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Community College of Rhode Island – Strategic Planning Step OneMarch 23-24, 2017SWOT-C ThemesWeaknesses: In what areas does CCRIneed to improve? Lack of Viable Programs/Course Availability Need for more programsNeed more job specific programsMismatch between job demands and programofferingsLimited courses offered at smaller campuses(and at larger)Not creating new programs to meet the needs ofindustryLack of career/professional resources to preparestudents for jobsNeed more career pathways for undeclared orGeneral Studies studentsNot enough online coursesInability to complete a degree at ListonCertificate programs not meeting the needs ofjob marketCourse & degree completion availability acrosscampusesDiversity of course offerings @ each campus,especially social mediaMore usage of online learningGeneral Education needs to be updatedOpportunities for continuing education is lackingcurrently.I really can't pinpoint an area of improvementbut if I was to nitpick I would say more variety inmajors or the option to create a major. This isminute and is not a necessity but can be viewedas an added bonus to an already amazing school.Not enough 2 year degree programs andcertificate programs. Lack of Adequate Services or Processes Students would benefit from having an assignedadvisor who may be employed in Advising andCounseling or who is amembers of the faculty department thatrepresents the declared majorAdvising office knows nothing about theprograms, and direct you in all the wrong ways.The facts in which would be crucial to yourdecision towards a program of study are LEFTout due to lack of integrity, so your money cansimply be absorbed based upon false hopes.Student support service delivery too fragmentedWe seem to have difficulty turning unpreparedstudents into successful students. Ourgraduation rate is terrible, we need to somehowconvert these students into graduates.Lack of Student Services/Support: Writing Center– understaffed, not enough hours; StudentEmployment – there should be point person (fulltime staff member, NOT student) on each campus to assist students with the paperworkneeded to work on campusCCRI needs to do a better job of promoting thevalue we offer as an institution. CCRI also needsto do a better job at a smoother transfer processbetween schools. In particular transferring to instate schools.More structure for the student pursuing anassociate degree. expansion of on-line learning.re-thinking module/short term options, includingJ-terms and enhanced summer programs. Thiswill require creation of pathways, identificationof meta majors and Instructional designSalaries for retention & recruitmentStudent advisors need to be better informed &trained to provide consistent information tostudentsLocating services (CWCC/Student Services)Lack of advisors in targetedacademic/professional areasNot enough advisorsNot enough qualified “foot soldiers” to face-toface with students.Faculty & staff time to get involved (not enoughstaff/faculty)Advisement to students who struggle in Dev. Ed.(and all students) is insufficientGen Studies no chair yet biggest problemInconsistent services – ESL, DSS (lack of FT)CCRI needs to improve radically. We are openenrollment and have students reading andwriting at third grade levels sitting in classesdesigned for college ready students. We do nothave the needed structure and supportnecessary to help those students succeed. Adultswith those cognitive challenges typically don'tbenefit from a 15 week semester, meeting twicea week. On some campuses we have only parttime Disabilities Services available and inaddition they are staffed, with a student worker5 hours one day a week proctoring for testing.We have fewer than 20 full time advisors for astudent population of typically 15,000 students.We have no mandatory orientation. We have toofew tutors - all part time, while theadministration is on a hiring spree buildingredundancy and bloat at the administrative levelChallenge to instruct students of wide range ofabilitiesUpdated curriculum and flipping the classroomStudents are not college ready – need servicesAvailability of tutoring, more accessible and builtinto student schedulesMany state residents have experienced CCRI (butnot graduated-official alumni)Lack of articulation agreement betweenCCRI/RIC and URI

Transferability to RIC and URITransfer process is difficult for student and sisterinstitutionsIn a time when many young adults are enteringcollege with real academic challenges, the moresupport staff the better; literacy & math help,tutors, social workers, etc.Handling remedial skills (math, reading, writing);so many students are under-prepared - shockinghow poorly preparedI hate the fact that CCRI makes students takesome General Education classes like Art, History,Literature, Mathematics, Music, and Science thatstudents already took or completed during highschool years. This is one Weakness CCRI has. Inable to improve this weakness, CCRI must acceptcredits from high school from above subjects Imentioned. As a result, students do not wastetheir time and be able to complete degree intimely mannerTutoring for incoming students so that ourstudents have the basic tools and foundationsfor learning in our classes.Student to staff interaction. The ratio of studentsupport to students enrolled is unbalanced.Campus employee moraleStudent success for NursesRemoving toxic employeesStudents need remediation and this is the faultof the secondary and elementary schools passingstudents who are not prepared for college.students who have taken remedial reading atcirri still have poor comprehension to beprepared for a health science program. A morespecific program is needed.Lack of Diversity Lack of diversityLack of diversity to mirror student populationFaculty & staff diversity needs to match studentsI think student life and community connectioncould improve some, get some students moreinvolved and maybe try to offer or makestudents aware of service opportunities in thearea(s).Organizational Culture Not enough collaboration or trust betweendepartments or faculty & staff andadministrationCCRI needs to improve morale and get everyoneworking together. There seems to be a cultureof fear and high anxiety developing. This is nothealthy and does not help studentsAbility to respond quickly (empowerment)CCRI needs to honor the mission of cogovernance. under this new administration (Hughes and Enright) the lack of higher edexperience is crushing the faculty moraleCynicism/disillusionmentCulturally unable to respond well to change,some cynicismLack of engagement and sense of communityLack of engagementInsufficient institutional knowledgeThere is a disconnect between administrationand faculty. Faculty do not feel respected. Theyare not consulted or included in decisions thatdirectly affect them. This is hugeDysfunctional cultureDisillusionment/morale (why bother gettinginvolved), cynicism4 campuses mean less cohesivenessPerception of leadership over the past 10 yearsEngagement is lowCultural competence – we’re diverse, but lackcompetence (i.e. no place for Muslim students topray)Territorial-nessCollaboration.this survey suggests effort.Intradepartmental collaborative efforts could beimproved upon. Lack of Internal/External CommunicationInternal Communication! (can also be opportunity) Communication Admission, Enrollment servicesand advising and counseling These areas needto really work with students so when they enterprograms they are not off on their own.Communicate to programs about enrollment.Banner needs to be replaced with modernsystem that works, There is a lack of communication betweendepartments. There is a lack of understanding ofwhat it is that the other departments do andhow those departments relate. * Students arenot always given the proper information and aresent to the incorrect department for assistance.This is frustrating/discouraging for first timestudents. * Administration communicatesinformation too late. * Several departmentmanagers/directors have become content withhow things are (status-quo) and do not strive forimprovement or new ideas. Lack of vision andfuture planning. * There is a disconnectbetween IT and Academics. IT implements toolsthat don't full support the end user and does notcommunicate what they implement. Academicstends to gets frustrated by this and "push back".* College spaces could be better utilized andclassrooms could be better designed, especiallyfor accessibility. * There aren't enoughelectronic (computer lab) classrooms. It becomes

difficult for an instructor who needs to use onefor one or two classes during the semester. *Classroom and space scheduling needs to beimproved. * Summer sessions begin too early,starting before high school graduations. Highschool students who want to get a head start oncollege don't have the opportunity because theyare still in schoolLots of silos – poor internal communicationNot enough communication betweendepartments or faculty & staff andadministrationCommunication throughout the institutionLack of communicationInternal communication. There is a lot to do.Faculty and administrators don't seem to beworking at the same place, and there is mutualdistrust and contempt. Communications – noidea of what counterparts are doing at othercampusesCommunication is difficult in multi-campusenvironmentSpecialized services to students (how well theseare communicated)Faculty/staff that aren’t familiar w/otherservices offered by the CollegeLack of communication between departmentsLack of communication (admin to faculty, acrossdepts.)I think our advising process could be better tomake sure students take classes that best suittheir needs. One idea is for faculty to be involvedin advising (if compensated). We also could usea more diverse faculty, and more full-timefaculty lines.External Lack of communication w/external communitypartners Branding, very few departments have the samelook and feel. I.e. Signatures on email.Salutations on letters, shouldn't we all look andfeel like CCRI. Improvements to the campus inWarwick. Cement block walls look like a jail,instead of being inviting. Very dated desks andoffice furniture. things don't match. Not a verywarm and inviting campus. ramp up from theparking lot has bird poop many days, lots ofcracks and aging when coming into the building Marketing needs to improve our specificprograms of study need to be advertised more.CWCE programs need to be marketed for. Manyof the course instructors market their owncourse. It is challenging. We need to be more competitive in marketingout programs of study and specific areas of study New website design Communication to student body Communication between institution andstudentsCurriculum mapping – not sure how to or whatused forExternal reputation/brandNegative perception that CCRI is not a “real”college; just take gen. ed courses & move onNeed to advertise all the programs effectively(example: Nursing is well-known but what aboutother Health areas)Lack of local & regional marketing & advertisingWebsite is lacking (keep it simple – too – mucheduc speak)Better targeted marketingCommunication about resources available,information not sharedMarketing is very narrowly focused on CCRIbrandingAdvertising – not enough marketing & marketingplanNot enough connection w/business (internships,apprenticeships, etc.)Do faculty, community, students know whatemployment opportunities exist w a CCRIdegree?I cannot think of any areas that could beimproved from my experience. I howevergraduated in 1998 and have since gone on toearn a BA in Education and MA in PublicAdministration. With distancelearning/instruction as an option, it could bebeneficial to reach out to former students likemyself to become distance learning instructors.While many of us live out of state, the schoolprovided us with a great foundation in educationand we would love to give backMarketing of Programs. It's amazing how manypeople do not know about CCRI's manyprograms.Lack of Staffing and Training The advisors are not all on the same page somuch improvement is needed. I took classes thatI did not need to transferLack of staffing which causes additional stressand miscommunicationLack of training for managementTraining not mandatoryAdditional faculty development -- CITLA isamazing, but they have limited resources andsupport from the administration; also, manyfaculty don't attend events and those are oftenthe ones who should attend Part time staff putin full time positions – consistency and reliabilityStaffing, as more services and technology hasbecome available, there is less staff to support itProfessional development

Lack of effective training and successionplanningUnderstaffing – reliance on student aidesLimited opportunities for staff to advanceprofessionally or economicallyFacilities/Safety/Infrastructure A lot of technology needs upgrading (10% to 80%teachers using technology)Facilities don’t allow us to have institutionaleffectiveness; facilities are not kept up to dateCampus utilizationNo residence hallsCentralized dispatch – 4 campusesCampus utilization (off schedules)Condition of the building (what happened toimprovement plan?Lack of quiet study space – individual and groupTransportation between campusesRIPTA to be improved for our studentsTransportation between campusesLack of Organizational Effectiveness ReactiveWe have a MAJOR disconnect between theupper-levels of the administration and the needsof the faculty, staff, and students. It feels asthough we have two heads: one going in thedirection that administration feels is best, theother focusing on the needs ofstudents/faculty/staff. There is littleconnectivity between the two.The area of Community Programs / LifelongLearning / Workplace and Community Educationcontinues to need bulking up. This division holdsa pivotal mission in running programs outsidethe matriculated student model. The CWCE staffdoes a fine job; the complaint is that it lacks thefull force of institutional support, and CCRI as awhole is therefore falling short of its true missionReactive v proactive (minimal planning)Faculty don't feel much support orencouragement to take risks and use highimpact practices in the classroom (e.g.incorporating student research). There is noreason (external to the individual) to go over andbeyond the minimum required. Motivationcomes from within, but that starts to get a littleworn down after more than a decade.Lack of follow-thru w/ideas & committee workDepartments do planning but never get toimplement changeHard decisions don’t get made – just keepputting it off (ex: unprepared students who arecritically unprepared – set them up to fail by letting in; Why burning resources w/PTEX whenhigh schools not doing job of this prepInconsistency of performanceWe need to hold ourselves accountable for doingour jobs rather than always looking for thepayment for each minutes of our time. Facultyneed to be present to teach.Lack of accountabilityInconsistency of application of policyDon’t streamline or integrate best practices thatget implemented or celebrate successesUnwillingness to remove persistent barriers forstudentsPromoting people to positions of leadership whoare not qualified.Lack of autonomy to innovateInternal silos – lack of continuity in servicesBureaucracy – can’t be responsive & nimbleLack of Data/Analytics /Evaluation Can’t get access to good data (faculty can’t getdata about students)Chair needs unduplicated headcount majors –who to call?Available analyticsFaculty wants to track many more data points –not sure how/when to go? Inst Research can’thelp because short staffedLack of measurement of student outcomesLack of agreement on performance indicators andhow we benchmarkLack of analytics model/not data-drivenAssessment of online learning not in place (nopeer evaluation)Anecdotally driven (act on few experiences ratherthan seeking data)We need a better evaluation of the effectivenessof programs we offerFunding/Compensation Lack of enough financial resources to ourinstitutionNeed better screening of adjunctsMany employees are upset about the low pay. Ifsomeone has been a successful employee for alengthy period of time, receiving the same payand/or even lower pay over time will result inpeople sometimes being unhappy. Happyemployees will obviously be more successfulones. From my experience of working fordecades at many of the area's colleges, I knowsome colleges do such things as give employeesthe opportunity to earn extra money by helpingout with extra activities and hours, such as byhelping out temporarily with advising students,by reading placement essays, by doing extrawebsite content, by helping out with grantproposals/progress reports, by being given

something small--such as 25--for going to anall-day professional development meeting in thesummer, etc.Can do better re affordability to studentsCreating programs with no ability to attractstudents – funding issueI can never make above the minimum pay for mylevel. There is no mechanism to increase my pay,even if I do an exceptional job and am an assetto the college. Lack of fundingCCRI definitely needs to compensate itsprofessors accordingly. If we are to improve theimage of the institution, then professors need tofeel that they are valued and just as important asprofessors at URI and RIC. We work with a moredifficult population yet get paid the least. Structure of responsibilities – there is too muchjob dumping internallyPaying their faculty more salary to increasefaculty retention ratesUnderpaid faculty is a problem. I have workhere for 17 years and I am only making 55k.Sadly still not what I was making as a dentalhygienist when I left the field 17 years ago.Specialized faculty, especially, need to be paid acompetitive salary. It is really hard to attractnew faculty.Financial and other resources declining - need totry faster/different class schedule models

Community College of Rhode Island – Strategic Planning Step OneMarch 23-24, 2017SWOT-C ThemesOpportunities: Are there circumstancesin the marketplace that CCRI can takeadvantage of or benefit from?New Programs/Partnerships HDHW job – see Brookings reportOpportunity to build new programs based ondataDual and concurrent enrollments – missing theboat!Yes.health advocacy and public healthinitiatives. More programs geared towardbusiness development and marketingAdd new and expand in demand programsCCRI should take advantage of some of thetrends in offering certificate programs. Somestudents may wish to become an area expert butdo not need/desire a full degree.Community outreach opportunitiesMore responsive to changing job force needs/demands; also offer variety of full two-yeardegrees online; do more for veteransCollaboration with districts & high schools tobring up the educational level of the state andincrease enrollmentYes, there are many opportunities for workforcedevelopment in Newport. These cansupplement opportunities with companies likeElectric Boat and PfizerPartner with industryBetter articulation agreementsPartnerships with URI & RIC to use all campusesThe State of RI is predominately made up ofsmall businesses. I am not sure about how muchof a relationship CCRI has with the SmallBusiness Administration. I have seen othercolleges and universities partner with the SBABecome involved in organizations that consist ofsmall business so we can help small businessowners become more educated. With largeremployers, continue the dialog to find out whatcourse they require of potential employeesPartnerships in general, no

CCRI offers affordable way for students to complete 2 years of college. The JAA program is a great resource for Rhode Islanders. The college fills in the gap for those students who are not ready for a 4-year school CCRI does a great job of offering an excellent education at affordable prices. I know this