Adopted Planning Goals for 2006-2007

Ventura College Planning Goals for 2006-2007

Board Imperative: Serve traditional and non-traditional learners

To assure that there will be no financial barriers to education for lower and middle-income students, Ventura College will:

• Work with the Ventura College Foundation to develop a program to underwrite the first-year enrollment fees for all qualifying graduating high school seniors in our service area
• Develop systems that will provide increased awareness of financial aid processes and greater assistance in completing financial aid forms and requirements
• Work with the Ventura College Foundation to expand public awareness of scholarship opportunities at both the community college and transfer levels

To reach non-traditional and underserved populations, the college will:

• Expand outreach efforts at the East Campus
• Expand the offering of online and hybrid classes
• Identify meaningful incentives to encourage more faculty to develop online classes
• Expand outreach efforts to increase concurrent enrollment of qualified high school students
• Provide opportunities for the faculty to become more aware of the multiple intelligences / learning styles
• Expand efforts to make those with a limited ability to speak English feel welcome on the campus
• Examine the structure of course offerings to ensure that the college can accommodate working adults
• Offer fast-track, low-unit classes that will appeal to retired adults
• Work with the Ventura College Foundation to expand the Dare to Dream scholarship program to encourage non-high school graduates to consider attendance at Ventura College
• Expand support services for a wide variety of unique student populations, including foreign students, re-entry students, out-of-state students, etc.

Board Imperative: Maintain short-term training, school-to-work programs, internships, service learning, and student life programs

To improve the ability to respond more rapidly to the changing occupational needs of the community, Ventura College will:

• Examine both campus and district curriculum systems to identify bottlenecks in the approval process
• Examine the number of units required for certificates and the course scheduling patterns for occupational programs to assure that the pathway to a career can be completed in a reasonable amount of time
• Reactivate occupational advisory committees for vocational programs

To increase the visibility and viability of the college’s occupational programs, Ventura College will:

• Revise the organizational structure in order to provide better support for career education
• Develop and pilot one or more modular, fast-track occupational programs that will lead to employment within six months
• Participate in the development of a district-wide occupational brochure (with companion program-specific brochures) for recruitment and outreach purposes
• Market occupational programs in appropriate arenas; i.e., Chambers of Commerce, local newspapers.
• Host on-campus meetings with employers, faculty, and counselors to discuss career trends.
• Host meetings with counselors and faculty to increase understanding of vocational programs and requirements
• Increase faculty and administrative participation in local business organizations; i.e., Chamber of Commerce, Ventura County Economic Development Association
• Provide information on employment trends at flex day activities
• Increase services of the Career Center
• Encourage newspaper articles on successful students and programs

To expand the opportunities for students to connect with others outside of the classroom, Ventura College will:

• Take steps to re-establish an attractive, centralized social hub for the campus and to create pleasant study spaces for students are various locations throughout the college
• Develop a formal Arts & Lectures program and expand awareness of the college’s consolidated calendar of campus events
• Continue to seek funding for and offer campus/community cultural programs
• Increase internships and work experience offerings
• Provide service learning opportunities and credit

Board Imperative:  Establish and maintain outstanding marketing, outreach and retention programs

To reach the predominantly younger student population served by the college, Ventura College will:

• Improve the usefulness of its website, using input from faculty, staff and student focus groups
• Expand its recruitment efforts to include greater use of the web and other technologies designed to appeal to younger students
• Expand the use of technology as a teaching and learning tool
• Conduct research to identify how Ventura College students currently gain information about the college

To improve student retention, Ventura College will:

• Conduct institutional research to identify the major variables impacting student retention
• Develop and pilot programs that encourage students to identify and declare a commitment for a specific educational or occupational goal
• Develop and pilot systems to recognize benchmark levels of student achievement as they progress toward their identified goals
• Increase the opportunities for students to identify with a cohort and/or to work in a learning community
• Provide intervention programs to identify and assist students who may be falling below the expected level of student achievement
• Expand efforts to acquire funding to support tutoring and supplemental instruction
• Include the issue of student retention as a central focus for professional development activities

Endorsed by the Academic Senate and Administrative Council, March 2006