Communication of the Mission and Goals

Recognizing the importance of the mission and goals for setting a College direction, major emphasis was placed onHLC Expectationcommunicating them to staff and keeping them visible to the staff and the community. One of the ways this was accomplished was the creation of a single-page Mission Document (see Illustration 8) that may be easily provided to various groups within and outside of the institution.

  • The Mission Document is a part of each Board packet to maintain a focus on the mission and to recognize that the goals are driven by the mission.
  • The Document is given to and reviewed with all new employees.
  • When recruiting new faculty, SVCC makes it clear that the institution strives to be a learning college. Newspaper job ads include a statement indicating the College’s emphasis on learning. (Sample text for a typical job ad appears as Appendix G.)
Illustration 8
Illustration 8: Mission Document

  • All candidates interviewing for a full-time faculty or staff position receive a benefits overview from the Human Resources department. This review covers a much broader spectrum of topics than just employee benefits; it also includes a review of the College’s Mission Document. Each candidate receives a copy of this document.
  • All full-time new employees receive a new employee orientation from the Human Resources department. As a part of the orientation, each person receives another copy of the College’s mission and goals document, and they are encouraged to post it in their offices.
  • Every fall a series of new employee group orientation sessions over a two-month period introduces new employees to the College’s programs, services and initiatives. The 2005 orientation schedule included presentations on the learning college, assessment of student learning outcomes and the planning cycle. Reference