Mission, Core Themes, and Expectations; Resources and Capacity
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http://libguides.olympic.edu/canvas Olympic College Cover Page here 1. Title page to include: a) Title of Self-Evaluation Report b) Name of Institution c)Date Submitted Year Three Report Chapters One & Two Mission, Core Themes, and Expectations; Resources and Capacity Year Three Report Standards One and Two submitted by Dr. David Mitchell, President to the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) September 15, 2013 Cover Photo: “Field of Wishes” by artist Gloria Bornstein Artwork located at OC Shelton and made possible through the Washington State Art Commission, Art in Public Places program. Olympic College Mission OC enriches our diverse communities through quality education and support so students achieve their educational goals. (Adopted 3/99, Reaffirmed 6/05 and 8/08, revised and adopted 11/12) Vision At Olympic College we envision learning as a life-enhancing journey of discovery where: I. Our students are life-long learners in a global society. To realize our vision, we will focus on student learning and success, promoting learning through accessible education, personalized service, adaptive and innovative teaching, and an ongoing commitment to academic excellence. II. Our employees are empowered to achieve the college mission. To realize our vision, we will appreciate and value our employees, providing opportunities to enhance professional skills, encouraging learning and advancement, and prioritizing and sharing institutional resources. III. Our community recognizes the college as its cornerstone of learning. To realize our vision, we will develop strong community partnerships and fulfill our role as a cultural center, enriching those we serve by creating relevant educational options and bringing a diverse array of activities to the region. (Adopted January 2008) Values We honor our shared values by holding ourselves and each other accountable for: 1. A Dedication to Public Service and Higher Education To demonstrate our values we… a. Commit ourselves to student learning and success b. Embrace the wide-ranging mission of the community college c. Meet or exceed professional standards of practice and ethics d. Champion the principles of academic freedom and intellectual honesty e. Foster innovation, creativity, and flexibility in our efforts to offer exemplary education and service f. Regularly evaluate our practice and make changes to better support those who are underserved 2. A Commitment to Life-long Learning To demonstrate our values we… a. Assess our work rigorously and reflectively to improve our knowledge b. Improve our practices and behaviors as we learn better ways of working c. Take thoughtful risks to acquire new perspectives and skills d. Create a learning environment in which each learner is welcomed, encouraged and supported 3. The Practice of Civil and Constructive Discourse and Respect for Diversity To demonstrate our values we… a. Exemplify civility as a hallmark of our institution b. Appreciate and listen to one another with respect for our differences c. Acknowledge that our own cultural conditioning influences our perceptions of other people d. Are open-minded problem solvers who manage conflicts proactively and effectively 4. A Quest for Community and Environmental Health To demonstrate our values we… a. Contribute to the wellbeing and sustainability of our community b. Serve as stewards of our environment c. Study and model choices and practices that enhance environmental health, economic vitality, and social justice 5. The Thoughtful Use of Our Finite Resources, including Ourselves To demonstrate our values we… a. Empower employees to assert leadership and engage in institutional decision making b. Develop, prioritize and communicate our goals collaboratively c. Identify, share, and make the most effective use of our resources d. Work together to accomplish our tasks and achieve the college mission e. Strive for a balanced work environment in which we are efficient and competent, but also kind and friendly (Adopted June 2008) 1600 Chester Avenue, Bremerton, WA 98337-1699 Tel 360-475-7100 ~ Fax 360-475-7104 ~ www.olympic.edu Office of the President September 16, 2013 Dr. Sandra Elman, President Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities 8060 165th Avenue NE, Ste. 100 Redmond, WA 98052 Dear Dr. Elman: I am pleased to present the Standard Two: Year Three Report and related materials for Olympic College. Like many other states, Washington has significantly reduced its funding of public higher education over the past five years. While the Legislature and the State Board mitigated some of the reductions with tuition increases, tuition could not completely offset the loss in State appropriations. During this same period, Olympic College’s enrollment grew to record levels with increases of 20% to 30% The College chose to remain true to our Mission by continuing to provide access to quality education and support programs. To do that we strategically managed the budget reductions and implemented a decision- making structure that ensured student success as the top priority for all budget decisions. Evidence that we succeeded may be found in our student achievement metrics for progression and completion; those measures were generally maintained or improved. The College managed the financial challenges; it was not managed by them. Our recent experience helps to document that during challenging times, Olympic’s resources and capacity are adequate to fulfill the College’s newly-revised Mission that specifically includes student achievement. Core Theme assessments and the Mission-level focus they command continue to inspire our leadership. As a result, College programs and services have been strengthened by strategic decisions regarding the allocation of resources and capacity. As recommended in the College’s Year One Peer-Evaluation Report, many of our indicators have been refined in order to ensure they are meaningful, assessable, and verifiable. This has allowed us to better evaluate our accomplishments and improve our planning processes. As part of that improvement the College is currently adapting our planning processes to better align with the comprehensive planning required in Standard Three. The State’s economy has stabilized and the Legislature has produced a balanced budget that both avoided tuition hikes and provided additional ongoing funding for community colleges. It was quite timely to be preparing a report on resources and capacity to the Commission during a period of major resource challenges. It motivated the College to focus on its Mission, Vision, Core Themes, and achievement indicators dealing with budget issues and it provided an applied test of our leadership regarding resources and capacity, a test that we demonstrably passed. Sincerely, David C. Mitchell, Ph.D. President P a g e | i Please read! TECHNOLOGY: Help with Links We have worked very hard to give you evidence of our statements in the form of hyperlinked documents and websites. Here are some hints to maximize the utility of the links. (Notes in parentheses are for the more adventurous computer user; otherwise, we’re giving you the simplest tips possible.) 1. If you have issues getting the documents to open, you may not be running the latest version of your Internet browser. Some of our readers had problems using Google Chrome, Firefox, and Apple’s Safari, but we are unsure if their browsers were up-to-date. If all else fails, Microsoft Internet Explorer is the browser that works consistently with the PDF documents we are attaching. (Having your browser set as the default PDF viewer is also a requirement for the links to function properly; see #2 for more.) 2. For best results, make sure you have the latest version of Adobe Reader. It’s free. The link is: http://get.adobe.com/reader/ (Installing the latest version should also update your default PDF viewer to your current browser. If you already have Adobe Reader installed and you selected automatic updates, you’re fine. If you didn’t opt for automatic updates, now’s the time to update Reader!) 3. The address for a hyperlinked document or webpage is included in the footnote. If you need to, you can copy the address and paste it into the search window in Internet Explorer. Right clicking on the link and selecting ‘copy hyperlink’ is a quick and easy way to get the link; then clean out the address bar, right click, choose ‘paste,’ and hit ‘enter’. 4. All links in the footnotes display the full URL address. Addresses that end with “page=xx” (example: .pdf#page=72 are designed to open the document to the page number indicated, in order to save you the effort of seeking the applicable section of the document). If the document is opening to the first page of the PDF instead, you may have a default setting in Adobe changed. If all else fails, at least you have the page number to use; either copy/paste as directed in #3, or just scroll down in the document to reach the page number. If the page number in the footnote is different than in the link, the footnote is the page number used on the pages in the document; the link uses a number that you see when you use the scroll bar on the right edge of the page, or for pdfs, the page in the box on the header. (This link functionality is designed to work within a web browser only. If you aren’t going directly to the page noted, your computer is likely configured to use the full Adobe Reader program to view PDF’s, rather than a web browser. See Adobe Help for information on how to adjust your settings: http://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/display-pdf-browser-acrobat-xi.html ) 5. If the screen is black when you open a document (PDF) to a specific page, move the scrolling wheel on your mouse a little bit—one or two clicks--and the black will disappear. This symptom may be caused by overloaded memory.