Strategic Planning Project with Collaborative Brain Trust – Spring 2022

Project Overview

Monroe Community College (MCC) is in the process of developing its next five-year plan, the MCC Strategic Plan 2022-2027. The Collaborative Brain Trust (CBT), a national firm serving higher education institutions, has been engaged to facilitate and provide technical services support for development of the five-year strategic plan, working with the internal Strategic Planning Leadership Team (SPLT). The SPLT, representing all sites and areas of the College, has been given a charge by the President to work with CBT in development of the five-year plan. The CBT team is composed of four highly qualified professionals, with many years of experience in strategic and educational master planning, in over 50 colleges across the nation. The MCC Strategic Plan 2022-2027 will provide a roadmap for the College for the next five years. It will integrate the various planning efforts currently underway; emphasize diversity, equity and inclusion across the district; be sensitive to the challenges posed to students and staff from the COVID pandemic; address the changing needs of current and prospective students, employers, and communities in the region; and stretch the College to move in new directions.

Project Phases, Timeline, and Outcomes

Phase I – Discovery: Data Collection, Analysis, and Synthesis [December 2021 - March 2022]

Phase I of the project is its longest phase, and critical to the project’s success. In this first phase, data and information will be collected, analyzed, and synthesized. Trends and themes will be identified, examining the College’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for the future. A wide array of strategies will be used to gather data across four data sources, as represented in the diagram below, including document review, interviews, focus groups, “listening sessions” and surveys.

Discovery Phase: 4 Data Sources

Internal Quantitative Data

Environmental scan; data on students, enrollments, retention and success, staff, programs, budget, facilities, and College services and their efficiency.

Internal Qualitative Data

Anecdotal information and perspectives of students and staff of the College regarding its future direction.

External Quantitative Data

Environmental scan; data on the College's service area and the region including city and county demographics, the economy, and the workforce.

External Qualitative Data

Anecdotal information & perspectives on the College's desired future direction from Board, community, business, industry, & educational partners.

Phase II – Portfolio Development and Planning Assumptions [March 2022 – April 2022]

In this second phase of the project, results from the Discovery Phase will be used to develop the College Data Portfolio, as well as a set of Planning Assumptions to be used for goal-setting in Phase III.

Phase III – Goal-Setting and Recommendations [April 2022 – June 2022]

The third phase of the project will focus on identifying 3-5 overarching goals to serve as a framework for the College’s five-year plan, along with a set of strategic objectives for each goal to span the five years of the plan. At the end of Phase III, the MCC Strategic Plan 2022-2027 will be complete. Upon Board approval, the plan will be ready for operationalization beginning Fall 2022. Any additional recommendations identified during the project will also be provided upon its completion.