Kennedy-King College 5-Year Strategic Plan.Pdf
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2014-2018 From the President Four years ago, City Colleges of Chicago embarked upon a sweeping reform effort called Reinvention, the central purpose of which was to dramatically improve student outcomes. This research-based, data-driven initiative, now in its fourth year, has been guided by the following goals: • Increase the number of students earning college credentials of economic value. • Increase the rate of transfer to bachelor’s degree programs following graduation. • Drastically improve outcomes for students requiring remediation. • Increase the number and share of ABE/GED/ESL students who advance to and succeed in college-level courses. The hard work of Reinvention task forces comprised of faculty, staff and students has already paid off. Kennedy-King College’s graduation rate has more than tripled since the launch of Reinvention, rising from 8 percent to 26 percent in FY2013. The total number of degrees and certificates awarded in FY2013 was 1,164, a more than 75 percent increase compared to four years earlier. And the college’s enrollment and retention outcomes for FY13 were on target or exceeded goals for that year. These are impressive gains that everyone at the college can be proud of. They are also proof that our continued efforts will yield even greater student successes. This five-year strategic plan, an outgrowth of City Colleges’ district-wide strategic plan and reform efforts, lays out a detailed vision for further delivering on the promise of Reinvention. All of its goals are designed to empower students and support their dreams, whether they involve gaining immediate employment or transferring to a four-year institution. By 2018, we aim to see the college’s graduation rate increase to 33 percent, and the number of credentials (degrees and certificates) of economic value awarded annually surpass 1,400. To reach those ambitious completion goals, we’ve set a variety of targets around retention, enrollment and student transition from adult education and remedial classes to credit-level classes, among other areas. Innovative new student support efforts are necessary to reach many of these targets, such as the mandatory and embedded tutoring program we implemented at Kennedy-King in 2013. We will continue to improve student outcomes through Reinvention7, the next stage of City Colleges’ reform effort. Kennedy-King’s Reinvention7 task force has developed new tools for both students and advisors that provide students with a clear path through our institution and on to further college and careers. These tools include semester-by- semester program maps informed by faculty expertise, which advisors are using to crystalize students’ educational plans. For this five-year plan to become a reality, students must be empowered and supported to make the best possible choices so they reach their goal, whether it is further education at a four-year institution or a successful career immediately after graduation. Arshele Stevens President, Kennedy-King College Reinvention AT KENNEDY-KING COLLEGE, success Reinvention launched with collaborative means that all students receive the guidance, teams of faculty, staff and students from support and instruction to efficiently earn a every college. Their task: to comprehensively credential of economic value that prepares review and revamp all aspects of City them for a career, whether their goal is to enter Colleges to ensure students’ success. They the workforce immediately or seek further were given time away from their regular education first. Since the Reinvention initiative responsibilities to dedicate themselves to the launched in 2010, this renewed focus on reform effort. More than three years later, the student outcomes has represented a paradigm model remains in place, creating a permanent shift at Kennedy-King College from a focus on mechanism for deep and lasting change at access to a focus on both access and success. City Colleges. A robust set of outcomes is now paramount, including: completion, retention, and the value In 2013, City Colleges went a step further by we deliver to students, their communities, launching Reinvention7, or Reinvention to the employers and four-year colleges alike. seventh power, implying the multiplication of impact by embedding the taskforce reform model at each of the seven City Colleges. Reinvention7 puts in place the processes and procedures that allow students to make good choices, to complete on time, and to transfer or move directly into the workforce. It ensures that cultural change permeates Kennedy-King College—from the advisors to the deans to the faculty to the support staff and of course to our students. Every person at Kennedy- King College has a hand in bringing about our reinvention. Since the launch of Reinvention, Kennedy- King College has made real progress toward creating a true student-centered culture of success. COMPLETION When Reinvention launched, Kennedy-King’s graduation rate was 8 percent. By FY2013, it had jumped to 26 percent. The total number of Kennedy-King College completers crossed 1,100 in FY2013, marking a more than 75 percent increase since the Vanessa Davenport launch of Reinvention. Class of 2013 Valedictorian 3 COLLEGE TO CAREERS NEW CAPITAL PLAN Under Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chancellor City Colleges has launched a five-year Cheryl Hyman’s leadership, City Colleges $524 million capital plan to address years launched College to Careers (C2C), a program of neglected maintenance and reflect the that partners City Colleges’ faculty and staff latest changes in pedagogy and technology with industry experts to better prepare to ensure our students are job-ready and students for careers in growing fields. four-year-ready when they walk out of the classroom. In 2012, Kennedy-King College became City Colleges’ hub for culinary and hospitality In FY2014, capital improvements include programs. Since then, staff and faculty have a new green roof at the main campus worked with industry partners to design new and a new energy-efficient rooftop HVAC and enhanced programs that prepare students system at the Dawson Technical Institute. for this growing field. More than three years in, Reinvention boasts Kennedy-King has placed a total of 65 many proud accomplishments. But while students year-to-date in FY14. Thirty-nine of outcomes have improved, we are still working the students who have secured employment to reinvent Kennedy-King College as a are in the college’s C2C program for culinary best-in-class institution that Chicagoans arts, and the remaining 26 are students in have a right to demand. To build on our the overhead wire construction program. C2C early successes, we must leverage the now- business partners include A10 Restaurant, proven winning approaches in new ways by Aramark Sports and Entertainment, taking to the next level our drive to make our Mariano’s, Panera Bread Co., Signature Room student-centered culture pervasive across the at 95th, Washburne Cafe/Catering and organization. Commonwealth Edison. Through Reinvention7, we will achieve deep ADULT EDUcaTION and lasting change at Kennedy-King College. Kennedy-King College has realigned its We will ensure every student has access to adult education off-site locations with the programs that lead to further college or a surrounding communities of greatest need in career, and that every student is equipped terms of adults lacking a high school diploma with a plan for how to reach their goals. or English fluency, addressing what were true adult education deserts in Chicago. In FY2013, nearly 90 adult education students transitioned to college-level courses, a 27 percent increase since the launch of Reinvention. 4 Executive Summary In five years, we aim to have transformed Kennedy-King College into a best-in-class community college where: • The number of degrees awarded annually has nearly tripled to 690 since the launch of Reinvention. • The number of degrees and credentials of economic value awarded annually has more than doubled to 1,413 since the launch of Reinvention. • The college graduation rate is four times higher (33 percent) than at the time Reinvention launched, and more than half of students (54 percent) transfer to four-year institutions following graduation. • More than 70 percent of occupational completers are employed in their area of training. • Nearly one-third (30 percent) of new remedial students advance to college- level work within one years. • More than four times as many adult education students (315) than prior to the start of Reinvention are transitioning into credit-level courses after one semester. We have set ambitious goals in order to make good on the promise of providing a high-quality, affordable post-secondary education that delivers credentials of economic value and puts Chicagoans on a clear path to further college and careers. 5 Core Strategies To reach these ambitious but necessary targets, Kennedy-King College is pursuing the following key strategies: increasing relevance, reducing time and increasing student supports in order to boost retention and completion. Taken together these strategies will establish a culture of student success at Kennedy-King College that will improve the lives of our students and their communities. These strategies are being furthered through Reinvention7 and the Student GPS (Guided Pathway to Success) initiative to ensure every student has a clear path to further college and careers. INCREASING RELEVANCE We must ensure that the courses of study that students embark on will advance their goal of moving to four-year universities or to a meaningful career. To deliver on this promise, we have examined what the marketplace will demand today and tomorrow. Through this work, Kennedy-King College programs will have real value for employers, four-year colleges, and most importantly, our students’ futures. REDUCING TIME We seek to maximize our students’ resources—both the time and money spent at Kennedy- King College as well as on the longer road to a bachelor’s degree and beyond.