Monroe Community College
Academies Action Plan
September 10, 2013
Purpose
To address the need for intentional college-wide connections, clear pathways and engaged
learning for Transitional Studies and Liberal Arts undeclared students from initial contact to
enrollment to goal accomplishment.
Project Description and Goals
The Academies Project fulfills the promise of MCC’s vision to “champion opportunity, innovation and
excellence to transform lives and communities.” By focusing on learning first, Academies create
pathways and partnerships to develop an effective and efficient model that guides students to success.
Project Goals
Develop an intentional college wide structure (Academies) to increase student persistence, engagement
and goal accomplishment. An Academies model will:
 Create personalized pathways that help students develop and articulate their individual goals
and persist through the necessary stages to accomplish their goals (Direction 1, 2)
 Develop and implement new organizational structures to ensure holistic, personalized support
(Direction 1, 3, 4)
 Establish and implement assessment processes that will inform best practices across all phases
of the Academies model (Direction 1, 4)
 Require students to engage in high impact learning practices; expand the number of high impact
opportunities available across MCC campuses (Direction 1, 3)
Implementation Steps
1) Establish steering committee, working agendas and meeting schedule
 Confirm participation of all committee members
 Establish subcommittees and appoint chairs
 Set short term goals
2) Develop a comprehensive communication plan
 Prioritize communications
 Share project purpose and goals
 Develop a shared vocabulary
 Develop and implement a data sharing plan
 Develop Academy webpage(s)
3) Design and conduct student, faculty and staff focus groups to inform the development of the model
 Examples of issues to discuss in focus groups: Which Academies? Which programs in which
Academy? Content of orientation? Knowledge of FYE programs? Student opinions of
advising, FYE, orientation, etc.? What helps students succeed? What helps students in
coursework? What do students need when they arrive in the classroom? What are the
primary resources that students use on campus? Info on HIPs?
4) Create personalized pathways which help students develop and articulate their individual goals
and persist through the necessary stages to accomplish their goals
 Collaborate with service areas, create new structures that support an Academy model
 Redefine and redesign a mandatory orientation program
 Establish desired outcomes for orientation. Determine measurements.
 Establish benchmarks and check points for students (Roadmap visual)
 All students required to follow the path: admissions, placement, orientation, and then
advising (Path still to be determined)
 Determine checkpoints - Meetings with “Academy Mentor / Academy Coordinator,”
Faculty, Career & Transfer Center, etc.
 Every student experiences two high impact educational practices during first 30 credit
hours
 Recognize milestones – completion of developmental education, 15 credits, 30 credits,
etc. (Connect recognition with checkpoints.)
 Redesign the FYE program to coordinate with COS and provide academic co-curricular
programming (Academy based?)
 Consider development of Academy specific coursework
5) Develop and implement new organizational structures to ensure holistic, personalized support
 Integrate student services and academic services into a cohesive system for Academy
students
 Develop the position of an “Academy Mentor” who connects students to all necessary
student services and academic services (advisement, resources for tutoring, financial aid,
connection with academic discipline, counseling, transfer, etc.)
 Investigate early alert options and determine implementation (Consider Starfish, Degree
Works, etc.)
 Develop liaison relationships with necessary service offices (Admissions, Advising, Transfer,
Registration, etc.)
 Communicate the intentionality to all, especially to students
6) Require students to engage in high impact learning practices; expand the number of high impact
opportunities available across all campuses
 Work with the Teaching & Creativity Center and HIP program coordinators, develop a shared
definition, standard criteria and learning outcomes for high-impact education practices
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Inventory all HIP practices currently on campus and identify faculty members currently using
high impact practices
Present definition of HIPs to Faculty Senate for approval
Determine which HIPs best serve Academy students and which HIPs to focus on
Support the TCC in faculty development – workshops, conferences, institutes, etc.
Communicate the effectiveness of HIPs to the college and to the community
Consider development of Academy specific courses and required High Impact Practices
Develop a system that enables mandatory high impact experiences
7) Establish and implement assessment processes that will inform best practices across all phases
of the Academies model
 Create an assessment protocol in collaboration with the Assessment and Institutional
Research Offices
 Determine research questions
a. Data on current HIPs
b. Data on orientation practices
 Determine measurements
 Collect and analyze data
 Create a plan to share data
8) Identify needed resources, either new or reallocated, to implement plan:
 Human Resources
 Facilities
 Financial resources
 Professional Development Funding
 Technology (ETS)
 Publications & Materials (Internal and external marketing)
Action Items and Short-term Timeline
Summer 2013
1) Continue core leadership group meetings
a. Clarify potential models
b. Review student enrollment timeline to determine implementation dates
c. Begin discussion of necessary resources for implementation
2) Identify and purchase reading materials for the steering committee
3) Determine and establish subcommittees
4) Provide update to Provost
5) Begin plan for grant funds
6) Design faculty survey regarding orientation
7) Hold preliminary budget meeting
Fall 2013
1) Plan and host retreat for steering committee with QCC
2) Determine subcommittee charges and begin work
3) Identify additional steering or subcommittee members (Faculty, Records & Registration, ETS,
marketing, etc.)
4) Meet with DCC and Brighton TCC to present Academies model and vision for HIPs
5) Work with Faculty Senate on a January Professional Development event
6) Finalize a plan for $5000 from AACU in early fall
7) Meet with Bob Cunningham to discuss future space needs
8) Define academy mentor position
9) Determine additional action steps for Spring and Summer 2014
Spring 2014
1. Pilot redesigned online orientation
2. Offer January Professional Development event
3. Other action steps as determined
Fall 2014
1. Pilot redesign orientation
2. Hire academy mentor(s)
3. Pilot academy specific COS section(s)
Spring 2015
1. Pilot Academies (Admissions) enrollment process