Summary of Responses to Identified HLC Concerns

1. Involvement of employees, at all levels within the organization, in the plan's development, implementation, and evaluation.
There are numerous opportunities for staff from all levels and all areas of the College to be actively involved in strategic planning, including serving on committees and conducting the departmental activities listed on departmental operational plans. Further, area facilitators serve as informational conduits for information between OPIC and staff.

2. Indications of the following key elements in the college's strategic plan: staff responsible, budgetary implications, evaluation, and probable timelines for implementation.
The committee charges establish committee responsibilities, and the co-chairs facilitate the committee's work. The planning cycle consolidates the timelines for completing committee work. Operational planning is conducted for a single year, and the template includes identification of the person responsible for the completion of the activity. Committees are encouraged to evaluate their progress throughout the year and recommend changes. Year-end operational plan reports provide the opportunity to evaluate progress toward objectives and to carry over uncompleted projects to the next year. The planning cycle is timed to feed into the budgeting process, and the annual budget recommendation memo to the Board of Trustees ties specific dollars budgeted to goals and objectives.

3. Linkage to the college's stated mission and goals.
As a part of its responsibilities, OPIC reviews activities and accomplishments in light of the mission and strategic goals and objectives and considers recommendations that impact budgeting for their congruence with the mission and goals. Each activity identified in departmental operational plans is linked to specific goals and objectives. Finally, committees are increasingly identifying the mission, goals and objectives as the basis for their work.

4. Department and individual administrative goals that flow from those of the strategic plan and assume responsibility for appropriate parts of that plan.
The mission and goals are kept visible for all staff to remain aware of them. Departmental operational plans are linked directly to strategic goals and objectives and assign responsibility to specific individuals.

5. A method for assessing progress throughout the time designated for action and for summarizing actions upon completion.
Program review recommended actions are assigned to individuals and given a timeline for completion in the operational plan. Operational plan annual reports describe progress toward meeting goals, and individual administrators monitor progress throughout the year. Committees report their progress and activities through OPIC, and summary reports are prepared by committees for the operational plan and presented to OPIC. OPIC reviews activities and accomplishments in light of the mission and strategic goals and objectives.

6. Linkages from the institutional strategic plan with other departmental plans.
The program review is linked to the strategic plan and includes a review of how the program's mission links with the College's mission. Departmental operational plans flow from the strategic plan as each planned activity is linked directly to one or more strategic goals.

7. Clear and direct involvement from the Board of Trustees in establishing the college's mission and vision.
The Board of Trustees developed the College's vision statement, with input from SVCC employees. All revisions in the College's mission, values, philosophies, and strategic goals and objectives are presented to the Board of Trustees. The President keeps the Board informed of developments in all areas throughout the College.

8. An institutionally communicated and supported mission.
The mission drives the College's decisions and plans. The SVCC values, philosophies and strategic goals appear with the mission on a document which is distributed widely.