Strategic Plan Details

• Increase Success Rate (completion + transfer) by 2%
• Increase Accepted Applications by 1%
• Increase FTE (full time equivalents) students by 1%
• Increase conversion rate of dual-enrolled student to full-time students after high school graduation by 1.25%
• Increase fall to winter persistence by 1.15%
• Increase fall year-to-year retention by .8%
• Increase completion rate by .8%
• Increase Transfer Rate by 1%.
• Decrease course withdrawal rate by .4%

• Evaluate impact of adding a science tutor (CCSSE improvement opportunity impact) as measured by # of tutoring sessions and individual students served.

Objectives

• Analyze disaggregated PERC rates for 9 objectives in 1.1.a. and identify 3 opportunity gaps and create action plans to improve.
• Explore the next phase of the Pedagogy of Real Talk practices at North Central and demonstrate statistically significant improvement in Real Talk classroom survey results over previous years.
• Improve persistence, retention, and completion rates of Real Talk students to be in alignment with or greater than the institutional PERC outcomes in Action Plan 1.1.a.
• Student success leaders Identify three student service areas to collectively prioritize based on student support survey results; develop and implement plans to improve services in those areas. 
• Grow part-time faculty participation by 50% and co-curricular unit by 25% participation in SLO assessment and develop and implement assessment training materials for part-time faculty.
• Explore and propose an academic continuity plan 
• Research, evaluate, and recommend proven student mentoring programs and initiatives to support building student social/identity capital and sense of belonging.

Objectives 

• Improve career opportunities offered to students through increasing:
  • The Number of Career Services Appointments by 10%
  • Outreach to Fast Track graduates for assistance in securing employment by 10%
  • The Number of Career Coach Assessments Administered by 6%
• Gain an understanding of the profile of students served by Career Services (Credit, Non-Credit, Community, High School, Alumni)

Objective 

•  Improve access and safety for Campus Cupboard operations.

Objectives

• Analyze existing scholarships for "spendability" then eliminate the amount of unspendable scholarship money by Aug 2025.

Objectives

• Upgrade "Specialty Room" 122 by Jun. 2026
• Conduct needs assessment of J1 compatibility with enterprise technologies on campus (e.g., J1-Salesforce, Brightspace, Starfish, Simple Syllabus); identify and apply solutions to improve efficacy, optimization, and sustainability of systems.
• Create data infrastructure to support WCE
• Explore and propose a data security disaster plan

Objectives 

• Complete CATEE Phase II
• Complete the Grant-Funded Drop-In Child Care Center by end of fiscal year.
• Establish the Grant-Funded Family Resource Center 
• BLC Interior signage designed and installed
• Explore multiple student housing options to grow campus capacity from 150-300.
• Determine facility needs for current and future Athletic Team sports.

Objectives 

• Complete a strategic evaluation (program review) of NCMC’s current program offerings. Update/revise our program portfolio for relevancy in today’s economy over a 6-year review cycle.
  • Evaluating 8-12 programs each year.
  • 2025-26 is Year 3 - Cohort 3 of 6. Complete by Aug. 2026.
• Determine feasibility of purchasing UIA labor market data; if feasible, create priority project list and submit first request for UIA wage data
• Gain ACEN accreditation for LPN Certificate Program
• Submit application for Dental Hygiene CODA accreditation

• Create mechanisms that directly link academic program review findings and resource requests
      - 100% of academic resource requests in the annual budget cycle will be supported by evidence from academic program review and other SLO data (as applicable).
• Foster a culture of curiosity and continuous improvement by
    - Creating a student learning outcome (SLO) assessment results dashboard.  
    - Designing mechanisms for sharing how assessment results lead to specific instructional or programmatic changes.
    - Creating an annual report summarizing changes made and outcomes improved based on program review findings and SLO results.

Objectives 

• Develop a staffing plan for Tech. and Trades Programs
• Initiate development of academic programs for STEP Center
• Initiate development of workforce development programs relevant to the STEP Center
• Create a Student Recruitment Plan for Tech and Trade Programs

• Increase occupational education program enrollments fall 2024/winter 2025 to fall 2025/winter 2026 by 10% by Oct 30, 2026 (from new and existing offerings)
• Determine transition plan to move WCE Student Scholarships into Blackbaud
• Develop LPN to RN Bridge Program

Objectives

• Increase non-credit revenue from all non-credit offerings by 10% gross by June 30, 2026

Objectives

• Measure campus climate including trust and communication using the 2025 PACE survey; identify areas that significantly improved and opportunity gaps compared to 2023 PACE Survey Results.
  - Continue implementing objectives to address "Open and Ethical Communication" and "Clarity of 
     Administrative Processes." 
        - Measure using PACE 2025 survey and compare to PACE 2023 results. 
        - Refine objectives, as necessary, to continue improving open and ethical communication and clarity of administrative processes through 2025-2026. 
  - Communicate outcomes at Fall WBW.

Objective 

• Continue necessary preparations for Emmet County Millage Renewal Election in 2026

Objectives 

• Grow the Foundation Board by 1-3 new members with representation from across the College's service area and provide professional development opportunities for all by Jun. 2026

Objective 

• Implement 1 new campus sustainability initiative by Aug 2026.

Objectives 

• Secure and build out space for Community Dental Clinic
• Raise $3M for Dental Hygiene/Community Dental Clinic project
• Develop a case to expand in-district access beyond Emmet County

Best Practitioners (vs. Best Practices)

A practitioner is someone practicing a skilled profession for which special education or licensing is required. North Central should seek to invest in employees who are “best practitioners” vs. focusing only on following best practices.

Collective Efficacy

Collective efficacy refers to a shared belief that the college’s employees can have a positive impact on student achievement. “We’re all in this together.” “Together we will get you through.”

Completion

The number and percentage of students who choose a program of study, make timely progress, and earn a degree or credential at North Central.

Inclusion

The ongoing process of improving our systems and processes to meet every student’s needs. 

IPEDs Data

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) is a system of interrelated surveys conducted annually by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). IPEDS annually gathers information from about 6,400 colleges, universities, and technical and vocational institutions that participate in the federal student aid programs. North Central is a participating college.

KPIs – Key Performance Indicators

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are the critical (key) indicators of progress toward an intended result.

Opportunity Gap

“Opportunity gap” is the preferred terminology to replace “achievement gap” when referring to our students. North Central’s approach should be focused on filling “opportunity gaps” instead of referring to “achievement gaps.” The gaps in achievement result from gaps in opportunity.

Persistence

The number and percentage of students who enroll from Fall to Winter in an academic year at North Central.

Retention

The number and percentage of students who enroll from Fall to Fall at North Central.

Sense of Belonging

Students and employees feel that they matter and are cared about, accepted, respected and valued.

Student Access

The ways in which North Central’s actions and policies ensure—or at least strive to ensure—that students have equal and equitable opportunities to take full advantage of their education.

Student Engagement

Student engagement is a measure of a student's level of interaction with others, plus the quantity of involvement in and quality of effort directed toward activities that lead to persistence and completion.

Student Success

Student success is determined by the goals and personal situation of each individual student. The measure of student success is how well students are prepared to accomplish their current and future academic, personal, and professional goals through the development of knowledge, a sense of responsibility and self-reliance, and a connection to the college and wider community.

Student Transfer Rate

The number and percentage of students who transfer to a four-year college or university.

Time-to-Completion Rate

The time it takes students who start a degree program at North Central to complete it.

Workforce

North Central’s definition of workforce is that students that graduate from North Central must secure strong employment opportunities in well-paying jobs.