1. Evolving and Dynamic Enrollment Management Plan
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. Capturing the Adult Market
Offer new programs and certificates that lead to gainful employment and/or offer career advancement, higher pay, and future opportunities.
Develop and implement an improved process for awarding Credit for Prior Learning.
Implement marketing that reaches and speaks to the adult population.
Develop more partnerships with business and industry, particularly by utilizing our division on workforce programs.
Market to the Collar Communities.
Leverage our partnership with Achieving the Dream to change our practices and policies to better understand and meet the adult market population.
3. Community Outreach and Relationship Building
Continue to partner with and explore new opportunities with the OCVTS.
Develop a relationship with the homeschool market.
Continue to develop educational partnerships, including with Kean’s expanding presence in Ocean County and Princeton’s opportunities for faculty and students.
Partnership with local non-profits, to include joint programming with the Ocean County Library, the YMCA, Ocean’s Harbor House, and others.
Expand OCC’s relationships with local business and industry, including Netflix and the county Workforce Development Board.
4. Academic Initiatives
Using data, develop and implement new programs and short-term learning certificates that are tied to labor demands.
Deliberately and intentionally cut programs that are under enrolled, do not lead to successful transfer to four-year programs, and/or cannot provide evidence of leading to personal and community vitality.
Expand the portfolio of experiential learning opportunities, including internships, entrepreneurship, service learning, community engagement, study away, apprenticeships, and research opportunities but without increased financial obligations for the college.
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.
Develop and implement a process to award Credit for Prior Learning.
Increase OCC’s engagement with and outreach to Middle Schools.
Continue our Hispanic Outreach through the convening and other community-based approaches.
Develop the process and metrics to determine the impact of Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) professional development for faculty to better learning engagement.
Increase the connections with the Lakewood Community and better serve the community’s educational needs.
Explore the opportunities to accelerate learning based on demonstration of competency instead of time in seat.
Engage with faculty on the ways in which AI can be meaningfully incorporated into the student experience as a career readiness tool.
Engage faculty with meaning and intentionality in decision-making, using feedback, and expanding outreach to faculty.
Continue to engage students and listen to feedback.
5. Financial Stability
Increase the pursuit of grant funding.
Continue to restructure and realign OCC schools and divisions to maximize operational efficiencies and support the College’s strategic success.
Implement plan of program reduction.
Continue to review college structure, hiring practices, and efficiencies to address personnel needs and operational efficiencies.
Continue to explore joint purchasing agreements.
6. Strategic Planning
Implement the Strategic Plan to support the goals as outlined.
Use Achieving the Dream to provide the framework to realize the goals of the Strategic Plan.
Use the Strategic Plan to build community and improve communication.
Continue to demonstrate compliance with accreditation standards.
Continue to respond to the ever-changing environment by adhering to the mission, vision, and values of the College.
