HC trustees approve 5-year plan

The Howard County Junior College District's board of trustees, the governing body of Howard College and the South West College for the Deaf, heard and approved the body's five-year Strategic Plan. The plan will go into effect in the Fall of 2021 and guide the district's colleges through 2026.

Howard's Director of Institutional Effectiveness Bryan Stokes presented information on the district's vision, values, strategic priorities, goals and objectives, and strategic measurements during the meeting.

“We've been working on this since November, and it's been an exciting time,” Stokes said. “We've been gathering all the feedback and trying to put everything together to prepare for the next five years and where we want to be moving forward.”

During his presentation, Stokes read the plan's Vision Statement for the college system: “We will be known for enriching the lives and futures of those we serve as a unique rural community college national model of success that includes a campus specializing in deaf education.”

Stokes also listed the college's Values, as presented in the plan, which states that Howard is “A family culture based on students, community, diversity, unity, excellence and integrity,” and its Strategic Priorities, including:

• Access: Increase opportunities and participation in programs to enhance the social and economic mobility of students in the communities we serve;

• Student Success: Create a quality educational experience to advance successful course completion, retention, graduation, transfer and job placement;

• Community and Workforce Development: Collaborate with community partners to develop relevant and innovative programs and initiatives that enrich lives in the service region;

• Performance Excellence: Foster an organizational environment that cultivates equitable student and employee success through effective and efficient operations and infrastructure.