1. Students First. The College will put students first in everything it does.
- Increase awareness of and support for excellence on campus, including the arts program, student research, athletic programs, and student organizations and clubs.
- Continue the improvements to shared governance and transparency with faculty, staff, and students.
- Continually review resource allocations to meet the changing needs of the current student populations.
- Decrease the deficit mindset among faculty with regard to students.
- Create and execute specific professional development opportunities for employees that engender a “students first” culture.
- Provide opportunities for students to engage with staff, administration, and Trustees in order to continue to operationalize feedback from students.
- Review the annual student feedback assessment and address the areas students feel the College could be more responsive (career prep, reading skills, internships)
- Creatively address the barriers to student success, including federal financial aid challenges, mental health, academic preparedness, financial and family obligations, and food/housing insecurity.
2. Comprehensive Enrollment Management Plan. The College will strategically plan for the changing demographics in the County.
- Revision the College from a focus on four-year transfer degrees to include a greater emphasis on workforce education and certifications.
- Increase the percentage of students who identify as Hispanic in order to apply for designation at a Hispanic Serving Institution.
- Implement as Board approves recommendations from the Emerging HSI Committee to make the campus more bilingual friendly.
- Increase the support and visibility of Workforce Education.
- Identify and execute plans that increase the retention rate of students, particularly in the high DFW courses.
- Increase the use of alternative modalities to assist overburdened high school and to attract non-traditional students.
3. Comprehensive Marketing Plan. The College will align the marketing strategy to the changes in our student enrollment profile.
- Using the input from Design 446, develop and implement a stronger marketing strategy, including greater data decisions and input from enrollment and academic departments.
- Review the current personnel structure to determine any gaps in talent or needs.
- Implement the new webpage and make changes as needed to fulfill the College’s goals.
- Working with IT, Enrollment Management, and College Relations, operationalize a data analytics program that will ensure marketing activities align with the strategies of Enrollment Management.
4. Responsiveness. The College will respond to the needs of the various communities to which it belongs, both internal and external.
- Address the internal constraints that hinder the College from strategic responses to the needs of the growing non-English speaking populations in Ocean County.
- Consider the persistent concerns expressed by faculty and College Lecturers and make recommendations to the Board about potential changes to policy and/or practices.
- Continue the reorganization of the College that reflects the change in the enrollment numbers and the change in presidential leadership
- Maintain and build upon relationships within the community.
- Implement the First Gen strategic plan.
- Expand the portfolio of experiential learning opportunities, including internships, entrepreneurship, service learning, community engagement, study away, apprenticeships, and research opportunities.
- Engage our internal and external communities to ensure continual feedback loops and adjustments.
- Develop the College’s Strategic Plan for the Board approval by summer 2025.
5. Academic Initiatives. The College will use a data driven approach to continually determine the degree and certificate programs that will support the College’s goals.
- Provide evidence of the development of new academic programs and certificates.
- Conduct an inventory analysis to determine academic and workforce offerings that meet the needs of regional employers while ensuring student career readiness, including incumbent worker education.
- Using data, determine opportunities for program sunsetting and resource allocation to growing certificates or programs.
- Expand the portfolio of experiential learning opportunities, including internships, entrepreneurship, service learning, community engagement, study away, apprenticeships, and research opportunities.
- Increase the number of 2+2, 3+1, and 3+2 articulations
- Strengthen the Kean Ocean Partnership by exploring joint marketing, shared academic calendar, collaboration of clubs, and greater faculty connections.
6. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access. Exemplify a college culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access.
- Consider and recommend to the Board policies and/or practices that will increase the number of faculty and staff who are bilingual.
- Provide training to address unconscious bias among faculty, staff and administration.
- Move from a deficit mindset to asset mindset about our students.
- Address the internal constraints that hinder the College from strategic responses to the needs of the growing non-English speaking populations in Ocean County.
- Creatively address the barriers to student success, including federal financial aid challenges, mental health, academic preparedness, financial and family obligations, and food/housing insecurity.
- Implement as Board approves recommendations from the Emerging HSI Committee to make the campus more bilingual friendly.
7. Financial Stability
- Increase the number of foundation/organization, state, and federal grants.
- Continue to restructure and realign OCC schools and divisions to maximize operational efficiencies and support the College’s strategic success.
- Recommend to the Board policies and practices that lead to greater efficiency and effectiveness in operations, facilities, security, academics, or human resources.