Three Rivers College unveils Engage 2030: a strategic plan for the next decade

The Three Rivers College Board of Trustees applauded the members of the strategic plan committee at the February meeting for their development of Engage 2030, the fourth plan since 2010. The board previously adopted the new strategic plan in January.

Dr. Maribeth Payne, head of the Institutional Effectiveness Office, described the efforts of the 44-person team to craft the vision of bringing TRC into the next decade. The committee consisted of department heads, administrators, and frontline educators to include, “broad-based institutional involvement,” Payne said. “That’s how it becomes real. They’re the people working day-to-day with our students.”

The team spent almost every Friday during the months of September through January developing and prioritizing goals. Payne created exercises where members discussed the potential goals in groups and assigned priority levels. She noted a clear theme coming through the hours of workshopping: engagement.

“It’s all about engaging with the faculty, students and staff cross-functionally,” Payne expressed.

Engage 2030 is intended to foment increased communication and collaboration across departments, community partners and external locations, she clarified.

The strategic plan is divided into five main areas of focus: operational infrastructure, community connection, collaborations for student success, culture for student engagement and enhancement of data-informed practices.

Innovations include the stated goal of adopting new technologies such as artificial intelligence for the benefit of the students. Payne said incorporating AI responsibly and ethically will be important as, “an aid to learning rather than a crutch.”

She also recalled the challenge of returning students to the physical classroom. While she said distance learning has its place, Payne pointed to the improved academic performance of in-person students over remote. She confirmed the college is not dissolving distance learning, but educators will seek to develop engaging opportunities to get more students back on campus.

Engage 2030 commits to ensuring the effectiveness of education across all modalities, she stated. The plan additionally lays out a strategy to cultivate community partnerships with a purpose. Payne elaborated the collaborations in the community should tangibly benefit the students by increasing job prospects, access to skills, and scholarship opportunities.

Teamed with streamlined communication, the plan leverages what Payne calls, “data-informed decision-making.”

She recounted her department using a software called Strategic Planning Online since 2010. In developing budget proposals, educators and administrators justify their recommended line items through evidence and data-based decisions. Payne elaborated the individuals proposing a purchase are required to track the effect of the line item on educational outcomes. She said educators are currently in this phase of development for the strategic plan with a presentation of the budget with justifications to the board of trustees in May.

Payne added, however, Engage 2030 does not remain static. As the semesters pass, staff can input changes on SPOL with data to realign and adjust.

“We are a culture of continuous improvement,” she affirmed. “This is real-time. This is live.”

Payne expressed confidence in the strategic vision of the employees and staff manifested in Engage 2030.

“It’s the employees of the college that give their unique voice to this process,” Payne told the board.

The strategic plan will take effect July 1.

“I believe in this process,” she remarked. “At the end of the day, it’s all about the students.”