Approved by the NWC Board of Trustees on November 14, 2022.
The world is changing rapidly, and so is the higher education landscape. Changing demographics, industry growth, regulation, cost escalation, and student needs require a responsiveness not seen previously in higher education. As traditional enrollments drop and funding sources remain unstable, the College seeks to retain its focus on preparing students to succeed in transfer, career, and life.
When developing its new strategic plan, the College desired to implement initiatives to minimize future reductions to programming and operations. Strategic visioning sessions suggested the time was right to move forward with more than a new five-year strategic plan but rather an initiative focused on transformational change. Incredibly, more than 400 voices contributed to the visioning and transformational effort.
Throughout the process, impressive work was noted in transfer articulation, expanded career and technical programming, the newly instituted bachelor’s program, enrollment processes, shared governance, budgeting, policy, scheduling, and campus physical improvements. The College provided overwhelming support to continue efforts around expanded enrollment, marketing, and branding efforts to ensure sustainability.
Ideas began to develop around the concepts of destination, pathways, workforce, and distinctive programming. Upon further analysis, discussion, and alignment of opportunities and offerings, a vision statement was created to guide the future direction of the College.