Asking Why Isn't Just for Kids

Ever ask yourself, "where do I go from here?" Sometimes it's a question asked in exhaustion after a disappointment or failure. Many times, like in SCC's case, it is asked in curiosity as the world (and educational industry) continue to evolve. Do you go with the flow or choose a path on purpose, for a purpose?

We are choosing the latter and here's why. Now more than ever, individuals within our community need access - financially and geographically - to a high-quality, affordable college education that provides pertinent skills needed to obtain a job and start a career. Furthermore, businesses rely on a healthy pipeline of local, educated workers to compete in a global marketplace.

SCC has been assisting both individuals and businesses in this way for the past 25 years. However, to remain relevant in the next 25 years, we must look ahead and choose a path that will enable us to continue exceeding the needs of our county and region for generations to come.

There will be many steps taken to achieve this goal. One of the first is to undergo a long-range planning initiative, which is being kicked off September 4, 2012 at SCC's All College Day. Activities and efforts to follow will fall into one of two categories: strategic planning or facilities master planning. Below is a brief overview of each:

Strategic Planning
Ultimately, we will produce long-range strategic and implementation plans tied to our mission, vision and values to aid the College in coordination and use of our resources. To get there, we will develop an environmental scan, SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis and gap analysis. A steering committee has been established to lead the college through this process, along with a structure that encourages campus and community members to provide insight and feedback on the college's current position and opportunities for growth.

Facilities Master Planning
Ultimately, we will produce a long-range facilities master plan to help us preserve capital resources by identifying current space and its associated utilization patterns, clearly quantifying near- and long-term space needs, and providing the planning tools needed to reallocate existing space or develop new facilities, as needed. To get there, we will define key data sets and develop a space inventory and instructional space utilization analysis. To qualify the information gathered, we will hold numerous campus interviews and focus group sessions.

If you are interested in learning more about how this process unfolds, we hope you will choose to follow us by email or check back often. Future posts will document the process, along with provide opportunities to participate.

Thank you for your time today and believing in the power of education.