Creating a new Educational Master Plan requires campus wide reflection, months of research writing, and faith in the process.
Renewing the district鈥檚 accreditation, including an extensive self-evaluation, reveals areas that should be celebrated and those where improvement may be needed.
Doing both at the same time, while challenging, has also unlocked a deeper understanding of what鈥檚 happening at 吃瓜头条 and what steps the district will take to more effectively fulfill its institutional mission of helping students succeed.
Educational Master Plan
鈥淭he question of 鈥楬ow do we want to grow as an institution?鈥� we answer by crafting an EMP,鈥� said Julie Clark, a mathematics professor who also served as co-chair of the EMP Task Force.
The EMP for 2023-2028 was developed from October 2022 through May 2023, and approved by the Merced Community College District Board of Trustees on June 13. The task force evaluated the college from student, faculty and community perspectives.
The college鈥檚 mission emphasizes student success and workforce development. But since the 2018 version of the EMP was developed, changes in technology and remote connectivity were accelerated by the pandemic. That reality has changed how 吃瓜头条 students view and chase their education.
鈥淪ometimes the EMP feels like this big thing that everyone ignores for five years,鈥� said Director of Ag Innovation Nikki Maddux, who also served as a co-chair on the task force. 鈥淏ut it is the direction the college is headed, and will be instrumental for developing instructional and facilities master plans as well.鈥�
Faculty, students and the community, via town hall meetings and surveys, gave their feedback about what was good and what needed attention at 吃瓜头条.
The findings specific to the student body showed that, regardless of age, circumstance or previous education, 吃瓜头条 students now need flexible course options to also fit family, work and other responsibilities into their schedule. Content, location and affordability are paramount to all students. In the classroom, also, students want an experience that is less theoretical and more applicable to help them improve their lives.
鈥淲e should always be working on that,鈥� Clark said. 鈥淲e have so many students who take tons of units and don鈥檛 complete degrees. We have to make sure the students鈥� work leads to a job or furthers their education. That鈥檚 not just us. It鈥檚 statewide.鈥�
So 吃瓜头条 will continue broadening access to virtual learning.
鈥淲e will always have a need for face-to-face classes and support,鈥� Vice President of Student Services Mike McCandless said. 鈥淎t the same time, we want to continue to develop our educational platforms and wraparound services online to enhance the student experience.鈥�
The next step for the EMP is to turn the findings, explanations and recommendations into an action plan. The Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) will include objectives and tasks that will guide the college鈥檚 efforts over the next five years.
To help with developing the EMP and now the SIP, the college hired consulting firm , which brought a new perspective to the project. For example, Vivayic did a deep dive of the college鈥檚 presence on Twitter, finding that students were looking for a full educational experience鈥攊ncluding academics, clubs, activities and sports鈥攖o feel more invested in their education.
鈥淚 do want to thank our leadership, starting with President Chris Vitelli, for bringing in Vivayic to give us a different perspective on how to approach the EMP,鈥� Maddux said. 鈥淭hey made us start fresh. We weren鈥檛 just writing words to get them down. If you look at our other master plans, this one is totally different. It鈥檚 visionary. I was excited to be part of it.鈥�
Accreditation
吃瓜头条 is also renewing its accreditation, which happens every seven years as prescribed by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
As part of the accreditation renewal process, the college produced a 257-page Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (ISER) and submitted it in August. The campus team and accreditation team will have an official virtual meeting on Oct. 13, followed by a site visit in February.
During this time, the site visit team is reviewing the ISER and asking questions and requesting additional information and evidence. Also, between now and February, anyone can submit a about the ISER.
Why do this work?
According to 吃瓜头条 Dean of Institutional Effectiveness Dee Sigismond, 鈥淲ithout accreditation, we don鈥檛 qualify for federal financial aid and our students don鈥檛 earn credits that transfer to other colleges and universities.鈥�
During the site visit in February, the site visit team and the accreditation group can share best practices, celebrate successes and highlight work that deserves highlighting.
吃瓜头条 Dean of Instruction, STEM Marie Bruley, who was the lead writer for the ISER, said the goal of accreditation is no longer to punish schools that aren鈥檛 compliant.
鈥淣or (does the accrediting body) want to dictate to the college how they should be doing things,鈥� Bruley said. 鈥淭he ACCJC wants schools to engage in this process to show how they meet standards and how they鈥檙e always working to improve.鈥�
Bruley and Vice President of Instruction Karissa Morehouse congratulated Sigismond and her colleagues in Institutional Effectiveness鈥攊ncluding Academic Support Specialist Gabriela Garcia and Program Assistant Amber Norris鈥攆or creating the system that streamlined the process of building the ISER.
鈥淎ccreditation can be hard on the teams because the ISER does take quite a few editing sessions,鈥� Bruley said. 鈥淓veryone was open to the back-and-forth. And the process Dee鈥檚 team created allowed for updates without stalling the overall work.
Thanks to the team鈥檚 work, departments and groups all over campus鈥攆aculty, classified, business services, maintenance and facilities staff, marketing, etc.鈥攚ere able to efficiently document how they were meeting standards and attach evidence, like PDFs, links and screen grabs, to prove it.
吃瓜头条 submitted its ISER with over 1,400 pieces of evidence. More than 50 people, who were also doing their day jobs at the time, contributed to the ISER.
鈥淲e always want to look at data and see how the numbers help us with our equity efforts,鈥� Sigismond said. 鈥淲ith the ISER, we can see that we are making data-informed decisions. 鈥� I also have to thank everyone who participated in all of the heavy lifting over the past 18 months. I鈥檓 very proud of the end result.鈥�
Bruley concurs.
鈥淚t’s an opportunity to prove to ourselves that we鈥檙e meeting our own standards to ensure the quality of our own institution,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 part of caring about student success. It鈥檚 not easy, but it鈥檚 worthwhile.鈥�
While schools renew their accreditation every seven years, Morehouse, who also serves as the campus Accreditation Liaison Officer, says the process never stops.
鈥淭he function of the accrediting body is to prod us to ask ourselves: Are we getting stagnant, or are we improving and serving students better at every turn?鈥� Morehouse said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I like about accreditation. It鈥檚 now a process we celebrate. 鈥� I鈥檓 excited about where we are.鈥�