Priorities & Purposes

Priorities & Goals

1. Student Access and Success
   1. Advance equitable access, engagement and success of all students.
      1. Provide institutional leadership that integrates inclusion in all aspects of the College.
      2. Champion engagement with external partners and stakeholders.
      3. Provide academic and co-curricular opportunities that facilitate inclusivity.
   2. Implement strategies as determined by the student's voice.
      1. Build student support structures that respond to individual student's needs while maintaining quality.
      2. Create avenues in which current and potential students can provide the college input on their needs.
      3. Advance connections between students and college personnel.
   3. Increase the retention, persistence, and completion of an inclusive student body.
      1. Expand efforts to attract a diverse student population.
      2. Enable the student experience to flow seamlessly from recruitment through completion.
      3. Create learning opportunities through community partnerships.
      4. Expand efforts to provide financial support for students.
   4. Increase direct communication with students and employees as all locations.
      1. Embed ambassadorship into all college position responsibilities.
      2. Initiate avenues that provide the sharing and accessibility of resources, new initiatives, and best practices of all departments.
2. Teaching and Learning
   1. Ensure the quality of educational programs, learning environments, and support services through continuous improvements.
   2. Develop and cultivate industry specific partnerships to expand the breadth of offerings at Carl Sandburg College.
      1. Establish an understanding of how stakeholders define quality
      2. Cultivate comprehensive understanding of student and community needs.
      3. Respond timely to district needs.
      4. Utilize partnerships to increase the variety of educational offers throughout the district.
   3. Implement an enhanced student experience that results in greater opportunities for employment.
      1. Adapt student pathways through accessibility, program flexibility, and course availability.
      2. Sustain a comprehensive understanding od the labor market's needs.
      3. Expand efforts to provide transition services to employment for students.
   4. Increase flexibility of course delivery using technology.
   5. Create environments for students that nurture engagement.
3. Community Alliances
   1. Broaden dynamic connections with stakeholders: students, alumni, K-12 programs, community members and business partners through targeted communication.
   2. Bolster education opportunities using off-site/partner locations through out the district.
   3. Deliver consistent dual credit programs which provide students access to college services and support.\
   4. Strengthen partnerships with four-year colleges and universities.
   5. Meet training needs of college district and region.
4. Operational Sustainability and Excellence
   1. Promote an environment of understanding between college and stakeholders.
      1. Amplify institutional standards and practices to streamline internal and external communication.
      2. Provide targeted and timely communication.
      3. Expand information sharing practices.
      4. Establish communication methods that promote the free exchange of ideas from stakeholders. 
   2. Attain an institutional culture of integrated problem-solving.
      1. Develop an avenue to identify and discuss cross-departmental problems/issues.
      2. Empower "problem-solving" teams to implement and assess continuous improvements.
      3. Advance the use of data in the institutional culture for decision-making.
   3. Strengthen human resource capital
      1. Administer a competitive compensation program that enables the College to attract and retain a quality workforce.
      2. Execute strategies focused on employee retention.
      3. Cultivate a commitment to inclusivity in hiring.
      4. Ensure professional development opportunities for college employees.
   4. Assure the innovative use of resources.
      1. Maintain a sustainable budget that fully meets the College's needs and responsibly uses the resources of the district.
      2. Obtain new grant funding and maintain ethical stewardship of grant money.
      3. Maintain and refresh high-quality facilities and grounds support innovation, teaching and learning.
   5. Assure compliance with accrediting bodies and governmental agencies.

   Educational Purposes

   In its efforts to be a premiere learning and teaching institution, Carl Sandburg College is dedicated to fulfilling the following major functions:

   Provide associate degree-level education consisting of liberal arts, sciences, and pre-professional fields designed to prepare students for transfer to baccalaureate-granting institutions;

   Provide business, technical, and professional education that offers associate degrees, certificates, courses, workshops, and seminars designed for career, entry-level employment, retraining, and/or upgrading of skills to meet current and emerging employment needs and trends;

   Provide courses and programs designed to assist academically underprepared students to be successful in their next level of education;

   Provide activities designed to meet the lifelong educational needs and interests of individuals throughout the district;

   Provide services designed to meet the needs of the student population including recruitment, admissions, registration, assessment, counseling, tutoring, career planning, academic advisement, financial aid, job placement, co-curricular activities, and inter-collegiate athletics;

   Provide programs and services designed to meet the customized continuing education and technical assistance needs of individuals, businesses, industries, and community organizations;

   Serve as a center for cultural and intellectual development.