TRC starts looking at new strategic plan

Three Rivers College started the process to create the 2025 strategic plan, which directs the school in what improvements can be made.

The strategic plan is a project members of the community take on every five years to identify areas where the school could grow. The strategic plan steering committee is made up of instructors, adjunct professors, TRC students and members of the surrounding community.

The committee has held two meetings so far, with more planned for each Friday until January. So far, the meetings have been about what their goal is and making sure all members are aware of what the college is already doing. For instance, on Sept. 13, the group toured all TRC facilities to learn about what is being done at each.

“The idea is so that they can see where we’ve been in the last five years and where the institution is at now,” said Dr. Maribeth Payne, dean of institutional effectiveness. “That way they can best gauge what direction the institution should go now.”

This plan, which the committee compiles after research and discussion, will be effective starting July 2020, which is when the current plan expires.

While Dr. Wesley Payne, TRC president, is at each meeting of the committee, he said he tries not to speak much because this project is not about his vision for the school.

“This is not the president’s plan, this is not the administration’s plan,” he said. “This is the college’s plan and the college is made up of the people who do the work at the college. That’s what makes the college what it is. It has to be a plan they develop.”

Other colleges will do 3-year or 10-year plans. However, Dr. Maribeth Payne said TRC has found the 5-year strategic plan works well. Each year between making a new plan, the school’s cabinet looks at the existing strategic plan to identify annual focus areas the school will work on that year.

The current strategic plan, Vision 2020, identified six areas of focus, and will remain effective until the end of June when the fiscal year changes.

These areas include: excellent student service, high quality instruction, learning environment, resource development, team member development and student enrollment, retention and transfer.

This year, the cabinet decided to focus on:

1. Fiscal health and opportunities, which looks at seeking funding in a more targeted manner and improving the allocation process.

2. Infrastructure, which is focused on updating facilities, enhancing teamwork, improving custodial services and implementing a comprehensive maintenance plan.

3. Operational efficiency, which is focused on improving the consistency of terminology, processes, teamwork and communication.

4. Planning assessment and data analysis processes, which is about using data-informed decision making techniques when it comes to budgeting and goals for individual departments.

5. Student experience, which is focused on minimizing barriers to student success and expanding accessibility such as website usability and expanding online offerings.

6. Student learning, which is about identifying teaching methods that would improve student learning.

7. The team, which is about strengthening the culture of teamwork on campus.

The new strategic plan is expected to go to the TRC Board of Trustees in January.