Kankakee Community College
Strategic Planning Retreat Report
May 8, 2013
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report
Contents
Part I.
INTRODUCTION and CONTEXT for STRATEGIC PLANNING ......................................................1
Part II. AGENDA and PROCESS for the MARCH 2013 STRATEGIC PLANNING LEADERS’ FORUM ...........5
Part III. PANELS, BREAK-OUT GROUPS, and STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS ..................................................7
A. Improving College Readiness ................................................................................................7
1.
Panel: Key Themes.................................................................................................................. 7
2.
Break-Out Group: Strategic Directions and Notes ................................................................. 9
Strategic Direction #1: ............................................................................................................ 9
B. Increasing College Completion Rates ................................................................................... 11
1.
Panel: Key Themes................................................................................................................ 11
2.
Break-Out Group: Strategic Directions and Notes ............................................................... 13
Strategic Direction #2: .......................................................................................................... 13
Strategic Direction #3: .......................................................................................................... 13
C. Closing the Skills Gap .......................................................................................................... 15
1.
Panel: Key Themes................................................................................................................ 15
2.
Break-Out Group: Strategic Directions and Notes ............................................................... 17
Strategic Direction #4: .......................................................................................................... 17
Strategic Direction #5: .......................................................................................................... 17
Part IV. RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................................................................... 20
Part V. APPENDICES ....................................................................................................................... 23
A. List of Planning Forum Day 1 Panel Presenters .................................................................... 23
1.
Increasing College Readiness ............................................................................................... 23
2.
Improving College Completion Rates ................................................................................... 23
3.
Closing the Skills Gaps .......................................................................................................... 23
B. Initial Strategic Directions Developed by the Three Break-Out Groups ................................. 23
1.
Increasing College Readiness ............................................................................................... 23
2.
Improving College Completion Rates ................................................................................... 23
3.
Closing the Skills Gap ........................................................................................................... 24
i
Parkway 100 Corporate Park  3535 Rt. 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report
Part I.
INTRODUCTION and CONTEXT for STRATEGIC
PLANNING
Like many community colleges around the country, Kankakee Community College (KCC) is operating in a
rapidly-evolving, increasingly complex, and ever more challenging environment. Over the last several
decades, we have seen massive shifts in the global economy; a growing transition toward knowledgeand service-based industry sectors; and increasing economic and workforce competition regionally,
nationally, and internationally – placing new expectations and stresses on educational institutions,
educators, and students. The recent economic recession, from which the U.S. is still struggling to
recover, compounds these dynamics. At the same time, the nation’s community colleges have
increasingly been called upon to “be all things to all people”: to provide the gateway to four-year
degrees; to develop skilled workforces; and to serve increasing numbers of students and more diverse
kinds of students, from recent high school graduates to mature workers re-training for new careers, and
including increasing numbers of students that face English language barriers and are economically
and/or educationally disadvantaged. Adding to the challenge, while demands upon educational
institutions have been increasing, funding has remained stagnant or has decreased, requiring that
community colleges pursue creative new approaches to partnership, collaboration, and resourceleveraging.
Increasing the complexity of these challenges are alarming trends related to students’ college readiness,
college completion, and credential attainment. According to ACT, more than a quarter – 28 percent – of
ACT-tested 2012 high school graduates did not meet any of the four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks
in English, mathematics, reading, and science. Another 15 percent met only one of the benchmarks,
while 17 percent met just two. Only 25 percent of tested 2012 high school graduates met all four ACT
benchmarks. Distressingly, according to ACT, “College readiness levels remain particularly low among
African-American and Hispanic students. None of the four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks were met
by more than half of students in those racial/ethnic groups.”1
This gap in students’ college readiness obviously has significant implications for developmental
(remedial) education, and, ultimately, college completion and credential attainment, as KCC and other
community colleges well know. Numerous national studies indicate that about 60 percent of
community college students take at least one developmental education course, and students can get
“stuck” in developmental education courses for three years or more before being ready to enroll in
credit-bearing courses that count toward attainment of a post-secondary credential.2 This trend can
1
“60 Percent of 2012 High School Graduates At Risk of Not Succeeding in College and Career: ACT Exam Results
Point to Need for Early Monitoring and Intervention,” ACT, August 2012,
http://www.act.org/newsroom/releases/view.php?year=2012&p=2402&lang=English
2
st
“Reclaiming the American Dream: Community Colleges and the Nation’s Future,” A Report from the 21 -Century
Commission on the Future of Community Colleges, American Association of Community Colleges, April 2012, p. 10,
http://www.aacc.nche.edu/21stCenturyReport
1
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report
exhaust students’ financial resources, limit their earning and advancement power in the labor market,
and, ultimately, discourage them from staying in college through attaining their credential. Indeed,
“[f]ewer than half (46 percent) of students who enter community colleges with the goal of earning a
degree or certificate have attained that goal, transferred to a baccalaureate institution, or are still
enrolled six years later.”3
This scenario is, without question, daunting – particularly given projections that by 2018, approximately
65% of all jobs in the U.S. will require a post-secondary certificate or degree. But this significant
challenge simultaneously offers community colleges a tremendous opportunity:
“The American dream is at risk. Because a highly educated population is fundamental to
economic growth and a vibrant democracy, community colleges can help reclaim that
dream. But stepping up to this challenge will require dramatic redesign of these
institutions, their mission, and, most critically, their students’ educational experiences.”
~ Reclaiming the American Dream: Community Colleges and the Nation’s Future,
A Report from the 21st-Century Commission on the Future of Community Colleges,
American Association of Community Colleges, April 2012, p. vii
KCC chose to seize this opportunity as it began the process for developing the college’s new strategic
plan, pursuing a fundamentally different approach that looked outside of the college’s walls to actively
engage diverse stakeholders in the community – as well as internal college personnel and students – to
provide input to strategic plan priorities and development. This planning approach was intentionally
inclusive and transparent, market-focused, and data-driven, and was designed to engage internal and
external college communities not just as stakeholders, but as true “stockholders” in KCC. The planning
process established the following main phases:
1. Organize and Gather Information – September 2012 – February 2013: Project staff officially
kicked off the planning effort; gathered and reviewed relevant resources related to KCC, its
students, and its surrounding community and economy; developed the planning framework;
conducted an online survey to gather input on KCC’s performance and future strategic
directions from internal and external college stakeholders; developed an economic data and
program gap analysis report; and developed and distributed an environmental scan report that
synthesized stakeholder survey findings and economic data and program gap analysis findings.
2. Engage and Visualize – March 2013: On March 18 and 19, 2013, KCC convened approximately 70
internal and external college stakeholders in a strategic planning leaders’ forum to gather input,
3
st
“Reclaiming the American Dream: Community Colleges and the Nation’s Future,” A Report from the 21 -Century
Commission on the Future of Community Colleges, American Association of Community Colleges, April 2012, p. 9,
http://www.aacc.nche.edu/21stCenturyReport
2
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report
discuss critical needs and opportunities, and craft a set of strategic directions to provide the
foundation for the college’s new strategic plan.
3. Set the Course – May 2013 – August 2013: Working with its Board of Trustees and others, KCC
will pursue a collaborative process to develop the new plan that is based upon the strategic
directions articulated during the March leaders’ forum.
4. Adopt and Implement – August 2013 – August 2017: KCC’s new strategic plan will be formally
adopted and implementation will begin.
KCC’s strategic planning framework
was designed to support a twopronged, overarching focus on
supporting (1) student success and (2)
community prosperity. It is
intentionally aligned to the American
Association of Community College’s
(AACC) 21st-Century Commission on
the Future of Community Colleges’
2012 recommendations for
reimagining the community college,
known as “The Three Rs”:
1. Redesign students’
educational experiences;
2. Reinvent institutional roles;
and
3. Reset the system.4
Within the broader AACC 21st-Century Commission framework of recommendations, KCC “drilled down”
into three areas of focus most relevant to the college’s particular vision, opportunities, and priorities:
1. Increasing students’ readiness to undertake college-level work, for example:
a. Expanding partnerships and alignment with the K-12 education system;
b. Enhancing foundational and basic skill attainment;
c. Pursuing innovations in “bridge” and developmental education; and
d. Provide targeted interventions for at-risk students.
2. Improving completion rates, whether the completion is marked by attainment of an
occupational certification(s) or a diploma, for example:
a. Improving student supports;
b. Enhancing access and flexibility;
4
Please visit http://www.aacc.nche.edu/21stCenturyReport to download the Commission’s full report.
3
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report
c. Clarifying and streamlining educational and career pathways;
d. Reducing achievement gaps among different student populations; and
e. Accelerating certificate and degree attainment.
3. Closing the skills gap in the community; that is, aligning graduates’ learning and credentials with
industry and occupational demand, for example:
a. Aligning programming and services to target industry and employer needs;
b. Aligning educational output (number of students and credentials) to regional demand;
c. Building coherent educational and career pathways in targeted industries; and
d. Contextualizing learning.
Woven throughout all three elements of planning focus were themes related to KCC’s advocacy roles,
accountability, and policies and investments.
Taken together, the three key framework elements – college readiness, college completion, and closing
the skills gap – combined with the overarching themes of advocacy, accountability, and policy and
investment, drove KCC’s strategic planning process, provided the structure for the March 2013 leaders’
forum, and will guide the college’s development of its new strategic plan.
4
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report
Part II.
AGENDA and PROCESS for the MARCH 2013 STRATEGIC
PLANNING LEADERS’ FORUM
As noted above, KCC’s strategic planning framework, combined with its focus upon engaging external
college stakeholders in the planning process, informed the agenda for the two-day forum:
Day 1 – Monday, March 18, 2013
8:00 AM – 8:15 AM
KCC President’s Welcome and Charge – Dr. John Avendano
8:15 AM – 8:45 AM
Keynote Address – Dr. Walter Bumphus, President and CEO, American
Association of Community Colleges, and Chair of the AACC’s 21st Century
Commission on the Future of Community Colleges
8:45 AM – 9:15 AM
Setting the Global Context
9:15 AM – 12:30 PM
Three Discussion Panels Aligned to Planning Framework:
 Increasing College Readiness
 Improving College Completion Rates
 Closing the Skills Gap
2:00 – 4:00 PM
Three Break-Out Groups Aligned to Planning Framework:
 Increasing College Readiness
 Improving College Completion Rates
 Closing the Skills Gap
4:00 – 4:30 PM
In-Process Review and Report-Outs
Day 2 – Tuesday, March 19, 2013
8:30 – 10:30 AM
Three Break-Out Groups (continued)
10:45 AM – 12:00 PM
Break-Out Group Report-Outs and Discussion
1:00 – 2:45 PM
Gaining Consensus on Strategic Directions
2:45 – 3:00 PM
President’s Summary and Next Steps – Dr. Avendano
Through lunch on Day 1, planning forum attendees included approximately 35 internal KCC personnel
and students and approximately 35 external community partner representatives. On the morning of
Day 1, the Welcome, Keynote Address, and Setting the Global Context segments oriented all attendees
to KCC’s new strategic planning approach; the relationship of KCC’s plan development effort to the AACC
21st-Century Commission’s recommendations; and the national and global education, workforce, and
economic dynamics driving the need for community college innovation. Following these segments,
speakers on three moderated panels presented and discussed key issues, themes, and community needs
5
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report
related to the three main planning framework elements (panelists were largely external to KCC but did
include some KCC faculty). Please see Appendix A for a list of panel presenters.
Following lunch on Day 1, external forum participants were excused. On the afternoon of Day 1 and the
morning of Day 2, internal KCC participants re-convened in break-out groups aligned to the three
planning framework elements to:
1. Discuss the key themes and “take-aways” they gleaned from the morning sessions and panels
within their particular area of focus;
2. Conduct an analysis of KCC’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats relative to their
respective area of focus; and
3. Craft and refine three to five recommended strategic directions the college should embark on
within their planning element, in order to address the needs, challenges, and opportunities
raised during the Day 1 morning sessions and panels.
Following the break-out group sessions, planning groups reported out to the full group on
recommended strategic directions within their particular areas of focus. The full group then
participated in an exercise to come to consensus on a set of strategic directions that would serve as the
foundation for the development of KCC’s new strategic plan. The group came to agreement on five
priority strategic directions, discussed in Part III, which follows.
6
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report
Part III. PANELS, BREAK-OUT GROUPS, and STRATEGIC
DIRECTIONS
This section of the report presents a summary of each discussion panel’s specific ideas and perspectives,
and attempts to capture key notes from each break-out group’s discussion. In addition, during the
break-out sessions, each of the three groups developed an initial set of three to five recommended
strategic directions for a total of nine strategic directions across all groups. Here, however, we present
the five refined and consolidated strategic directions that the full KCC planning group ultimately came to
agreement upon, for purposes of facilitating KCC’s use of this content for the development of the
strategic plan. For a full list of initial strategic directions developed by each break-out group, please see
Appendix B.
Panel output, break-out group output (e.g., key SWOT [strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and
threats] analysis elements), and consensus strategic directions are presented under each relevant
planning framework element. However, please recognize that there are certainly overlaps and crossconnects among the three areas, and that in several cases, strategic directions “touch” more than one
planning framework element.
A. Improving College Readiness
1. Panel: Key Themes






The college readiness “blame game” between high schools and colleges is not
productive; we need to commit to dramatically reducing the need for remediation by
working together collaboratively. Closing achievement and readiness gaps requires the
shared effort and investment of pooled/leveraged resources from multiple sources.
Improving college readiness and lowering remediation rates will require the
development of a collaborating, professional community of secondary and postsecondary faculty working to address the issue.
High school diplomas that don’t assure access to post-secondary education without
remediation are essentially dooming those students to a lifetime of struggle.
“Social promotion” in high school does a disservice to students and inhibits their ability
to be successful in college.
High school teachers and college faculty should take the Compass placement test to
understand what it demands of students.
Rising high school seniors need to know no later than the end of their junior year if
they are proficient in the math, reading, writing, and English portions of the Compass
placement test. We need to do a better job of helping students know where they are
in terms of proficiency earlier in their high school experience.
There are significant “soft” skills deficiencies among students and young, entry-level
workers, e.g., basic workforce skills, rigor, persistence, a commitment to quality,
7
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report















attendance, etc. We need to work together to address these gaps and reward students
that meet standards of excellence in these areas.
Change the fundamental question from “What information should students know?” to
“How should students learn how to solve problems?”
We need to convey that high school is a waypoint, not an endpoint. We need to
impress upon students that educational attainment is tied to economic freedom.
We must keep doing what’s working, but must also be willing to stop doing what’s not
working and start doing new and different things.
We need to focus not just on short-terms gains, but also on sustained, long-term,
systemic improvement – this takes commitment.
KCC’s remediation rate is 88%. We must commit to reducing this by at least 50%, and it
can be done working in partnership with the high school system.
Provide continued support and development for KCC’s College and Career Readiness
Program.
Redesign the developmental education sequence to improve efficiency and quality.
Develop outcome data-sharing agreements for grade 9-14 students; high schools and
community colleges should be able to see each other’s data in order to anticipate and
address readiness and remediation issues.
There will not be new/additional funding. We must take existing funding, such as
reserve funding, to seed and nurture joint efforts between high school teachers and
KCC faculty to address identified college readiness challenges and needs.
Pursue opportunities to expose high school students to college-level courses,
assignments, and expectations earlier, while they are in high school. Expand dual
credit and early college programs, and not just for the highest-performing high school
students. Ensure that dual credit and early college programs are indeed college-level
by further engaging KCC faculty in these programs.
Incorporate college success skills development into high school programs and
coursework.
Both high school and college instructors should hold students accountable for their
own learning and set standards that are “college-like.”
Increase professional development support for all teachers (high school, KCC full-time,
and KCC adjuncts), and allow teachers to learn from and gain inspiration from one
another.
We need to ensure that Common Core assessments align to the Compass assessment
and vice versa.
Need to focus not just on students coming straight from high school to KCC, but also on
“non-traditional” students, who, increasingly, are the traditional community college
student. How are we engaging these students? How are we addressing their college
readiness needs? Are they getting the same supports that students coming straight
from high school receive?
8
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report
2. Break-Out Group: Strategic Directions and Notes
Strategic Direction #1:
Redesign college preparatory (developmental) coursework. This will require strengthened
collaborations with the K-12 system and with the broader community.
Discussion Themes











“Remediate remediation”
Expand the College and Career Readiness Program (free classes/tuition for high school students)
Expand focus upon and supports for non-traditional students and those that are not collegeready (e.g., older/returning students, growing Hispanic population)
Combine coursework to lessen time spent in remediation; redesign the developmental
sequence for efficiency and quality
Expand preventative measures at the high school level, e.g., faculty-to-student and student-tostudent mentoring of at-risk or prospective developmental education students
Expand KCC and high school collaboration through the College and Career Readiness Program
and other avenues
Have high school students take the Compass test beginning in their sophomore year
Raise the bar on developmental education at KCC: Stop providing developmental coursework
below the 9th grade level, and use Adult Basic Education or other avenues to address 5th to 8th
grade-level skill gaps
Strengthen dual credit courses for high school students: Have KCC professors teach these
courses, and include First Year College Experience and College Success in dual-credit courses
Expand collaborative professional development opportunities for all teachers (KCC and high
school teachers)
Focus on learning, not on teaching: Developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills, clarify
the need for information, and bring more practical application of knowledge into the curriculum
9
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report
SWOT Analysis
HELPFUL to Achieving Objectives
HARMFUL to Achieving Objectives
Internal Origin
(attributes of the
organization)
Strengths
Weaknesses
1. College and Career Readiness Program
in English and math (curriculum
alignment); 6% decrease in the number of
students not college-ready
2. Free class for college-ready students in
math or English
3. Talent Search/Upward Bound
4. In-school youth: Youth Program Services
Program
5. Focus on preparedness of high school
students (e.g., College and Career
Readiness Program)
1. Free class not extended to
occupational students
2. Insufficient focus on non-traditional
students
3. Dual credit curriculum alignment
with college faculty and intent
4. Enabling students: Registration,
financial aid, classroom
5. Inconsistency of alignment in scores
(placement testing)
6. Not enough mini-certificates or
advanced certificates
7. Not prepared to adequately handle
the influx of ESL students
8. First Year College Experience not
required, only recommended
Opportunities
Threats
1. Reduce the amount of time that
students are at KCC
2. Flexible scheduling: Four-day blocks
3. Use NEC to/for Adult Basic Educationlevel courses if restructuring entry-level at
9th grade for developmental education
4. Lessen time spent in developmental
education by combining coursework
(redesign curricula)
5. Mentoring traditional/non-traditional
students
6. First Year College Experience or College
Success Skills into high school curriculum
in some form (e.g., dual credit courses),
partnering with high school teachers
7. Professional development for all
teachers, high school and college
8. Recognize the needs of non-traditional
and traditional students as they affect
educational paths
9. Career readiness for occupations:
Incentive
1. Not adapting successfully to
changing population
2. “Blame game” or lack of ownership
3. Low educational attainment rates
5. Understanding and responding to
cultural differences as they relate to
education
6. Decreasing funding
7. Community mindset: Why college is
important, what people think of
community colleges
External Origin
(attributes of the
environment)
10
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report
B. Increasing College Completion Rates
1. Panel: Key Themes







In the past four years, Waubonsee Community College has increased the number of
completers by 90% through a variety of strategies: Eliminating courses that are
extraneous to a degree (e.g., addressing “degree creep”); introducing more flexible
scheduling and opening new campuses to increase accessibility and convenience;
moving from paper-based to online services for student convenience; introducing a new
online degree audit tool to enable students to track their progress toward completion;
actively championing and messaging a culture of completion throughout all areas and
levels of the college; working more closely with high school teachers and counselors on
curricular alignment to increase college readiness; participating in a Foundations of
Excellence self-study to examine and improve both the first-year and transfer student
experience at the college; and entering into reverse articulation agreements with three
four-year universities to enable students who transferred out of Waubonsee before
completing a credential to earn their two-year degree using credits from these
universities.
Creating a culture of completion requires strong community connections and
partnerships with all sectors of the community. All community partners – not just
educators – must support college completion. While we need state support on
structural barriers, completion solutions are largely regional in nature.
Time is the enemy to completion. Illinois is a member of the Alliance of States under
the Complete College America initiative. The state has made a commitment that by
2025, 60% of the adult population will have a post-secondary credential (the “60 by ‘25”
goal). The “60 by ‘25” goal will not be attainable without significant adult re-entry into
post-secondary education (specifically, adults with some college credits but no college
credential). Serving this population will require enhanced use of prior learning
assessment, more online courses, improved guidance and counseling, and better
marketing and outreach.
“Remediate remediation”: We need to prevent the loss of students’ momentum and
heart, as well as mitigate their risk of failing.
We must offer guided pathways (nexus of advising, curricula, and scheduling): More
structure, intrusive advising, and stackable credentials.
Full-time students are more likely to attain a credential (this is true even for students
that are not “top-tier”). For full-time students who complete an associate degree,
Illinois has the nation’s second-highest rate of students who go on to obtain a second
degree. Where possible, increase course intensity (the number of credit hours per
semester).
We help students who are heavily enmeshed in developmental education attend college
full-time by accelerating developmental education through a “co-requisite” model that
11
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report










combines simultaneous developmental education with credit-bearing courses toward a
credential.
We need to focus on equitable completion improvement across all student cohorts,
using both qualitative and quantitative data, both short-term and longterm/longitudinal assessment forms.
We should learn from students: Those that have been successful, those that have
“stopped out,” and those that have dropped out. What helped or hindered their
success?
Student success is about tethering high hopes to high expectations. Compassionately
challenge students. Move from a language of individual persistence to one of retention
and shared student and institutional responsibility.
In the curriculum, emphasize learning how to learn, which is critical to being successful
in the knowledge economy. 360-degree curriculum model, focused on self-assessment,
critical thinking skills, and technical skills.
We need to think about the role that students’ cultural capital and backgrounds play in
college completion. We can’t ask students to leave their previous lives at the door and
treat them like empty vessels to be filled. We must connect education to students’
backgrounds and experience.
We need to change the way we teach, from a lecture-focused model to culturallyrelevant pedagogy that acknowledges cultural context.
Student success is not just about students’ ability to succeed economically and in their
careers. We must focus on developing all aspects of our students, in order to enable
them to be successful in life more broadly and become better people. Retain a dual
focus on the humanities and career-oriented education.
Re-evaluate the tenure process to incorporate a community service component. Help
KCC staff better understand the surrounding community and community needs.
Enhance first-year college experience courses to focus more broadly on all aspects of
students’ development and success.
Encourage a focus on student achievement, skill, and excellence.
12
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report
2. Break-Out Group: Strategic Directions and Notes
Strategic Direction #2:
Create and support a culture of completion.
Strategic Direction #3:
Promote and environment of excellence and innovation. This includes improving student services and
supports and restructuring scheduling to be more flexible and responsive.
Discussion Themes




















Create a culture of completion and a culture of excellence throughout all areas of the college
Redesign and rebuild remedial education; get students through their programs more quickly and
efficiently (must consider developmental, personal, and scheduling barriers)
Better meet students’ needs without compromising student success: Explore new scheduling
(e.g., “Flexible Fridays” from Waubonsee), guidance, and blended learning options
Give more attention to class sizes
Online and hybrid instruction: Convenience is not the #1 reason students pursue it, but rather
because it supports faster completion and information retention
Support faculty on how to conduct instruction without seeing students (blended/online
instruction)
Consider mandatory online orientation and/or First Year College Experience (all can benefit from
FYCE, no matter the developmental level): Student responsibility/dependability
Paradigm shift: Master academic planning
Intrusive advising and warnings
Enhance students’ community involvement; look at co-curricular transcripts
Have administrators and successful student peers mentor students
Notion of “learning how to learn”: Help both faculty and students understand strategies to
achieve this
Promote and celebrate student success
Take on the issue of students’ cultural backgrounds and cultural capital, especially related to the
Hispanic population, minority males, and females
Teach our students to be indispensable to the workforce
Structure educational pathways toward the associate degree
Better understand what students want and who they want to be; foster their sense of belonging
and their connection to their future goal
Promote transfer
Identify/target students that have earned 30 credit hours for credential attainment
General Studies Certificate
13
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report

Incorporate career development
SWOT Analysis
HELPFUL to Achieving Objectives
HARMFUL to Achieving Objectives
Internal Origin
(attributes of the
organization)
Strengths
Weaknesses
1. Community support
2. Passionate faculty/staff
3. Quality academics
4. Family environment
5. Size: Not difficult to implement change
6. Mindset of “What’s best for the
student?”
7. Value KCC is to the community
8. Strategic planning/research
1. Limited resources/spending and
return of resources
2. Student engagement is low
3. KCC is slow to change
4. Failure to be a leader; college is
always following
5. Communication
6. Under-represented: Student
demographics/adjuncts
7. Involvement gap between full-time
and adjunct faculty
8. Remedial courses: Time they take,
success rates, financial restraint
9. Student population representation
and embracing different groups
10. Financial aid education
11. Frustration: Tutors vs.
developmental level students
12. Instruction that supports all
learning styles
9. Innovative
13. Internal road blocks
14
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report
External Origin
(attributes of the
environment)
Opportunities
Threats
1. Automatic “reverse transcripts”
awarding
2. Performance-based funding is effective
3. Cost + quality = value
4. Recruit best and brightest into
administration, faculty, and staff
5. Strategic plan
6. Impact current schedule
7. Communications and relations with
employers
8. Partnerships with four-year institutions
9. Guarantee dual degree program
1. Funding: Decreased financial aid,
cuts in spending
2. Decreasing number of minority
male students
3. Loss of experienced
administrators/faculty
5. Technology: Must keep up with the
times
6. Enrollment downturn
7. More part-time students and fewer
full-time
8. SURS: Issues with retirement for
Illinois/fewer adjuncts
9. Pathway mediation
10. MOOCs
11. Financial obstacles from start to
end
12. Remediation vs. bankrupt
13. Security/awareness
10. Hispanic population: Building cultural
awareness
14. New populations, target markets,
and cultural needs
C. Closing the Skills Gap
1. Panel: Key Themes



Employers invest a significant amount of time and resources in recruiting, training,
promoting, and succession planning. KCC and its partners need to provide meaningful
and valuable support to those efforts.
In a recent example, one manufacturing company had 2,000 applicants for positions;
only 20% of those were qualified to come in for an interview, and only 7% of those
were offered jobs. The significant skills gap here is not technical, but rather “cultural.”
There is a substantial misalignment between employers’ expectations and needs and
students’/workers’ soft skills, work ethic, work rigor, leadership, ownership,
entrepreneurial/”self-starting” spirit, ingenuity, emotional intelligence, collaboration
capacity, and critical thinking and problem-solving aptitude. It’s easier to teach
technical skills; it’s much more difficult to teach these soft skills.
Skill and aptitude assessment is critical. What can KCC do to better match students’
skills and aptitudes to employers’ needs?
15
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report









There will be significant new opportunities for healthcare careers – the Affordable Care
Act will create jobs we don’t even know about yet. KCC should look beyond nursing to
other healthcare occupations. At the same time, however, KCC should expand its twoyear nursing degree program through partnerships/scholarships with four-year
university nursing programs. Nursing specialty areas, in particular, are an unmet need.
Employers want KCC to be proactive, not reactive: Reach out, ask what employers
need, and deliver. Develop sustained – vs. transactional – relationships with
employers. Employers must have input to KCC’s plans, programming, and activities on
an ongoing basis – asking what employers want and need is not a “one-shot deal.” Go
beyond employer Advisory Councils to create more substantial relationships with
employers in critical industry sectors.
The area workforce system has established industry focus groups; KCC should connect
with this effort.
In addition to work readiness and soft skill gaps (particularly prominent among the
younger workforce), many area employers see gaps related to STEM (science,
technology, engineering, and math) skills, online skills, and technology skills.
Employers are looking for workers with more hands-on/practical training. How can
KCC expand contextualized learning opportunities such as internships? “Earn while you
learn” models, like Registered Apprenticeship, are “win-win” solutions for educators,
employers, and students/workers that ensure that everyone “has skin in the game.”
KCC should increase its focus upon developing career pathways within targeted
industry sectors, and upon integrating stackable credentials along those pathways.
The gowning Hispanic population and its related ESL needs will exacerbate the skills
gap issue in KCC’s area.
While the skills gap is an issue, other gaps exist, as well. For example, wage gaps can
contribute to supply/demand alignment issues, as can employer-provided training
gaps. There are very few “perfect workers”; KCC needs to provide employer-validated
education and training, but employers themselves also need to invest in developing
their workforces.
Local employers do not, generally, know about the National Career Readiness
Certificate (NCRC) or use it for candidate assessment. This may be an area of
opportunity for building awareness about and increasing use of the NCRC for student
foundational skill assessment.
16
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report
2. Break-Out Group: Strategic Directions and Notes
Strategic Direction #4:
Develop career pathways in target industries and align education and training.
Strategic Direction #5:
Take a convening leadership role to strengthen and sustain community partnerships to understand
community challenges and promote community prosperity. Particular strategic goals in this area may
relate to engagement and partnership development with the K-12 system, employers, and others.
Discussion Themes












Better understand and respond to employers’ needs: Regular and sustained interaction with
area employers in critical and high-demand sectors (i.e., industry partnerships) to better
understand their needs and create programs and occupational opportunities (internships, jobready workplace skills, etc.)
KCC must be proactive, rather than reactive, in addressing skill gap and skill development needs
and challenges
Examine Advisory Councils: Better understand employers’ expectations and close the loop on
suggestions from industry
KCC needs to serve as the convener of the broader community to help understand and respond
to community needs and ensure continuous communication with external shareholders
KCC needs to be a stronger part of the “jobs solution” in the community; increase understanding
of the local job market and available jobs and promote these opportunities
Use mentoring and modeling to help instill work readiness/soft skills like quality, attendance,
rigor, persistence, etc.; raise expectations and provide better training for student workers
Enhance workplace learning, contextualized learning, and “earn and learn” opportunities for
students
Create new academic programs in high-demand industry/career areas (potential areas discussed
include computer science, electronic medical records and physician order entry, culinary,
hospitality, and transportation); target training to high-need areas
Create and implement career pathways in targeted industries that include stackable credentials
along pathways (need internal and external guidelines and criteria for uniform stackable
credentials)
Explore opportunities for entrepreneurship and self-employment assistance (SEA)
Make job skills training and re-training more flexible in terms of course design and cost
Target as-risk and high-need populations for occupational preparation and job placement (e.g.,
growing Hispanic population, declining female student population, displaced older adult
workers)
17
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report




Need to examine all available data and work with employer partners to better understand
industry and occupational growth and decline, unfilled jobs, etc.
Expand hybrid and online training, especially for those commuting from very far (e.g., from far
north)
Enhance skills training in math, English, science, and computer literacy
Enhance instruction in “learning how to learn”
SWOT Analysis
HELPFUL to Achieving Objectives
HARMFUL to Achieving Objectives
Internal Origin
(attributes of the
organization)
Strengths
Weaknesses
1. Building good relationships with area
employers/stockholders
2. Open campus – we serve everyone
3. Students get good value
4. Willing to change and be flexible
5. Some good starts: Work readiness,
student services (intrusive advising)
6. Growing in facilities
7. Health careers and other strong
programs
8. Many graduates employed in the
community
1. Less money and manpower
2. Some are working against the
mission and philosophy (inhibits
innovation)
3. Measurement
4. Outreach to minority populations
5. 55+ adult outreach
6. Lack of clear understanding of
employer needs
7. Unprepared to deal with socioeconomic challenges
8. Non-traditional advising
9. Exceptional team
9. Lack of internships
18
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report
External Origin
(attributes of the
environment)
Opportunities
Threats
1. Maximize current use of space (study
areas)
2. Encourage employees to seek
credentials
3. Re-energize Advisory Councils
4. New program offerings
5. Internships
6. Community involvement
7. Cohorts in other programs
8. Student success expansion
9. Reverse transfers (SMHE or SMHC)
10. Hispanic market
11. Connect with our employers –
“community alliance”
12. Instill work success skills
13. Mentoring students – opportunity for
all staff
14. Three new extension centers and the
skills we can provide (we can set the tone
there)
15. Scheduling and delivery
16. Invite four-year partners to co-locate
here
17. Integration of occupational and
academic courses
1. Non-profit four-year colleges, forprofit institutions, online colleges
2. Some employers don’t require
certificates for employment
3. Perception of safety
5. Opposite of nimble: Losing students
to other schools’ programs
6. Reduced revenue streams, pension
issues, enrollment down, funding
down
7. High price of gas
8. Access to technology: “Digital
Divide”
9. Industry turnover and industry
workforce
10. Lack of feedback from industry
11. Parents’ attitudes about the
college
12. Some high school counselors
18. WorkKeys/National Career Readiness
Certificate
19
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report
Part IV.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. A key theme throughout the planning forum was the need for KCC to be bold in the
development and execution of its new strategic plan. It will be important to maintain this
commitment to innovation, productive risk-taking, and positive change moving forward, and to
resist any impulse to merely “tinker around the edges.” By focusing candidly and objectively on
what should be stopped or eliminated, what should be started, and what should be continued,
KCC can create the conditions for supporting student success and community prosperity.
2. In plan strategies and tactics, seek to elevate the college’s role (and responsibility) as a proactive
community leader and convener around education, workforce, and economic issues and
opportunities. Position the institution not only to react when needed, but also to anticipate and
initiate.
3. While KCC must craft a strategic plan that reflects and responds to its own priorities, challenges,
and opportunities, it is worth re-stating that multiple organizations in KCC’s “orbit” also have
their own strategic plans, and may even be currently engaged in their own strategic planning
processes. Where feasible and mutually-supportive, KCC should engage with its partners in the
community (e.g., the local Workforce Development Board, economic development
organizations, and K-12 and two- and four-year education institutions) and align plan strategies
and tactics to goals and targets shared by multiple partners.
4. Foster transparency and inclusiveness in both strategic plan development and implementation.
While a core group of KCC community members will likely serve as the primary authors of the
plan, the college should provide opportunities for both internal and external stockholders to
provide input to the plan, and, as the plan is implemented, ensure regular communications
about plan initiatives and activities.
5. As noted by KCC retreat participants, the college has a significant opportunity to further develop
comprehensive, sector-based industry partnerships to inform competency-based program and
course development. While this effort will certainly include better use of existing employer
Advisory Councils, it is broader and deeper than Council engagement alone. KCC, with its
partners in the community, should focus on building proactive, sustained, and impactful
relationships with regional employers in critical industry sectors.
6. KCC faces an environment in which, by and large, funding levels and other resources are either
stagnated or shrinking. This trend will continue to force the college to make tough decisions
about where to invest, and where it should decrease or stop investing. In the strategic plan, KCC
should examine strategies to use existing resources in new ways that support plan goals, as well
as to leverage new and/or external resources, including the alignment of resources and
investments toward targets that are shared with external community partners.
7. During the planning forum, KCC demonstrated a strong commitment to “remediating
remediation” and enhancing student supports. In support of this goal, KCC will want to pursue
20
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report
efforts to engage with the K-12 education system to understand and address incoming students’
significant needs for developmental education. Coordinated strategies to address
developmental education challenges from both the secondary and post-secondary levels will be
critical here; neither partner can accomplish this goal alone.
8. During break-out group discussions, several participants noted that KCC needs to enhance its
ability to be flexible, nimble, and responsive – to evolving student characteristics and needs,
industry and employer needs, and changes in the regional economy. In plan strategies and
tactics, KCC should focus on opportunities to enhance and incentivize the institution’s capacity
to operate nimbly and responsively.
9. As the adage goes, you manage what you measure, so KCC should establish ambitious but
attainable metrics in the plan and commit the time and resources to regularly assess
performance against those targets and course-correct over time as necessary. The college may
also wish to include continuous improvement targets, e.g., incremental improvement targets on
a yearly basis. In addition, KCC will want to align performance appraisal systems and
performance rewards to plan goals and targets, “boardroom to mailroom,” at all levels of the
institution’s operations.
10. The Environmental Scan was an important foundational exercise, but, as discussed during the
planning forum, it is just a start. Environmental scanning must be an ongoing process, and KCC’s
strategic plan could include strategies for the continuous collection and analysis of quantitative,
qualitative, and anecdotal data that can help KCC better understand its environment “in real
time” and thus respond more nimbly and proactively.
11. Focus on plan strategies that can help build a culture of lifelong learning both within the college
and within the community and “blur the lines” between high school and community college, and
between community college and four-year institutions. Craft strategies and tactics that help
create clear educational pathways and transitions for both traditional and non-traditional
students.
12. One weakness/threat identified during break-out group discussions is that KCC is not prepared
to address the needs of the growing Hispanic population, as well as those of older workers
returning to college. These gaps should be addressed specifically in plan strategies and tactics.
In addition, KCC should consider plan strategies to mitigate achievement gaps among student
populations and ensure equity across all student groups.
13. Consider strategies to better embed and integrate contextualized/applied training and soft skills
development in all college programming and courses, not just career/occupational programs.
Implementing mentoring programs (faculty/administrator-to-student and student-to-student)
and expanding internships and other applied learning opportunities for all students are potential
strategies.
21
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report
14. In order to improve student success, pursue more active student engagement and feedback
strategies that can help KCC better understand and respond to what helps or hinders students’
ability to be successful and complete on time.
15. On several occasions, forum participants noted that KCC is a passionate and exceptional team
that is committed to student success. At the same time, however, others commented that KCC
as an institution is slow to change; is more of a “follower” than a leader; and that there are
pockets of internal resistance to change and innovation. In the plan, KCC will want to harness its
strengths, and those of its team members, to mitigate threats like internal resistance and to
position the college to take advantage of new opportunities and grow its leadership capacity.
Ensuring an open and transparent plan development process, supported by regular
communication with internal college stakeholders, can help build a sense of understanding,
investment, and interest, particular among college community members that may initially feel
skeptical of or resistant to the new directions KCC wishes to pursue.
22
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report
Part V.
APPENDICES
A. List of Planning Forum Day 1 Panel Presenters
1. Increasing College Readiness





Dr. Linsey Cuti, KCC Faculty
Dr. Ken Ender, President, Harper College and AACC representative
Marty Felesena, Principal, Clifton Central High School
Greg Merrill, Principal, Kankakee High School
Dr. Gregg Murphy, I-KAN Regional Superintendent
2. Improving College Completion Rates




Dr. Lorenzo Baber, College of Education, University of Illinois
Dr. Harry Berman, Executive Director, Illinois Board of Higher Education
Dr. Christine Sobek, President, Waubonsee Community College
Ken West, KCC Faculty
3. Closing the Skills Gaps




Phil Kambic, President, Riverside Medical Center
LaDonna Russell, Chairperson, Grundy Livingston Kankakee Workforce Investment Board
Leon Topalian, Vice President and General Manager, Nucor Steel
Byron Zuidema, Regional Administrator, U.S. Department of Labor-Employment and
Training Administration, Region 5/Chicago
B. Initial Strategic Directions Developed by the Three Break-Out Groups
1. Increasing College Readiness



Create a culture of completion.
Strengthen collaborations with the K-12 system and the community.
Restructure developmental education.
o Partners: K-12 Superintendents, Principals, high school math/English teachers,
community leaders, cultural organization leaders, faculty, students
2. Improving College Completion Rates

Rebuild our developmental education program to help students efficiently and
effectively complete their educational pathways (customized to learning styles).
o Partners: ABE, MSE, HHS, K-12 (shared data), SMHEC, IT (Instructional Technology)
23
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com
Kankakee Community College Strategic Planning Retreat Report



Redesign our scheduling practices to enhance flexibility for our students to efficiently
complete certificate/degree (and be responsive to employer needs).
o Partners : IT (Instructional Technology), employers, SMHEC, students, external
auditor, Advising, faculty, program directors, Department Associate Deans
Create a culture of excellence where students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to
develop and are recognized for innovations that lead to student completion and
success.
o Partners: SPOC, Office of Faculty Development, employers, Foundation donors,
Marketing, HR, SAC, IT (Instructional Technology)
Enhance services to students by promoting innovations to offering increasingly
comprehensive support for our diverse student body to minimize obstacles to success
and completion.
o Partners: K-12, SMHEC, LRC, Student Services, faculty (mentoring), students (peer
mentoring), IT (Instructional Technology)
3. Closing the Skills Gap




Take a leadership role in convening the broader community to understand the
challenges and promote community prosperity.
o Why: Community prosperity
o Partners: Economic Alliance, top employers, elected officials, MAPP, four-year
institutions, WIB
o Metric: Image of KCC
Increase regular and sustainable interactions with area employers in high-growth areas
in order to create a supply chain to drive their economic prosperity.
o Why: To close the skills gap and drive community prosperity
o Partners: Economic development, WIB, employers
o Metric: Job placement
Develop career pathways to link curriculum development with jobs and job growth with
internships, stackable credentials, and job placement.
o Why: To close the skills gap and drive community prosperity
o Partners: Employers
o Metrics: Number of career pathways, number of internship placements, number of
certificates
Re-design job skills training to be more flexible and more cost-effective for students to
obtain a job faster.
o Why: To close the skills gap and drive community prosperity
o Partners: Employers
o Metrics: Enrollment, time to finish
24
3535 Route 66, Bldg. 4  Neptune, NJ 07753  732-918-8000  www.mahernet.com