff
AQIP Criterion to which this primarily relates: Planning Continuous Improvement
Briefly describe what you would like this project to accomplish.
The purpose of this project is to design a process that can be used for strategic planning for the College. The
strategic plan will contain measurable goals or objectives that will help the College determine the reliability of both
the planning process and the plan itself. If the process and the plan are effective, the process can be repeated in
future academic periods.
Where did the idea or stimulus for this project originate?
The AQIP Steering Committee identified strategic planning as an area in need of improvement through the
Committee’s data mining process. The project was further developed at a problem solving workshop attended by
NC State faculty, administration, and staff. After discussing the general framework established by the Board of
Trustees, the workshop team, with approval of the President, decided to implement a process to define the strategies
that would help the College meet the Board’s declared goals.
Which specific needs of your students or other external stakeholders would be
better met if you accomplished this project? How?
Improving outcomes for our students is an institutional priority. The planning process will give us the structure and
framework to organize this complex work. By establishing a reliable strategic planning process, NC State will be
able to allocate resources based on priorities. For example, if the plan suggests lower student achievement in certain
areas, the strategic plan might dedicate resources to increase tutoring or supplemental instruction in those areas.
How would doing this project allow you to better meet your employees needs?
Which, specifically?
The planning process would address the need of each employee to understand what his or her role and potential
contribution will be in moving the institution forward, as well as how success will be defined, measured and
evaluated. A reliable strategic planning process would set measurable objectives for each department. Employees
would be aware of what they would be expected to accomplish during a set academic period. Employees would have
a finite goal to strive for. They would begin to understand which strategies are effective and which strategies are a
waste of energy and resources.
How would accomplishing this project change or affect your institution’s
culture?
The planning process will require data-based decision making, and will affect our budgetary priorities and processes.
Clarification of responsibility and accountablitity for institutional objectives will impact our culture in a positive
way. The culture would improve if everyone could efficiently use the planning process to see and achieve their
departmental goals.
What leadership and employee enthusiasm and support is there for doing this
project now?
There is strong support for this project at all levels of the organization.
©2005 Academic Quality Improvement Program, The Higher Learning Commission. All rights
reserved. Last revised 10/05.