The review of last year’s strategic plan and its components and amendments to the plan were discussed with:
• Administration: August 6, 2020 • Faculty and Staff: August 20, 2020 • Board of Trustees: September 2, 2020 Table of Contents
Mission, Vision, and Values 3
Executive Summary 4 Introduction: 5
Tooele Tech Strategic Objectives & Strategies 7 Objective # 1: Improve the Quality of Programs and Services 7 Objective # 2: Fill the Pipeline 10 Objective # 3: Celebrate Success 11 Objective # 4: Develop and Strengthen Industry and Community Connections 12 Summary: 13
2020 – 2022 Strategic Plan - Evaluation of Progress Report 14 Objective # 1: Improve the Quality of Programs and Services 17 Objective # 2: Fill the Pipeline 21 Objective # 3: Celebrate Success 22 Objective # 4: Develop and Strengthen Industry and Community Connections 23 Conclusion: 24
APPENDIX A 25
APPENDIX B 29
APPENDIX C 30
APPENDIX D 32
2 Mission, Vision, and Values
Mission The Tooele Technical College provides rewarding, competency-based, affordable, Statement and accessible career exploration and preparation for youth and adults to meet the needs of Utah employers.
Vision Our strength is in our differences. The Tooele Technical College concentrates on Statement providing competency-based, flexible, affordable, high-tech, and focused workforce training for high-wage jobs and complementary services in an open-entry/open-exit environment.
Statement of At Tooele Technical College, we value: Values • Our students, employers, community, and their successes. • Development and delivery of cutting-edge, career-focused technical training. • Education and training opportunities for youth and adult students. • Veterans. • Being recognized as the employer’s choice for technical training. • Local and statewide economic development. • Entrepreneurship and excellence. • Diversity of people and ideas. • Innovation and creativity. • Honest and ethical behavior. • An environment that fosters quality teaching and practical learning. • Using resources efficiently and an environmentally friendly facility. • Faculty and staff professional development. • Partnerships with business, industry, education, civic and community partners, and other stakeholders. • Our reputation and leadership role within the community.
3 Executive Summary
Focus Tooele Tech’s Strategic Plan is based on four core areas of emphasis, which will help focus our efforts on solidifying its position as the premier provider of technical education within Tooele County. These areas are:
• Improving the Quality of our Programs and Services; • Filling the Student Pipeline; • Celebrating Success; and • Developing Industry and Community Champions.
By focusing on these core areas and recognizing Tooele Tech’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, the college will be in a better position to commit to the vision of its potential and to align its practices with this vision. This Strategic Plan, as outlined, is a valuable tool to help move Tooele Tech forward to meet the challenges of the future, be valued by its community industry leaders, and ultimately be able to fulfill its mission within the community.
The Strategic The Strategic Plan is a dynamic map that is developed and revised in an organized Plan and systematic way. Because our external environment is so dynamic, our institution and thus our strategic plan must remain nimble in order to keep pace with our changing environment. Our plan, which focuses on a three-year period of time, is reviewed annually by our faculty, staff, administration, and Board to keep our focus centered on meeting our mission as it relates to our evolving economic environment. The plan comprises several components, including the mission, vision, and values of the institution.
4 Strategies for The college takes seriously the need to evaluate the progress towards achieving Evaluating the the strategies and objectives outlined in this Strategic Plan as a way to document Progress and be accountable to various stakeholders. To that end it has implemented the Towards following strategies for evaluating the progress toward achieving the objectives: Achieving Objectives • Annually, every full-time employee will evaluate their professional development goals which align with this Strategic Plan and make updates as necessary. • In May of each year, the President will document the progress the college has made towards achieving its objectives. The progress report for the past year is contained as an appendix to this document. • The President will present the progress to the Governing Board who will further evaluate the progress as they feel is appropriate. • Work groups will discuss the progress and have input on any changes they feel should be included in the next year’s plan. • The President will gather input through the administrative plan and make updates as necessary. The updated plan will be shared with all employees and the Board will approve the updated plan each year in the September meeting.
Introduction:
History Tooele Technical College (Tooele Tech) is the newest technical college in the system. The technical college system was established under higher education during a special session of the Utah State Legislature in June 2001. During this session, the Legislature passed House Bill 1003 - Applied Technology Education Governance, which established the Utah College of Applied Technology (UCAT) as an institution of the Utah System of Higher Education.
The UCAT began operating on September 1, 2001. It consisted of ten regional Applied Technology Colleges that had previously been Applied Technology Centers and Service Regions governed under the Utah State Board of Education. One of the ten entities was the Salt Lake/Tooele Applied Technology College.
During the 2009 General Session, UCAT's governance was separated from the Board of Regents and placed with the UCAT Board of Trustees under House Bill 15 - Career and Technical Education Amendments. Significant changes also occurred for the delivery of CTE in the state. House Bill 15 modified the governance structure for post-secondary, prohibited UCAT from offering degrees or awarding credit, consolidated the Salt Lake County portion of the Salt Lake • Tooele Applied Technology College (SLTATC) with the Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) Skills Center to form the SLCC School of Applied Technology, and the Tooele County portion of the SLTATC was continued to create the new Tooele Applied Technology College (TATC).
TATC began operations on July 1, 2009, in the former Tooele County School district office on Vine Street in Tooele. In 2011, TATC received Tooele City funds, Utah State University property, and legislative appropriations for capital development. Under the watchful eye of the Department of Facilities Construction and Management, Method Studio Inc. designed and Hughes General Contractors constructed the new state-of-the-art, LEED Silver certified 74,000 square foot facility. TATC conducted its Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the new facility on June 5, 2013.
5 During the 2016 General Session of the Utah Legislature, Senate Bill 131 - Utah College of Applied Technology Governance Amendments was passed and made effective on May 10, 2016. The bill changed the title of the UCAT “President” to the Utah College of Applied Technology “Commissioner of Technical Education” and re-designated a UCAT “Campus” to an “Applied Technology College.”
In the 2017 General Session, Senate Bill 238 - Higher Education Governance Revisions were passed and made effective on July 1, 2017. The bill renamed the UCAT to the Utah System of Technical Colleges (UTECH), and Applied Technology Colleges to Technical Colleges. The bill also clarified the roles of the UTECH and Tooele Tech Boards and established Tooele Tech as a corporate body.
During the 2018 session of the legislature, more refining of the UTECH legislature took place, including the relationship between the State Board and each technical college in the system with a special emphasis on the hiring and oversight of technical college presidents.
In the 2020 General Session, SB111 – Higher Education Amendments was passed. This bill merged the UTECH Board of Trustees with the Utah System of Higher Education Board of Regents as a new system of higher education for the State of Utah. As such, Tooele Tech became one of 16 institutions of higher learning under the new Utah Higher Education Board.
Tooele Technical College 2017 – Present Tooele Applied Technology College 2016 – 2017 Tooele Applied Technology College “A UCAT Campus” 2009 – 2016 Salt Lake / Tooele Applied Technology College 2001 – 2009 Wasatch Front South (WFS) Applied Technology Center 1999 – 2001 WFS Applied Technology Center Service Region 1995 – 1999 Wasatch Front South Consortium 1992 – 1995
The Strategic Plan Specific strategies are used in this plan with measurable objectives that move us closer to accomplishing our goals. As strategies and objectives are achieved, the plan is revised to focus on new strategies and their specific objectives. By utilizing this process, we can assure continual improvement in the areas of most value to our community, business, and industry leaders, and the people we serve.
As Tooele Tech progresses toward its established goals by completing its strategies and objectives, it will annually review and revise the Strategic Plan in order to keep moving the college forward. Obtaining input and feedback in a systematic way is a routine element of the planning process, not only from the college’s internal community but from members of the community who are external to the college and are also stakeholders in the future of the institution.
6 Tooele Tech Strategic Objectives & Strategies
In order to focus on the mission and attain the vision expressed in this plan, Tooele Tech has set the following goals for the next three school years (2020-2022). All strategies and objectives will be considered in light of available financial resources.
Note: All strategies recognize the context of COVID-19 we will be operating in next year.
Objective # 1: Improve the Quality of Programs and Services
Strategies:
❖ Encourage professional development of all employees in a cost-effective manner, which discourages elaborate out-of-state travel due to budget reductions and health considerations.
○ Monitor and encourage the completion of professional development goals set by each employee through a standardized documentation process.
○ Encourage all supervisors to reinforce clear Strategic Plan objectives when setting goals.
○ At the mid-year point, October 2020, evaluate with each full-time employee their progress towards achieving the professional development and goals they set.
❖ Update our systematic accreditation review process and conduct a mock visit in preparation for writing our self-study the following year.
❖ VP of Student Services to conduct a compliance audit annually for federal, state, and system mandated compliance issues.
❖ Improve the quality of all educational programs.
o All OE/OE programs will be transitioned to a Course-Based registration model.
o VP of Instruction will work with other instructional officers to develop a course-by-course articulation process with other higher educational institutions.
o Transition as much academic material online as possible.
o Continue to train faculty and students on effective online learning strategies.
o Develop a New Instructor / Faculty Resource Handbook.
o Ensure a proper balance takes place between social distancing, enrollment capacities, online learning, and physical attendance in a systematic review process for the purpose of maintaining a quality learning experience for all of our students.
7 o Complete the curriculum development and implement a new Workplace Relations course across all programs for FY2022.
o Programs will focus on accepting and documenting prior learning when new students enroll in programs.
❖ Improve the quality of student support services.
o Student advisors will maintain follow-up with all new students after 30 days to learn if they need assistance or have questions.
o The VP of Student Services will maintain Title IV compliance; and respective of each entity’s requirements, ensure programs are approved for Title IV, Veteran’s Administration, Department of Workforce Services, and Vocational Rehabilitation funding.
o The Financial Aid Coordinator will actively engage with students who may be eligible for financial aid grants or scholarships, and encourage them to apply and assist them through the process.
o The VP of Student Services and student advisors will meet regularly with the Instructional and Marketing teams to better collaborate on issues that affect student’s experience and performance at the College.
o The Student Records and Data Specialist will develop a short Canvas video course demonstrating how a student transitions from one course to the next under the Course-Based scheduling model.
o The Student Records and Data Specialist will meet individually with faculty to ensure their understanding of the Course-Based scheduling model to ensure they understand how to track a student’s progression as they near completion and are ready to transition to the next course.
❖ Ensure data management systems function appropriately.
o Work with USHE data personnel to ensure that our SIS needs are being addressed with any enhancement of the software.
o Complete the conversion to electronic student education and financial aid files.
o The Student Records and Data Specialist will continue to create Tableau dashboards for management and faculty that allow real-time data to produce useful reports that assist in strategic planning and resource management.
o Continue to utilize the Aspire SIS system to minimize classroom disruption and help improve the flow of student information to the school district, high school students, and their parent(s).
o The Student Records and Data Specialist will create a Northstar SIS user manual for faculty and staff with the goal of increasing efficiency in inputting, managing, utilizing, and understanding student data.
o Ensure that Informational Technology security is constantly improving.
8 o Use the CIS Controls Framework to evaluate our IT systems and identify best practices to reduce security vulnerabilities. Mitigate these vulnerabilities using in-house employees and outside consultants as necessary.
o Simplify IT systems to make them easier to secure and maintain while maintaining data breach insurance.
o Develop a process to ensure IT equipment is available, secure, and used for its intended purpose in an efficient manner.
❖ Physical facilities are safe and appropriately managed.
o Document and ensure COVID-19 Safety Protocols are followed throughout the building.
o Facilities will implement an enhanced cleaning and disinfection schedule.
o Work with the Emergency Management Committee to identify potential security risks on our campus and develop a plan to manage those risks.
o Seek out additional funding to upgrade our security systems including physical security and monitoring systems.
❖ Implement the Pay Matrix System and seek funding to complete the institutional salary reset for full-time positions. Revise the annual review form to comply with the Pay Matrix System.
❖ Meet all performance goals set by the state for the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and enhance services given CARES Act funding to serve clients during COVID- better19.
❖ We will continue developing our institutional development efforts by:
o Creating a potential donor list, establishing donor opportunities, and publishing an annual college report that shares our story and our latest progress and then presents donors with opportunities to contribute to the college.
o Personally contacting current donors to our annual fundraising efforts to discuss COVID-19 constraints, discuss student scholarship needs, and make sure their donations will continue as part of their operational budgets once this crisis is past.
❖ Meet all performance goals for Custom Fit.
o Partner with Tooele and Grantsville cities to form a COVID recovery training series for Tooele businesses at a drastically reduced cost.
o Personally visit with the top 20 potential Custom Fit clients to discuss how Custom Fit can help their business training needs and document on a spreadsheet the specifics of each visit.
9 Objective # 2: Fill the Pipeline
Strategies:
❖ The Director of Student Services will visit with the counselors at the three larger high schools on a monthly basis. Discussions will include their input and support of a future Carpentry program. ❖ Instruction and Student Services will work together to develop FAQ’s for each program that can be used as a common communication tool for advisors and enrollment specialists, and in marketing and recruiting materials. ❖ The Marketing team will meet regularly with the Instructional team to be proactive in learning about upcoming enrollment needs for programs with defined start dates or learn about programs with gaps in enrollment. ❖ The Marketing Team will develop and implement a new strategic marketing plan which includes: o Approaches to reach target audiences, including adult (incumbent workers, minorities, veterans, unemployed and/or underemployed individuals), high school, and TCSD junior high students: ▪ A focused, strategic and sensitive approach to let motivated students know about opportunities (including flyers or emails to parents and students before registration), which emphasizes new kick-start scholarships and assists counselors in becoming comfortable with our programs.
▪ Support focused marketing efforts such as high school and junior high events, industry visits, job fairs, updating signage and wraps on windows and trailers, program flyers, open houses, and increased attention to measurable outcomes of social media marketing efforts.
o Focus marketing efforts on filling new and expanding programs. o Coordinate with the VP and Director of Student Services to produce high school registration materials to be distributed to each high school counselor by the first of November.
❖ Overhaul the website to improve functionality and professional image.
❖ Utilize the Marketing Corner section of the weekly Tooele Tech Newsletter to inform the college community of the great things the team is doing to promote the college, its programs, and students.
❖ Continue to utilize the TV monitors throughout the college to promote student success, college events, and highlight employment opportunities for students.
❖ Seek opportunities to inform the community of our educational partnerships and pathways.
o Improve the coordination of information and collaboration between Tooele Tech and USU’s Nursing programs. o Market our pathways and stackable credentials with USU to counselors and our community, with an emphasis to parents. o Share the good news of our educational partnerships and what they mean to the community through press releases and social media, in conjunction with our partners.
❖ Faculty continue to share information and collaborate with their TCSD counterparts through advisory committees, curriculum reviews, club participation, and summer events.
❖ Continue to support, strengthen, and seek opportunities to build GOED Tech Pathways.
10 Objective # 3: Celebrate Success
Strategies:
❖ Enact action plans to remove the warning status from COE triggered programs.
❖ The administration will seek opportunities to recognize faculty and staff excellence appropriately.
❖ Support student leadership opportunities by expanding the number of programs and students who participate in our newly chartered Skills USA organization sending ten students to state competitions.
❖ Support the college recognition committee to create, define, and achieve goals and methods to acknowledge and commemorate student success with praise, rewards, and recognition.
o Update the Community Wall photo display to attractively draw attention to Student of the Year/Student of the Month recipients and OAC members.
o Communicate student, faculty/staff, and program achievements in the weekly staff newsletter.
o Utilize the PEHP Wellness program to achieve successful workplace relations and physical/mental wellbeing.
❖ Recognize Student Achievements.
o The President will personally award those who earn the privilege to be on the “President’s List.” Update President’s List guidelines to include cohort programs.
o Formalize a recognition plan that celebrates student achievements upon their program completion.
o Recognize student achievements utilizing our website, social, and print media.
o Continue supporting and improving the Student Champions Gala. Appropriately communicate with sister colleges to celebrate the Student of the Year.
o Maintain attendance at graduation, our nursing pinning ceremony, POST graduation, and focus efforts on elevating the recognition value for each graduate of the individual ceremonies.
11 Objective # 4: Develop and Strengthen Industry and Community Connections
Strategies:
❖ Improve relationships with key community partners.
o Student Services will continue to build relationships with high school administrators and counselors at all four local high schools and USU.
o President and VP of Instruction will emphasize community leaders and industry visits.
o Each new OAC member will receive appropriate training on their responsibilities.
o The administrative team will continue to build relationships with their TCSD colleagues.
o Visit with new board members, building board members, and IGG members about our building expansion program.
❖ Faculty will strive to build deeper relationships with industry partners, document as part of their annual review process their three best employer visits, and log additional time spent with employers. These visits, phone calls, emails may include but are not limited to:
o Contacting industry partners for programmatic input or explanation of program content.
o Setting up internship opportunities or exploring placement opportunities.
o Soliciting employers for our Occupational Advisory Committees.
o Public relations or creating invitations for guest speakers.
o Setting up field trips.
o Developing corporate sponsorships.
❖ Tooele Tech will seek and secure additional sources of revenue for programs and scholarships.
o Our institutional advancement director will foster relationships with community and industry leaders to build friendships, develop fundraising opportunities, and secure community champions for Tooele Tech.
o An informal document will be created to give direction for donations and levels of support to receive recognition.
❖ The President will build a relationship with each new board member on the new Utah Higher Education Board.
12 Summary:
Tooele Tech has set significant objectives which are in harmony with the theories of accountability and continuous organizational improvement. The objectives will stretch our capacity and are meant to be seen as long-term objectives that we become better at as we enact the strategies which are tied to each objective. The strategies are measurable and can be assessed annually to evaluate the institutions progress towards meeting our objectives. At the end of each year, we will re-examine our position, update our needs and mandates, update our strategies according to our current realities, and move forward. As we move forward we will document our progress with the understanding that there is always more that can and should be done to continually improve our institution. This Strategic Plan is an ongoing process and should not be viewed as a beginning with an end. It is a living document which is updated and measured for progress at least annually and should be reviewed frequently as a road map for success.
13 2020 – 2022 Strategic Plan - Evaluation of Progress Report
President’s accountability report of the college’s progress towards achieving FY 2020-2022 objectives as presented to the Board of Directors June 3, 2020
FY 2020 has built upon the many positive strides made in FY 2019, but has ended in a place not seen before in our lifetimes. To tweak the famous quote by Dickens, it has been the best of times for Tooele Technical College, it has also been the strangest times for our nation, and even the world because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This report of the progress the College has made towards accomplishing the objectives stated in the Strategic Plan will need to be read and understood within the context of COVID-19. Nonetheless, I believe this report is an essential part of the College and the College community, understanding the progress the College has made as a direct result of the strategies connected with each objective and to set forth the basis for tweaking next year’s plan. This report documents many of the larger accomplishments of the College this past year, as well as helping us understand where we still have areas that require further efforts. This document provides a way to recognize, memorize, and celebrate the progress that the College has made as a direct result of the purposeful actions the College has made as envisioned in our Strategic Plan. As I compile this report, I am incredibly impressed by how far the College has moved forward, which directly translates to how we are better able to improve the lives of our students, the businesses we serve, and thus our community.
Our Strategic Plan serves as a roadmap of continuous improvement by providing direction, focus, and a way for the College to continue developing and progressing. We review the strategies in this plan throughout the year, and by consistency and purposefully acting upon our strategies, we are able to become better at each of our four large objective areas, and thus continue to improve. The objective areas are purposefully broad enough that they are not expected to be accomplished or changed frequently, but rather provide dynamic strategies which coincide with environmental forces. Our plan is a living document and as internal and external forces change, our strategies are updated at least yearly to keep us focused on relevant strategies that will help us in the four core objective areas.
As mentioned above, because of COVID-19, the deliverables of the fourth quarter of this fiscal year have been severely impacted by the safety measures the College was required to enact. At a larger level, these measures were directed by the Governor’s office to keep citizens safe during the pandemic. The specific decisions, actions, and plans were based upon the directives issued by the Governor’s office, tailored for our specific situation with input from the local health department, and then made by the President and his Administrative Team, which was believed would best protect our people and allow reasonable progress of students to continue in a safe manner. The accomplishments detailed in this document are the culmination of the dedicated actions and caring hearts of each Tooele Tech
14 team member who fulfilled the duties and responsibilities of their position. This has truly been a team effort that has directly resulted in the College taking great strides in moving our institution forward.
Before moving forward with the specific accomplishments of the Strategic Plan, I feel it is important to make a few statements for history concerning how our College responded to the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am incredibly proud of how our Tooele Tech team members and our students responded during this difficult situation. I am also proud that as an important educational entity in Tooele County, the decisions we made were in coordination with our valued educational partners, Tooele County School District (TCSD) and USU Tooele, and their leaders. Nothing we do is in a vacuum to what is happening around us, and especially with the School District.
During the first few months of this crisis, Tooele Tech focused on keeping the College community safe while at the same time trying to make decisions that would be beneficial for our students. As a result, we were able to help most of our students enrolled in cohort-based programs such as Practical Nursing, CNA, POST, and Electrical Apprentice to complete their program by using Canvas as an online learning platform and video conferencing technologies. The College also provided students in open-entry/open-exit (OEOE) programs access to online instruction and digital contact with their faculty with varying degrees of success. The College worked diligently to keep students engaged and progressing and to keep all of the employees productive helping students, improving their programs or area of responsibility, or developing professionally. Most students within 30 days of completion were able to attend their program during the first two week soft-closure and then afterward as approved by exception. Because of the strict safety protocols, the College Safety Committee developed, these students were allowed by presidential exception to schedule specific times when they could attend to access needed equipment and instructors necessary to complete their programs.
Although our instructors attempted to stay in contact with their students and encouraged them to continue progressing with whatever online instruction was available, because our instruction was not on par with the quality standards we have set, I made the decision to not charge tuition during this period when our College was closed to students. In part, because of the efforts to stay in close communication with our students and to treat them as 15 respectfully as we could, we are experiencing that most have stayed with us and we are confident that in the next few weeks since reopening that a majority of our students will choose to return to their area of study with the College.
The most important point I would like to make about the following list of accomplishments is that it is an honor to work with the people associated with Tooele Tech and I am very proud of how we work together to fulfill our mission by taking our strategic plan seriously. Even though COVID-19 has caused us to move slower than we would like, I am confident that if the State of Utah keeps our budgets solid, we will soon return to the growth and progress we were making before COVID-19 raised its ugly head.
I express my appreciation to the Board of Directors for supporting our efforts and to every team member of Tooele Tech who contribute to the progress we have made on the objectives described in the plan. Several times this year I met personally with every workgroup to discuss the objectives and strategies and how each employee could contribute to those areas assigned to them. I valued these meetings for the communication that occurred on many relevant subjects. I believe these discussions and the discussions VPs and Program Directors had with team members about accomplishing strategies connected with this plan led to improved commitment, understanding, support, and actions that directly contributed to our success.
The objectives and strategies cover a three-year period. Naturally, some strategies were not fully completed this year. However, attention was given and progress was made with almost every strategy listed in our plan. In addition to the specific accomplishments of strategies discussed in the plan, this review will also cover significant events and achievements which related to the Strategic Plan and the continued progress of the College.
The following are examples of some of the main accomplishments of the strategic objectives approved in last year’s Strategic Plan in context with COVID-19:
16 Objective # 1: Improve the Quality of Programs and Services
Building Expansion ● We finished a year-long process of preparing a feasibility study with Method Studio and DFCM to expand programs, professionalism, and student enrollments by expanding our building. The process for preparing the feasibility study required our College to examine current space, offerings, and what the College will need for the next ten years. During the year, the plan was revised several times because of new information and input from stakeholders. The results were a plan for expanding the College at the cost of $16.2 million. The plan was presented in front of the UTech Board of Trustees on March 19th for their consideration of using the recently created SB 102 UTech dedicated building funds to accomplish this goal. I am proud that the project received a vote of support by the Trustees. Unfortunately, the real possibility exists that COVID-19 and the resulting economic devastation to the state’s resources have a real chance of taking or delaying the funding the Board of Trustees allocated to the project. In this next year, I am committed to monitoring the process carefully doing all I can to shepherd this project to fruition. This expansion needs to remain a priority no matter how long the funding takes as it truly has the potential of having a great impact on this College and its ability to continue to meet its mission. Professional Development ● This past year, the College budgeted $46,740 for professional development. Each employee also developed professional development goals and was encouraged to meet those expectations. During the COVID-19 shutdown, the College provided each employee with distance professional development activities and many employees availed themselves of these opportunities. Improve the Quality of Educational Programs ● VP of Instruction and Program Directors evaluated every program, made necessary updates or changes to the curriculum to bring them into harmony with state CTE pathways in coordination with the TCSD CTE Director. We were successful in having our program pathways approved this year by the Utah State Board of Education, in addition to TCSD. This approval helps students who complete our pathways to havOSTe their efforts be accepted across the state, in addition to the school district. Our pathways were also approved by USU. The VP of Instruction will continue learning about USU’s associate degree offerings next year and seek to strengthen those opportunities for our students. ● Student Services Advisor attends weekly instructional meetings to share information, collaborate on suggestions and strategies for student retention, classroom process, and procedures relating to student progress, attendance, and improving interdepartmental communication. ● The new online Cengage curriculum was implemented in most programs and has been deemed a success. We will continue to work on evaluating the curriculum and matching its offerings to program needs and improving the student licensing process.
17 ● Student Surveys have been emphasized quarterly with remarkable results. The vast majority of students have responded by stating they recommend or highly recommend Tooele Tech and their instructor. This is one of our favorite accomplishments of the year. (Appendix A) ● The efforts of our Occupational Advisory Committees (OACs) have been documented and show continued support for our programs and the directions they are headed. ● We conducted program reviews last November and December of every training program. We appreciate the communication which occurred at this meeting and the opportunity to discuss issues that will help the programs be healthy and beneficial. ● All new, expanding or triggered programs were supported with careful attention. All programs that were triggered by COE for not meeting completion, placement and licensure requirements, have now been untriggered. Software Development was successful in recruiting students, Composites not only exceed enrollment goals, but had more completers than Granite School District, Electrical Apprentice added 2 additional instructors and sections, secondary CNA has better pre-enrollments than last year, and POST competed a second cohort, but only increased enrollment by a few students – even though the quality of the program is unquestioned. The only area which needs improvement is recruiting secondary students for the Building Trades program. Given COVID-19 and the reduction in new funding, we would not have been able to run the program this fall, but we have learned a lot about secondary student recruitment and will do more next year to recruit for this program in the following year. ● The CDL Department developed a personalized curriculum for pre-trip instruction, which is better than anything on the market. ● We expanded our PLC/electronics course to be a full hour at Wendover High, which is our best example of serving remote locations. ● The Diesel Tech program earned AED accreditation provisional status. ● We expanded Nails to be a full-time program in order to serve more students. Improve the Quality of Student and Financial Services ● Student advisors met with each new student after 30 days of enrollment in attempts to solve any issue the student was facing which was outside of the control of the instructor. Although the students did not report having many concerns, these visits were helpful in building relationships with the students and gaining a better understanding of the resources the College has to help them be successful. ● Suzanne Anderson and Joe Mena revamped the student orientation system to allow students to receive valuable information online during times that are more convenient for them. ● The College was finally able to get off provisional status with the Federal Government concerning Title IV funding (PELL). This was the last step in normalizing our financial aid program since it was successfully implemented approximately three years ago. The Financial Aid Officer visited the classrooms more regularly but didn’t find that it was of any value. ● The College held a successful financial audit without any findings or findings that bespoke substantial risk or errors on the part of the institution.
18 ● The Pay Matrix system was implemented. However, the financial shortfalls as a direct result of COVID-19, we will have to wait another year to move forward with plans for an organizational reset and to use the system to allocate employee raises. Physical Facilities and Safety ● The College conducted a safety audit of the institution and made appropriate changes to all identified problems. This systematic process will occur every year as a way to be proactive with safety or security issues. ● The College received funding for and completed the projects of adding lights to the CDL range and a roof over the storage area. ● The Safety Committee developed an Emergency Management Committee to revise and keep current all safety and emergency procedures, plans, and documents. ● We added additional safety cameras to the Cosmetology and Nails programs which have a direct view of outside clients. We also installed more cameras in the parking lot as a security measure for students and employees. Data Management ● After traveling to the Uintah Basin with TCSD CTE and Data Specialists, the College worked with the school district to implement their Aspire SIS system for the purposes of tracking secondary student attendance and grades. This helped streamline processes and provide the school district with the information they needed without requiring duplication of data by our instructors. The College’s IT Director and SIS specialists were instrumental in making this process possible. ● We successfully piloted “Course-based Registration” in our IT programs and are ready to expand this to other program areas. This is a major overhaul of student registration and represents the willingness of our faculty and staff to embrace change and innovation. ● The College is now able to use managerial reports written with Tableau from data in the Northstar SIS system. These reports are helpful in making real-time decisions and are especially helpful for the instructional department. We will keep improving the report capabilities as we move forward. ● This past year there have been many significant changes to improve the security and services delivered by the IT Department. Most of the servers and end-user computing devices were reaching their end of life, so we had a choice to stick with our current model or find better solutions. After much research, testing, and thought we made the decision to move away from complicated in house setups to cloud-based hosted solutions as much as possible. Some examples include file servers, directory servers, antivirus, and patch management. This strategic decision has been allowing us to move to systems that are more secure, capable, reliable, and lower in overall costs. At the same time freeing up limited IT staff time to focus on supporting the ever-increasingly complex IT world. ● During this transition, we hired outside security experts from UETN to do a full security assessment. This exercise confirmed that our new systems are much more secure and gave us valuable guidance on how to best protect our data. The results of this assessment included a framework that will be used to prioritize our security efforts for years to come. We have had a pivotal year and successfully made substantial progress in all three of our strategic goals.
19 Business and Community Development ● Custom Fit (CF) made a tremendous effort to help businesses better understand the value of this program by visiting the top 20 potential CF clients in Tooele County. As a result, CF obligated $79,000 more than last year resulting in more advanced, higher impact training. As of May 2020, 39 companies took advantage of CF training opportunities, with 461 employees receiving training. This equates to 10,535 training hours year to date. ● In an effort to help local businesses who were seeking ways to keep employees productive during the business shut or slow down, and to help spend the funding which had been allocated but could no longer be completed, I made the decision to temporarily decrease the required company match from 50% to 10%. This decision resulted in more companies being helped and spending our annual allotment and part of our CF carryover funding. Legislative Outcomes ● We were successful in presenting our College successes, challenges, opportunities, programs, and other needs to the Legislature for support and funding. We received more programmatic funding this year than what was requested. Although COVID-19 has pulled back some of those funds, it does not diminish the efforts and success that occurred. I appreciate the efforts of everyone. I especially wish to express gratitude for those at the UTech System Office and on the Board of Trustees who helped the Legislature understand the need to compensate our employees appropriately. We received $47,000 to help reset our compensation which was about 20% of what we requested, which is more than what we had at the beginning of the Legislative session. Although it will take a few years to reset salaries as suggested by the salary study conducted last year, I appreciate the Legislature’s efforts and hope the new funding will be returned to us as the economy improves. ● An incredible amount of time and effort went into the Legislature this year concerning funding and legislation concerning the idea of merging the UTech Board and the USHE Board of Regents. Now that the governance bill has passed, I will seek in every way to help it be successful for the State of Utah and the stakeholders of Tooele Tech.
20 Objective # 2: Fill the Pipeline
● Big news first - membership hours grew by 32% last year and were up by 19% when the College entered a soft-closure in March because of the virus. That represents an over 50% increase in two years. (See Appendix B for end of February student statistics). ● The Director of Student Services met with the counselors in the school district every month at their high school offices to be proactive and assist in keeping communication flowing and solving any concerns that might arise. A “Tooele Tech sucker tree” gift gave a practical reason for the monthly visits. The Director was also invited to the monthly counselor’s meetings which have been a tremendous help in building relationships of trust. We also held our annual counselor appreciation luncheon which was well received and supported, not only by the counselors but also by the building administrators. ● We were successful in spending $108,000 (which represents two years of funding by the Legislature for bridge scholarships) for graduating seniors in a new program we developed called “Kick-starter Scholarship.” We had more seniors matriculate to us after graduating than ever before. ● Composites started the year with only three students and ended with 15 completers. At the Utah Aerospace Pathway signing-night, eleven of our students “signed” to do their externships working at Albany and Boeing, which was more than many Salt Lake districts.
● Our marketing team has done a tremendous job moving us forward. Some of the activities included a new marketing plan, an enhanced social media presence, a billboard campaign, sending many flyers to homes of potential secondary students, having our information in every high school registration informational booklet, and by frequently meeting with different schools in our area, including lunch and learns.
● The marketing team prepares a “Marketing Report” for the board which outlines the many activities the marketing team is employing to help our College spread the message of our services. (See Appendix C) ● After 18 months of full operations, our Electrical Apprentice program had 46 students enrolled spring semester. This is quite impressive for the size of our community.
21 Objective # 3: Celebrate Success
● Our Student Gala was well attended and highlighted 5 of our amazing students. The energy at that dinner was incredible. ● The VP of Instruction working with the instructional, student services, and faculty were able to successfully regain a clean status for all programs which were triggered as a result of completion, placement and licensure statistics as determined by the 2018 COE report. ● POST celebrated their first graduation and completed their second cohort with slightly higher student enrollments. This is a direct result of the Marketing Department, Program Director, and community law enforcement leaders spreading the word about the program. ● Using Paylocity’s “impression feature” the College has encouraged employees to find opportunities to celebrate the extra efforts of their colleagues. This is certainly an area in which the President, administrative team, and others could do better at noticing extra effort and taking the time to express that effort. ● Four programs had students prepared to go to state Skills USA competitions which were canceled because of COVID-19. I am grateful and proud of the faculty, students, and Mike Boren’s efforts to establish Skills USA at our College. ● The recognition committee has worked hard to enhance the “President’s List” student recognition program. We added a unique hoodie which celebrates the student being on the list, posted the students on the College’s Facebook page, and I make the effort to go into the classrooms and personally recognize the student’s achievements. ● We are working on establishing a new tradition to recognize student completion as soon as they earn their certificate, in addition to the formal graduation at the end of the year. ● Our website and social media have emphasized student success more this year than any other year. These posts are emphasizing culture and public recognition that student success is appreciated and valued. ● The 2019 CPL report documents what Ellen is calling “the BEST student statistics” she has ever submitted! Completion: 84% Placement: 99% Licensure: 100% ● For the last two years, the Cybersecurity Program program had a 100% pass rate for three certifications. The national average in US colleges is only 72%! See Appendix D for additional student success stories.
22 Objective # 4: Develop and Strengthen Industry and Community Connections
● Student services, faculty, instruction, and administration have frequently met with and worked hard to build deeper relationships with their colleagues at the school district. I believe we currently have the best relationship with the school district that we have ever enjoyed. ● The VP of Student Services has visited with several of the local principals for the first time since we have been in Tooele. This effort will continue. ● We have met and will continue to meet frequently with USU leaders to forge close relationships and friendships. We held several meetings to be proactive with our nursing partnership, to identify ways of working closer together, and to encourage stackable associate degrees. I appreciate USU and our close relationship and that we do not step on each other’s toes in the marketing of our programs to potential students. ● I am very proud of how the College supported the community during COVID-19. Several programs at Tooele Tech were very helpful to our business community during this pandemic. Here are a few examples: The Software Development program created a webpage for all of the eateries in Tooele County so that patrons would know how to access them during the shutdown. Also, our SBDC Director participated in weekly community Zoom calls to speak directly to hurting businesses. He helped them apply for SBDC and PPP loans/grants and provided much needed consulting. ● Along with our student of the year, I presented an update of our College to Tooele City, Grantsville City, Tooele County, Tooele Chamber, and the Rotary Club. ● Our SBDC hosted a business summit for the community at our College with Thurl Bailey as the keynote speaker. SBDC numbers are much higher than last year at the end of February, reporting 37/51 Clients/Company Consultations with YTD - 19/24 Clients/Company Consultations in February 2020 – and $1.5 million capital infusion (actual) $2.28 million sales increase (actual). ● We hosted a successful counselor luncheon to build relationships of trust and help them know more about our programs.
23 ● Nursing students gave back to the community by volunteering at a homeless event. ● Tooele has entered into a partnership with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to teach individuals with Hispanic backgrounds specific entrepreneurial courses at night. ● We hosted a partnership meeting with DWS and VR to build relationships and seek a better understanding of each other’s offerings. ● Our CDL Program assisted the FFA students from Tooele County in a fundraiser.
● We are making progress with fundraising and institutional development. So far this year we have: 1. Our designated Development Director has engaged in discussion with other UTech officers; 2. We raised $15,000 at our annual scholarship fundraiser; 3. Clyde Company donated 2,000 towards diesel scholarships; 4. Detroit Diesel donated two new trucks that were damaged in a flood that we repaired; 5. Kenworth Sales donated $10,000 toward our new building; 6. And Norco, Hypertherm, and Miller entered into a huge partnership with our Welding program. They will replace all the welding equipment every two years and agreed to offer scholarships and work with our programs to improve performance and connections with the welding industry; and 7. Komatsu donated several valuable pieces of equipment to our Diesel Programs.
Conclusion:
As mentioned above, this has been an incredible year for many reasons, yet it has also been a year where the college has continued to take great leaps forward in fulfilling our mission as an important part of the State educational resources and as a valued member of the Tooele County community. As I finish these many pages which document our achievements over the past year, I am humbled to be part of an amazing organization that consists of so many critical parts, all performing their roles well, which elevates the lives of our students. I look forward to where we go together as an institution in the next few years and hope that the financial cuts coming from the Legislature do not cripple our momentum and our team members.
24 APPENDIX A
25 26 27 28 APPENDIX B
29 APPENDIX C Marketing Marketing included social media posts, ads on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google ads and Twitter.
Social Media Advertising:
YouTube Advertising (Impressions - Blue; Clicks - Red):
● Student photography highlighted Tooele Tech students. These photos and action shots promoted individual programs on social channels, billboard, print media and other marketing materials. ● Student focus groups resulted in valuable information about Tooele Tech as a whole as well as marketing, recruiting, retention, etc. ● Direct mail including a magazine style mail piece sent to 22,000 households twice a year. The publication highlights programs, events, people, and gives an overview of Tooele Tech. Postcards highlighting high school specific programs and scholarships were mailed to juniors and seniors. ● Counselor reference books were created to help assist with selecting and registering for Tooele Tech classes that fit into the students career plan. ● Program specific t-shirts have been warmly received by students and contribute to a sense of belonging at Tooele Tech. ● Billboards were rotated in Tooele County used for program specific marketing.
30 Recruiting
A variety of recruitment activities have been pursued to increase the exposure of Tooele Tech. Community events and activities coordinated with our partners at TCSD and USU Tooele have been the primary focus. Events on campus have also been well attended.
● Nearly 60 parents and students attended the Diesel Tech Parent Night to learn about the extended opportunities available through the Utah Diesel Tech Pathway for those who are enrolled in our Diesel Technician program. ● Our location in between TCSD and USU Tooele at the Taste of the County resulted in premium exposure and interaction with participants. ● Tooele Technical College represented the UTech schools at 7 high schools in Tooele County and West Salt Lake County at events designed to help juniors plan their continued education and training. ● The Grantsville High School Countdown to College Night was a successful opportunity to visit with students and families. ● While the junior classes of TCSD took the ACT, Tooele Tech invited the other students to come tour campus. ● Education Day Tours: freshmen students from Stansbury, Grantsville, and Tooele enjoyed meeting with faculty, participating in hands-on activities in partnership with USU Tooele. ● Students from the junior and senior classes gathered in the Wendover High gym and eagerly listened to a presentation about training programs, flexible schedules, and scholarships. ● Monthly Lunch and Learn Visits at Clarke N Johnsen Junior High continue to be a fantastic introduction to Tooele Tech opportunities. There are plans to expand this outreach effort to the other local junior high schools next year. ● Reality Town: these activities are designed to help introduce students to the reality of the working in the world.
Community Relations
Employer Visits/Tours Included:
● SBDC Red Cross and U of U Health presented to Allied Health ● V & M Trucking, American Eagle Ready Mix, Knight Transportation, Admiral Beverage, Pacific West, Bullocks Towing, Maverik, Ralph Smith Co. presented to CDL ● Border Patrol and Layton City Police Dept. presented to POST ● Maverik presented to Diesel ● Purple, Stadler, and Skretting presented to Welding ● AllTech and Instruction Studio presented to Business ● Stadler, Skretting, SilencerCo, Fluor, and Tooele Army Depot presented to IMAT
31 APPENDIX D Student Success Stories
Out of 150 drivers, Jantzsen Stallings received the October Driver of the Month award from Godfrey Trucking. Jantzsen graduated from Tooele Tech a year ago.
During their senior year, Roger and Tony enrolled in the STEM class that we broadcast to Wendover High. After completing only one course they both received technician positions at Stadler Rail. Tony makes more than his parents combined! Tony has six siblings and buys the family groceries. Last Christmas he was able to treat the family to a prime rib dinner!
Laci is a Medical Assisting graduate. She contacted her instructor to tell her that she thought the saying, “I can’t promise I will fix all of your problems, but I can promise I’ll hold your hand through it all,” was corny until she assisted in emergency surgery. She stated, “This career is hard, amazing, and has changed my life. Thank you for helping me get where I am today!”
Cody was wounded while serving his country. He used his GI Bill and healing time to train in our Diesel Tech program. After the VA gave Cody his medical release, he landed a career with FedEx making $24 per hour. We are proud to be able to assist our veterans as they launch into their civilian careers.
The impossible is now possible for our IMAT students. Before coming to Tooele Tech one student applied at eBay six times. After Tooele Tech, he got a job at US Mag earning a decent wage. Two weeks later, he was offered his dream job at eBay as a Critical Facility Engineer! Another IMAT student told his instructors he needed a job and wondered if they could recommend an employer. Actually, they had five! Josh applied for positions with the employers and received five interviews and five job offers. Today Josh is employed with Fluor and making $26.50 per hour with an opportunity to earn $32.50 if he passes their test.
John, from our Business Technology Program had the desire to work at the Tooele Army Depot (TAD). After TEN attempts with no luck, John came to Tooele Tech to earn a certificate and improve his technical skills. Kim Rice used her connections and was able to help John get one more interview with TAD and he nailed it! John graduated from Tooele Tech and has begun his new career! John said he will be forever grateful to Tooele Tech and Kim for providing a referral that opened the door for him.
In our MA program there are two final exams. On the FIRST try, one student scored 99% and 93%. These are the highest scores ever! Our students are getting jobs before they complete their programs! One student finished her testing at 3:00 and was scheduled for her first shift at 3:01.
One of our welding graduates was hired at Purple. However, a supervisor making $88K per year left the company and our graduate has gained the experience and confidence to be in the running for the job!
This success story is close to our heart because the students are the wife and daughter of our CDL Instructor, Tim Booth! These students were instrumental in pushing for an evening nail technician course. The evening classes are still going strong. On average, enrollment is actually equal to the morning class! As for the Booth family, they successfully graduated and have been working closely with Jess in the SBDC. They are scheduled to open their new salon uniquely called, "The Nail Booth"!
32