Planning at CCC

At Cleveland Community College the functions of planning and institutional effectiveness are considered a unified function, for planning without action and evaluation is futile and action and evaluation are not possible until the College has determined its direction. By uniting planning and institutional effectiveness, the College can ensure that the critical needs of the College will be identified and addressed. 

Assessment and evaluation of the effectiveness of academic and support programs at the College is evolutionary and continuous and includes both strategic planning and operational planning. The foundation of the planning/evaluation process lies in the College's Mission and its strategic goals and initiatives which incorporate the performance measures of the North Carolina Community College System and various accrediting agencies’ criteria.  From the College's Mission Statement and strategic goals and initiatives, each major Unit (major operational division) of the College—General Administration, Academic Programs, Student Services, Finance/Administrative Services, Continuing Education—has developed a strategic vision (an expansion of the College's Mission Statement), general goals, objectives, and action plans with assessment criteria for meeting those goals and objectives. Each Unit level plan also has program level plans and individual professional development plans which support the Unit’s plan and ultimately the College's system of planning—Cleveland’s Continuous Improvement Plan for Student Success. Thus, the success of the system requires “top-down” and “bubble up” efforts of all of the College's constituencies—including students—and is contingent upon active collaboration of those constituencies. In addition, the improvement of College-wide plans such as the Enrollment Management Plan and the Information Technology Plan are incorporated into the system of planning as a general goal of a particular unit level plan. (See the College Strategic Planning System Model and the Unit Level Plans Model) The heart of the strategic planning system is the Academic Programs Plan and its concomitant program level plans. All other plans provide the educational support services integral to a sound academic program.

The Cleveland Community College Planning Council—composed of representative faculty/staff and key administrators, including the President—is the entity responsible for determining the strategic process and plan for the vision of the College. The Council meets on the first Monday of each month unless otherwise planned. At these meetings the Council addresses significant issues affecting the College and monitors the progress of the various units in their planning efforts. In addition, the Council attends an annual spring retreat and may also have called meetings. The Chair of the Planning Council is the Assistant to the President for Planning and Institutional Effectiveness. Although the Assistant to the President is responsible for coordinating institutional planning activities, the responsibility for ensuring that planning and evaluation are conducted according to the established guidelines resides with Unit leaders and each member of the College community. 

Each year, beginning in April, the College follows its planning process steps—utilizing the Nichols Model and storyboarding—which result in the continuous improvement of the College's educational programs and services.

The Planning Process at the College

College Planning Council

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