Strategic Planning

A strategic plan provides guidance for institutional decisions, both long-term and operational. According to The Society for College and University Planning (SCUP), a strategic plan ensures that:

1. The institution is carrying out work to support its mission, vision and values
2. The institution is complying with mandates and regulations of government and accrediting bodies
3. The institution is operationally and fiscally healthy, now and in the future

Why is strategic planning important?

All colleges understand the need to clearly identify their mission and values, their priorities, set realistic goals for improvement, and outline the action to be taken to achieve these goals. Progress has been made to improve the rigor of strategic planning but the challenges and opportunities facing higher education are growing every year. As such, there is a constant and growing need to secure greater value from available resources. Additionally, the decisions and choices which institutions have to make become ever more complex as the requirements of students, staff, employers and society change. These factors place a premium on strategic planning and the quality of planning must itself. 

There is no single right way to undertake strategic planning. What matters is what works for the institution, taking account of its culture, needs and mission. There is value, however, in reviewing from time-to-time current approaches to planning in higher education, in order to identify the principles that are being applied and then to disseminate those which appear to be effective.

Strategic planning at NCC

Strategic planning is stewarded by the Institutional Planning Committee (IPC), which is comprised of representatives from all campus stakeholder groups. The IPC’s approach to planning is one of collegiality, self-reflective dialogue, and respect. IPC decisions are made based upon institutional research, evidence and feedback from campus stakeholders.

The approach to strategic planning changed in response to feedback received during the last Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) self-study. Based on feedback received, the IPC developed a more inclusive and data-informed approach to planning and developing the 2023-2028 Strategic Plan. In Fall 2022, our Chief Administrative Officer, Dr. Maria P. Conzatti, convened the IPC and asked the committee to refocus its efforts on developing a five-year strategic plan. At the same time, the College embarked on the MSCHE Self-Study Institute. The co-occurrence of these two efforts presents a unique opportunity to take stock of the processes that were developed for strategic planning based on our last self-study, allowing us to identify the strengths of this new process while also helping us modify where needed as we begin our new plan.

As the previous five-year plan closed and efforts began to develop the current strategic plan, progress slowed while the College shifted priorities to focus on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, among other urgent issues. However, the IPC was able to gather input from the NCC Board of Trustees, the faculty, staff, and students as they crafted the mission, vision, values, goals and objectives for the new Strategic Plan. Periodic meetings between the College President, Vice President of Academic Affairs/IPC co-chair, and the BOT provided stakeholders the opportunity to offer their perspective on the elements of the new Strategic Plan. 

The IPC consider the cultural, economic, societal, and governmental challenges facing the College and its stakeholders. The new strategic plan seeks to address these challenges while upholding out values and mission and simultaneously ensure that the College maintains its market position and fiscal sustainability.

The 2023-2024 IPC Membership

• Dr. Genette Alvarez-Ortiz, Academic Affairs (Co-Chair)
• Pat Lupino, President’s Designee (Co-Chair)
• Nathan Cheong, Student Government (Member)
• Coralie Forest, Student Government (Member)
• Dr. Rita Langdon, Institutional Advancement (Member)
• Mary Floratos, Information Technology Services (Member)
• Dr. Dawn DiStefano, Academic Affairs (Member)
• Dr. David Follick, Academic Student Services (Member)
• Abel Cantillo, Finance and Administration (Member)
• Robert Jarocki, Professional Administration (Member)
• Jason Gorman, Academic Senate (Member)
• Dr. Christine Marchese, Academic Senate (Member)
• Lynn Bergin, Academic Department Chair (Member)
• Dr. Elizabeth Gaudino-Goering, Academic Senate (Member)
• Dr. Rosemary DeRiso, Academic Senate (Member)
• Dr. Pamela Flores, Academic Senate (Member)
• Gary Ouelette, AFA (Member)
• John Serrano, CSEA (Member)
• Dr. David Stern, NCCFT (Member)
• Dr. Maria Conzatti, Chief Administrative Officer (Ex-Officio)
• Dr. Charmian Smith, Academic Student Services (Ex-Officio)
• Theresa Aydelott, Equity, Inclusion, Affirmative Action and Title IX (Ex-Officio)
• Dr. Nadine D. Hylton, Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning (Ex-Officio)
  
  

Supporting strategic planning at NCC

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning provides data and analytic support to the IPC’s work. Additionally, the department monitors and reports the College’s progress towards meeting its strategic goals and provides recommendations to the IPC based on data collected through the academic and AES assessment processes. All reports submitted to the IPC can be found on OIESP’s website for use and reference by the College community.