President's Message
Greetings!
For over 50 years, North Hennepin Community College has provided access and opportunity to higher education to improve the lives of our students, their families and communities. Our employee educators and students are pleased to share with you NHCC's 2018-2023 Strategic Plan which represents the collective and collaborative work of the strategic planning task force and many participants from across the campus and in the community.
The North Hennepin Community College strategic plan is built on our vision, mission, and the values we hold dear. Our five strategic directions will ensure a stellar compre- hensive learning experience that will transform our learners and the communities we serve. We are committed to engaging students and changing lives within an environ- ment that advocates for and advances equity and inclusion for all. We recognize and embrace the broad range of identities represented among our students, faculty and staff, and welcome the strength this diversity brings to building institutional capacity and innovation to deliver on our promise of student success. We embrace our com- munity partners and look forward to working together to meet the needs of the workforce and advance the vitality of our region.
My deepest gratitude goes to all who led and participated in our collaborative strategic planning process; your hard work has realized a plan that will provide an extraordinary education and shape future aspirations.
Dr. Barbara McDonald
NHCC President
About NHCC
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Mission
Engaging students, changing lives
North Hennepin Community College creates opportunities for students to reach their academic goals, succeed in their chosen professions, and make a difference in the world.
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Vision
Opportunity without limits, learning without end, and achievement beyond expectation.
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Values
We believe in the power of education to change lives. Toward that end, we:
- Inspire intellectual curiosity
- Embrace diversity of all kinds
- Foster trust and respect
- Expect quality and continuous improvement
- Encourage creativity and innovation
- Promote individual responsibility and integrity
- Invest in professional and personal development
- Build strong, collaborative partnerships
- Serve as responsible stewards of college resources
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Our Commitment to Racial Equity
North Hennepin Community College is dedicated to upholding anti-racist and inclusive work practices and moving toward systems that benefit us all. We acknowledge that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Dakota people. We recognize that human diversity is a fundamental strength of our community and that racism and oppression have caused the long- lasting and grievous harm of historical trauma. North Hennepin Community College, together with historically marginalized communities, is committed to advancing racial equity, closing the opportunity gap, and improving college access to communities that experience racial inequities. North Hennepin Community College will incorporate racial equity as a standard part of decision-making processes as we strive for a complete state of physical, mental, and social wellbeing across the student and employee experience.
The Strategic Planning Process
In January 2017, North Hennepin Community College kicked off its strategic planning process utilizing a collaborative process under the guidance of an organizational con- sultant, Pat Sanaghan, author of Collaborative Strategic Planning in Higher Education. The highly collaborative planning process involved the work of a strategic planning task force comprised of approximately 35 employees representing all areas of the college and chaired by two faculty leaders and one leader from student services. The plan emerging from this process would set forth priorities for the college from the academic years 2018 through 2023.
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Getting Organized
A two-day workshop in February facilitated by our consultant oriented task force members to a five-phase process: Getting Organized, Data Gathering, Sense Making, Vision Conference, and Goals Conference. Task force members were assigned projects using specific data gathering strategies to capture broad input as well as discoveries about the college from internal and external stakeholders.
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Data Gathering and Engagement
Task force members engaged in conversations, written and face-to-face, with more than 1,200 internal and external stakeholders to inform us of their awareness, knowledge and perception of the college.
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Sense Making
The task force spent a full day reporting out their findings to each other, and identified and agreed upon five strategic themes that would become the focus for the planning process, including Branding, Community Partnerships, Comprehensive Student Experience, Diversity, and Employee Satisfaction. Task force members wrote concept papers to elaborate on the themes and their importance to the college.
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Vision Conference
At this highly interactive meeting, task force members and representatives from business, industry and the community reviewed and discussed the concept papers to identify key themes. Those themes helped create a Preferred Future statement, a shared aspirational vision for the college. In January 2018, the campus community was invited to provide feedback via an in-person Gallery Walk or online survey.
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Goals Conference
Leveraging the Preferred Future statement, task force members and additional college stakeholders developed goals and an action plan for each of the strategic directions. The campus community was invited to provide feedback via a second Gallery Walk in April 2018. You can find the Preferred Future statement and the five strategic directions along with their corresponding goals and guiding principles on the following pages.
Our Preferred Future: An Aspirational Statement
We are in a better place with a shared vision of the future that builds on our many strengths and serves our collective aspirations.
North Hennepin Community College is a regionally acclaimed and nationally recognized academic institution known for our diversity and inclusiveness. Our high-quality faculty and staff provide distinctive and innovative programs that meet regional work- force needs. We are a learner-centered institution that believes in engaging students and changing lives.
We provide a stellar academic and co-curricular experience that challenges our students and prepares them for a complex, fast-paced, and diverse world. Our graduates are culturally competent, successful in their chosen fields, and are sought after by employers of choice. Our students are proud to be at NHCC and consider the college their home.
Our faculty are first class, dedicated, and caring. They help create a "distinctiveness" that sets NHCC apart. Our distinctive academic and student programs are robust, challenging and relevant. We produce diverse, agile learners, who want to make a difference in the world.
We are known for attracting the very best people to serve our students. Our campus culture is collaborative, inclusive and welcoming. Our employees reflect our diverse world and enjoy working here because they feel respected and valued for their contributions.
The College is a trusted and valued partner in the region and the state. We are integrated into the fabric of the community, and are regarded as a respected community asset.
Our strategic and intentional partnerships enable us to leverage the time and talent of our people and contribute to the mission of the College. We make a powerful and positive difference in the communities we serve.
Strategic Directions
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Branding
The goal of branding is to define and articulate who we are as a college and our relationship within the broader community.
Guiding Principles
- We have high expectations and embrace rigor at all levels across the institution.
- We embody student-centered relationships.
- We make a powerful and positive difference in the communities we serve.
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Community Partnerships
The goal of community partnerships is to become a trusted and valued partner in the region and state, integrated into the fabric of the community and regarded as a respected community asset.
Guiding Principles
- Our partnerships are relevant to the college mission.
- Our partnerships enhance professional development and the health of our programs.
- Our partnerships increase opportunity and access for our students.
- Our partnerships advance the vitality and presence of the college within the communities we serve.
- Our partnerships provide unique value to our stakeholders.
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Comprehensive Student Experience
The goal of comprehensive student experience is to provide a stellar academic and co-curricular experience that challenges and prepares our students for a complex, fast-paced, and diverse world.
Guiding Principles
- All employees understand and contribute to a student’s learning experience.
- Our curricular and co-curricular activities reinforce each other: classroom connected to broader campus and vice versa.
- We encourage innovative practices and build upon models that result in student persistence and success.
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Diversity
The goal of diversity is to foster an inclusive, collaborative and equity-minded teach- ing and learning environment that is reflective of the diverse students we serve and focused on student success and closing the opportunity gap.
Guiding Principles
- We value what inclusivity and equity brings to our learning environment.
- We provide opportunities to help our employees grow in their cultural competencies.
- We honor the life experiences our employees and students bring to our campus community.
- We value the opportunity to incorporate our students’ experiences into our curricular and co-curricular activities.
- We believe a highly diverse employee group creates opportunity and access for our students.
- We embrace open access and help students achieve success.
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Employee Satisfaction
he goal of employee satisfaction is for all employees to feel respected and valued for their contributions and empowered to advance the mission of the college.
Guiding Principles
- We invest in the professional development of all employees.
- We are committed to consistent practices in holding all people accountable.
- We are committed to recognizing and celebrating employees’ accomplishments in a variety of ways including annual performance evaluations.
- We strive to be an employer of choice for recruiting and retaining employees.
- We are committed to creating an organizational culture that builds community among employees.