GOAL TEAM FOUR – 2009-10 Report to the College – DRAFT – Reflects goal
team edits with changes/remaining questions in red italics
Goal 4: Partner with the Community


Coordinate student needs and College goals with community partners.
Actively respond to community needs and goals.
Objective 4.1: Community Investment
By 2013, Valencia will emerge as a first-tier investment for the philanthropic community, supporting
the missions of the Valencia Foundation and the College.
Objective 4.2: Alumni Involvement
By 2013, significantly increase the membership and the active involvement of alumni in giving of their
time and resources to support Valencia.
Objective 4.3: Community Engagement
Significantly increase documented college engagement with community organizations and businesses,
contributing to meeting community needs and increasing community awareness of the College’s
mission and service, authentically raising our profile in the community and leading to Valencia
becoming an investment of choice.
Objective 4.4: Workforce Development
Increase reported satisfaction by Valencia graduates with their preparedness for upper division studies
and the workforce, and increase the numbers of companies and individuals served by Valencia
Enterprises, contributing to meeting key workforce needs of the community.
2009-10 Goal Team Members
Andrea Alfano
Ed Ames
Cecil Battiste
Rachid Bendriss
Melody Boeringer
Bill Booth
Michael Bosley
Lucy Boudet
Valerie Burks
Gordon Cain
Victor Collazo
Carmen Diaz
Ann Farrell
Shelby Fiorentino
Ed Frame
Barbara Frazier
Liz Gombash
Elisha Gonzalez-Bonnewitz
Gaby Hawat
CoCintheane Hutchinson
Tyron Johnson
LeSena Jones
Donna Marino
Ron Oliver
Juan Olvera
Christie Pickeral
Larry Rosen
Barbara Shell
Erin Smith
Susan Stone
Katherine Suarez
Nicole Valentino
Martha Williams
Falecia Williams
Objective 4.1: Community Investment
By 2013, Valencia will emerge as a first-tier investment for the philanthropic community,
supporting the missions of the Valencia Foundation and the College.
Long-Term Target: (Identify “where do we want to go, ultimately.”)
Establish Valencia as a first tier investment opportunity for community partners and subsequently
received increased gifts from private wealth donors who wish to invest in the community.
Short Term Targets 1, 2, & 3: (Identify the “What can we bite off in the next three years?”)
1. By 2013 Valencia Foundation will have initiated relationships with and increase giving from the
top 100 largest employers in Central Florida as noted by Orlando Business Journal.
2. Increase the awareness of Valencia and its programs among the top 100 employers in Central
Florida as noted by Orlando Business Journal.
3. Increase individual contributions to the Valencia Foundation by 10%.
How will we accomplish this? (Current college programs aligned with this target contained in the
goal team report on initiatives.)
 Initiate relationships with 100 % of the top 100 largest employers.
 Collaborate with business and industry on new Bachelor Degree program(s).
 Provide support to community through economic and workforce development initiatives.
 Strengthen support of community leaders through advocacy and foundation board participation.
 Involve college employees in sharing the story of Valencia.
 Strengthen Marketing and Strategic Communication efforts through new and traditional media.
 Provide opportunity for those who desire to support Valencia by increasing and directing
planned giving efforts.
 Continue to work with Faculty and Staff giving committee to enhance colleague support.
 Increase retiree knowledge of current Valencia programs and services and offer an opportunity
to become involved at a meaningful level.
Suggested Measures for Short Term Targets 1, 2, & 3: (Identify “How will we know?”)
1. Review of foundation records will reveal initiated relationships with corporations.
2. Review of foundation records will reveal increase in significant contributions from 13 to 25 of
top largest employers.
3. Establish baseline data of community perception, measured and compared each year from 2010
to 2013.
4.
Increase in individual donations as determined by VSE survey data.
Will the current activities and plans at the college move the needle on this goal? Yes.
Illustrative List of activities and indicators of progress on Objective 4.1 during 2009-10
The Valencia Foundation recently completed a highly successful capital campaign, and is engaged in a
number of activities to build its donor base in an interim period before the next capital campaign is
launched. These activities include the development of “niche donor” giving and planned giving. The
Foundation continues to lead the nation’s community college foundations in securing funding. Support
for faculty endowed chairs, for student scholarships, and for many of our community engagement
activities flow to the college via the Foundation.
The Marketing and Media Relations Department launched the use of social media to feature video,
photos, and stories about Valencia events and achievements, including a college Facebook page and
YouTube Channel, and individual pages for several AS programs. A new web page for the media has
been added to Valencia’s site. Faculty and staff are more knowledgeable of and involved in telling the
college’s story, as a result.
The Executive Dean and Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives has worked to align
the college with numerous economic and workforce development initiatives, in part through forums held
on campus for key industries and through launching partnership efforts with the Chamber and the private
sector.
List of Major Activities Planned for Objective 4.1 during 2010-11
The Foundation Board will begin to lay plans for the next capital campaign, while continuing to pursue
individual and corporate giving in 2010-11, including the continuation of events such as Taste for
Learning and the annual donor gala.
A Senior Writer will be hired in the Marketing and Strategic Communications Department who will
increase the level of our “story telling.”
The Foundation will continue its efforts to share the college’s story as well, helping to raise the profile of
the institution.
Industry forums will continue, along with initiatives aimed at supporting entrepreneurship.
The president will hold meetings with selected, key community leaders to discuss the college and our
future plans.
List of Significant Challenges or Opportunities Anticipated Related to this Objective
Given the competition among higher educational institutions, how do we set ourselves apart and
compete? Educate our faculty and staff about the role we each can play to increase giving and build
relationships?
What can we learn from other top tier organizations?
How can we connect our message to the personal interests and needs of the givers, improving our story
telling. Also, we might consider the kind of story – one that resonates with donors, and show a return on
investment. We want to increase awareness, but also sustain communications with current donors.
If we change our name, how might that impact giving and top tier relations?
Clarify what enables a donor to have something named for them? Only buildings? What other ways can
we recognize gifts?
When we talk about fund raising, we should also talk about “friend-raising.”
Links to data that support the report on Objective 4.1
The Valencia Foundation maintains records on donor contacts and resulting contributions.
The Executive Dean for Economic Development has records on industry forums and initiatives.
The Marketing and Strategic Communications web site will feature news releases. The Department will
have records of its use of social media and the web to tell the college story.
Objective 4.2: Alumni Involvement
By 2013, significantly increase the membership and the active involvement of alumni in giving of
their time and resources to support Valencia.
Long-Term Target: (Identify “where do we want to go, ultimately.”)
Increase the membership and the active involvement of alumni to 100% in giving of their time and
resources to support Valencia.
Short Term Target: (Identify the “What can we bite off in the next three years?”)
1. By 2013, the number of active alumni (those opting to maintain alumni membership) will
increase by 30% to 32,500. (Baseline: 25,000) (revised)
How will we accomplish this? (Current college programs aligned with this target contained in the
goal team report on initiatives.)






Enhance and expand modes of communication.
Enhance and expand technological resources for interactions with and between alumni.
Increase the number of unduplicated, current alumni records in database.
Engage alumni in fundraising efforts.
Provide alumni activities/events to meet diverse interests and needs.
Provide opportunities for volunteer service to college and community.
Suggested Measures for Short Term Target: (Identify “How will we know?”)






Increase varieties of communications.
Establish measures for technological interactions.
Track numbers of returned communications to alumni.
Foundation benchmarks to measure alumni financial donations.
Participation in collaborative alumni activities/events.
Develop a tracking system for alumni volunteerism.
Will the current activities and plans at the college move the needle on this goal?
Adequate staffing and the resources to keep up with advancing technology and constantly changing
alumni information will determine the pace of alumni program growth.
Illustrative List of activities and indicators of progress on Objective 4.2 during 2009-10
Valencia’s alumni who elected to become members of the Alumni Association grew from 16,688 to
24,815 over the past year.
Vitae magazine continued to be published twice a year, and was circulated to over 26,000 alumni and
friends of the college.
Active alumni chapter networks grew from 5 to 7, and chapter meetings were held on campus.
Alumni fund raising for scholarships continued, with over $24,000 added to the Foundation’s
scholarship endowment as a result of alumni efforts. This included 3 new scholarships launched in 200910. Scholarship awards from these alumni accounts totaled $36,285.
The Alumni Relations Office began to actively use Facebook to communicate with members, and to
provide another means of networking for members.
List of Major Activities Planned for Objective 4.2 during 2010-11
Vitae will continue to be published and grow in its readership.
Scholarship funds will continue to be raised for the existing scholarship accounts, and the awards made
in Spring 2011.
The 6th Annual Valencia Alumni 5K Walk, Run & Roll will continue to grow and offer opportunities for
volunteerism and serve as an Alumni Association friendraiser/fundraiser.
Alumni chapter networks will continue to be developed. A Bridges to Success alumni reunion will take
place in July 2010 and a Nursing 40th Anniversary alumni reunion will take place in Spring 2011. The
Association of Honors Alumni will have a gathering in August, 2010.
The Alumni Facebook page will continue to feature news about alums and of interest to our alumni
community.
A major new activity will be launched in Fall 2010: Valencia Homecoming. This will enable alums and
retirees to have opportunities to come back to campus to network with former classmates, colleagues,
professors and staff.
A list of prominent alums will be maintained for reference.
Plans will be made to increase our support for alumni career development.
List of Significant Challenges or Opportunities Anticipated Related to this Objective
While there is consensus as to how we define alums (anyone who has taken a class here), it was noted
that this complicates data collection.
We should be clear about why we want alums to be more involved, and note that it is not just for money.
We need and want their continued interest in Valencia, and we want to continue to serve their needs as
we can, as they progress through life.
Resources from professional organizations and societies might be helpful, as well as from some 4-year
alumni associations, since we share alums.
Links to data that support the report on Objective 4.2
The Alumni Relations Office collects and maintains data on alumni contacts and the ways in which they
give back to the college and the community.
Objective 4.3: Community Engagement
Significantly increase documented college engagement with community organizations and
businesses, contributing to meeting community needs and increasing community awareness of the
College’s mission and service, authentically raising our profile in the community and leading to
Valencia becoming an investment of choice.
Long-Term Target: (Identify “where do we want to go, ultimately.”)
Ultimately, we want the community to think first of Valencia when it needs a partner to accomplish its
objectives and to show the community that Valencia students, faculty, staff, alumni, and retirees are
committed partners in meeting the needs of our region.
Short Term Targets 1, 2, & 3: (Identify the “What can we bite off in the next three years?”)
1. Develop a mechanism for capturing, recording, and summarizing community involvement data for
college students, faculty, and staff.
2. Institutionalize a service learning program at Valencia to connect student learning and achievement
of student outcomes to service outside the college.
3. Increase membership and active participation of key industry organizations and individuals on
program advisory boards.
How will we accomplish this? (Current college programs aligned with this target contained in the
goal team report on initiatives.)
Preliminary work on understanding current Valencia faculty practices, programs, and assignments
regarding service learning has been conducted. Best practices and baselines have been established but
the work is currently at a plateau and needs to be given direction for renewed growth. Some courses are
coded as “service learning enhanced” in the Banner system.
Over 30 program advisory boards are currently in place to review curriculum and results in
predominantly A.S., A.A.S., and certificate programs. By working with college and faculty leadership
in all areas, key industry organizations and individuals can be identified, targeted, and engaged as part
of the advisory board process.
Suggested Measures for Short Term Targets 1, 2, & 3: (Identify “How will we know?”)
1. Share powerful stories of Valencia’s service and our people’s impact on the community.
2. By 2013, a program focused on college-wide support, coordination, delivery, and assessment of
Service Learning will be in place.
3. By 2013, an audit of program advisory boards would yield an increase in membership. Further
analysis would confirm the participation and engagement of key industry organizations and individuals
as identified by college and faculty leadership.
Will the current activities and plans at the college move the needle on this goal?
Baseline data is needed to fully understand the nature and intensity of faculty, staff, and student
involvement in the community.
Service Learning has been explored but a commitment of both staff and fiscal resources has not been
made.
Illustrative List of activities and indicators of progress on Objective 4.3 during 2009-10
Economic Development and Community Engagement
The President appointed an Executive Dean for Economic Development, Gaby Hawat, who has been
actively working to connect Valencia to significant economic development agendas in our region and at
the national level. A series of industry forums has been launched, starting with a forum on green
industries last fall, and progressing next month to a forum on cyber security. This series will expand the
dialogue and lay a basis for a growing partnership with key sectors and with specific businesses that
need training and educational programs for employees.
Connections are being made with industry and business groups, such as the Chambers of Commerce and
the Economic Development Commission, to explore common goals and needs. This is resulting in
support for funding for Valencia at the state and federal levels in upcoming budgets. Key support for a
state funding initiative for community colleges has been developed with the Chamber, and both public
and private sector organizations have provided support for requests for earmarked federal funds for
Valencia’s green renovations. This work is also enabling the College to assist in efforts to attract
businesses to Central Florida.
Social media are being used to document and share the story of Valencia’s engagement with the
community. Video clips are being created and stored for use in telling the story of our engagement.
Despite a sluggish economy, 532 students completed internships in twelve industry areas: arts and
entertainment, business, communications, computer engineering, engineering technology, health science,
horticulture, hospitality and culinary, information technology, public service, science, and social
science. Of the 532 students, 21 completed their public service with local or international organizations
through the Service Learning Program.
List of Major Activities Planned for Objective 4.3 during 2010-11
Developing Resources Contacts: Gaby Hawat, Falecia Williams, Joe Battista, Kaye Walter, Liz
Gombash
Identify and secure new or renewed partners to increase our resources
Local or state workforce agencies
Key companies or industry groups
Other educational entities (UCF, Tech Ctrs, private university partners, etc)
Raising Profile Contacts: Kaye Walters, Provosts, Felicia Williams, Joe Battista
Raise the profile of the college with all of our partners and key influentials in the community. The
viability studies currently provide labor data for existing programs. These should be expanded to tell the
story of the program, with a communication plan for each industry. Also, the college needs to project
programs that don’t exist and for which there are workforce needs. This connects to the community and
our profile, and what they need to know about us.
Check on status of grant for service learning at the end of July/beginning of August
List of Significant Challenges or Opportunities Anticipated Related to this Objective
Do we have a plan? Do we need to centralize? This connects to goals 1 and 2. We need to manage the
process of program development at the college, especially since the Strategic Budget Initiatives are not
available to us. The Senior Team needs to articulate what we are trying to achieve through Service
Learning, and then decide what process the development of this program should follow. Curriculum? SBI?
Where does this connect?
We need to develop a program development process that offers a robust model that accommodates
programs that are not curricular. We must manage the process by which value propositions, such as service
learning, come to us.
It is challenging to collect data on engagement. Some areas already collect, such as Take Stock in Children.
We have pockets of data, but no system to collect it comprehensively for all service learning efforts. A
concern has been expressed about the need to collect student volunteer data as part of a co-curricular
transcript.
The College should hold an event to celebrate our involvement and collect data at the event.
Consider whether we need a service learning and a community engagement advisory committee?
Should we have a General Education course that includes service learning as a part of the course? This
could be in the Honors Program, as well.
We need a centralized location or source of information on what is happening, perhaps an office of civic
engagement.
Community involvement by staff should not be part of our evaluation of our job performance.
Links to data that support the report on Objective 4.3
Limited data on community engagement may exist in Valencia Volunteers records.
Baseline service learning data was collected as part of a faculty survey several years ago.
Limited data may be housed in the Internship and Workforce Services office, the Honors office, Bridges
office, and Marketing and Strategic Communications.
Objective 4.4: Workforce Development
Increase reported satisfaction by Valencia graduates with their preparedness for upper division
studies and the workforce, and increase the numbers of companies and individuals served by
Valencia Enterprises, contributing to meeting key workforce needs of the community.
Long-Term Target: (Identify “where do we want to go, ultimately.”)
Valencia’s constituents report the highest levels of satisfaction with our students, programs, and services.
Short Term Targets 1 and 2: (Identify the “What can we bite off in the next three years?”)
1. Develop a mechanism for capturing, recording, and summarizing student satisfaction with
preparedness for continued studies and/or entry into the workforce.
2. Increase the number of industry partners who choose Valencia Enterprise to meet their training needs
by 10%.
How will we accomplish this? (Current college programs aligned with this target contained in the goal
team report on initiatives.)
Alumni Affairs has attempted to gauge satisfaction with limited success. In years past, a survey was
conducted of recent graduates, however, the survey has not been administered in the recent past.
Valencia Enterprises actively solicits business with community partners and local employers.
Suggested Measures for Short Term Targets 1 and 2:
1. By 2013, the college will have a method for capturing student satisfaction data, recording the data
in a central repository, and summarizing the results for use with internal and external audiences.
2. By 2013, an evaluation of the number of partnerships developed would reveal an increase of 10%
in new client participation.
Will the current activities and plans at the college move the needle on this goal?
Baseline data are needed to understand the current status of students’ satisfaction with their preparedness
for upper division and/or workforce entry.
Valencia Enterprises will review baseline data to understand factors that influence training needs and
selection criteria for key industry partners.
Suggested Measures 1: (Identify “How will we know?”)
Illustrative List of activities and indicators of progress on Objective 4.4 during 2009-10
Valencia Enterprises
Two preliminary, fact-gathering meetings were held to in Spring 2010 resulting in data to be reviewed
regarding Valencia Enterprise performance, position, and strategy.
List of Major Activities Planned for Objective 4.4 during 2010-11
Valencia Enterprises
Meetings will be scheduled to review the data collected in the initial phase and to make adjustments (if
necessary) to the Valencia Enterprise strategy and direction.
Student Satisfaction
Focus groups and/or follow up surveys with graduates will assist in determining the level of student
satisfaction with their preparation for career and/or upper division studies.
List of Significant Challenges or Opportunities Anticipated Related to this Objective
- Certificate completers may have been overlooked.
- There was concern about the multiple points of time at which we propose to gather information for the
measures.
- There was concern regarding how we define “satisfaction.” Consider using student learning outcomes
as a measure of assessing this. That method would demonstrate whether an employee can do what the
university or employer needs or expects him or her to do.
- Utilize alumni database to contact students after they leave Valencia.
Links to data that support the report on Objective 4.4
Valencia Enterprises collects and maintains data on clients and results.
West campus student services may distribute a fall and spring student survey.
The Honors program conducted a student survey.
No data on student satisfaction is gathered on a regular basis. Data on student performance in the upper
division is available, as well as data on completers’ wages.