An Update on NOVA’s New Strategic Plan

April 25, 2023 / Tuesday Topics

Today’s topic is a strategic plan update (and warning: it’s a bit lengthy).

As you know, over the spring semester, a cross-section of faculty and staff have been working with our consultants at HCM Strategists on drafting goals for each of our strategic focus areas: Access, Retention, Completion, Transfer and Employment. These areas align with and support NOVA’s updated mission:

Northern Virginia Community College provides equitable access to affordable and exceptional higher education and workforce programs, transforming the lives of our students and advancing opportunity in our community.

The working groups have studied our disaggregated data and have brought their unique NOVA experiences to the process. To complement their perspectives and further inform the plan, HCM has held focus groups with employers and NOVA students. Additional frames for our next strategic plan include the following:

  • our Inclusive Excellence DEI plan
  • the outcomes set forth in the Virginia Community College System’s Opportunity 2027 Strategic Plan
  • VCCS current performance funding metrics and the likelihood for increased performance-driving funding
  • SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation
  • increasing expectations—and requirements—for higher education institutions to be transparent about students’ outcomes
  • increasing expectations that higher education institutions be accountable to their students, the public and funders for a positive return on investment

The proposed goals take all into consideration.

The foundational purpose of any strategic plan is to set the direction, help prioritize initiatives and efforts and guide allocation of resources. The proposed goals support this purpose and are actionable and measurable so that we can chart progress. Significantly, they address what is in NOVA’s scope of control to influence and position us to respond effectively to opportunities and challenges—both current and emerging.

Perhaps most importantly, these are goals worth working for. They are directly related to the reason we are all here: our students.

The goals emerging from the working groups’ input are as follows:

  • ACCESS: Equitable access to high-demand, high-wage programs
    Increase enrollment in the highest-earning pathways*, both workforce and transfer, disaggregated by demographics and Pell status.
  • RETENTION: Timely college-level course success
    Increase the percent of first-time-in-college, program-placed students who complete college-level English and math with a grade of C or better within their first year, disaggregated by demographics, Pell status and FT/PT status.
  • TRANSFER: Transfer success for associate degree recipients
    Increase the number of students who successfully transfer to a university after earning their associate degrees, disaggregated by demographics and Pell status.
  • COMPLETION: Timely degree completion for full- and part-time students
    Improve the three-year completion rate for full-time students (12+ credit hours per  semester) and the six-year completion rate for part-time students (6+ credit hours per  semester), disaggregated by demographics, Pell status, and FT/PT status.
  • EMPLOYMENT: Prepare students for high-demand, high-wage careers.
    Increase the number of credentials and degrees awarded in the highest-earning programs*, disaggregated by demographics and Pell status.

We are working on target three-year metrics for each of these goals. These metrics will be realistic and grounded in NOVA’s current trend data. Disaggregated baseline data will be made public with the plan, and beginning in academic year 2024-25, progress toward our goals will be tracked on publicly available dashboards.

While grounded in data, our next strategic plan will center, respect and value the expertise, contributions and commitment of our outstanding faculty and staff. Each member of the NOVA community has a central role to play in the success of our students. Day in and out, your dedication to our students makes the difference.

Throughout the mission and values revision process, in the focus groups and among the working groups, the sense of pride in NOVA and all that we accomplish was loud and clear. I hear the depth and authenticity of this emotion every day from our students, community members, business partners and you. So, I propose we claim our well-earned NOVA pride and call our next strategic plan, “Inspiring Excellence: A Bold Blueprint for Student Success.”

I thank all the working group members for their input, our focus group participants for their feedback and every one of you for driving the student success at the heart of this plan.

Our next step is to take the draft goals and metrics to the NOVA Board on May 8 for its review and action before the plan is forwarded to the VCCS Board. Once this approval process is complete, we will spend fall 2023 defining strategic implementation steps for all goals. Look for an announcement on the chance to become involved in this process at our Fall 2023 Convocation.

If you have thoughts on the proposed strategic plan name or the goals, please send me a note (PresidentsOffice@nvcc.edu).

 

*Three highest-earning transfer pathway programs

  • A.S. Computer Science and IT
  • A.S. Math and Engineering
  • A.S. Business and Public Services

Five highest-earning applied degrees and credentials

  • CSC Computer Science and IT
  • A.A.S. Computer Science and IT
  • CSC Life and Physical Sciences
  • A.A.S. Health Care
  • A.A.S. Advanced Manufacturing and Skilled Trades