TABLE OF CONTENTS

I.       Executive Summary

II.      Relationship to Strategic Planning Process

III.     Vital Issues

IV.    Response to Vital Issues

V.     Precision Schedule Development

VI.    Environmental Scan/Data

VII.   Data Analysis

VIII.  Goals

IX.    Key Performance Indicators

X.     Strategies

XI.     Accountability - Stewardship

XII.    Enrollment Management Learning Plan

XIII.   Enrollment Management Research Agenda

I.   EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

At Valencia Community College we believe that enrollment growth can be strategically influenced by internal actions when these actions are tightly coupled to our strategic enrollment management plan. The strategic enrollment management plan allows us to intentionally use marketing, scheduling, staffing, budgeting, etc. in a strategic manner to enable us to meet our enrollment targets. 

The Strategic Enrollment Planning process enables Valencia faculty and staff to create action plans that turn our vision and concepts for the future into reality.  Through the planning process we can:

• make clearer choices about growth.
• define clear lines of responsibility for different aspects of the growth process.
• have a more precise and clear budgeting process that "triggers" in real time.
• connect the budget, scheduling, staffing, and marketing processes.
• have clear objectives for each "scheduler".
• develop long-range planning for programs, space, etc.
• develop multi-year financial models.
• move to a precision scheduling model.
• put all resources to work.

II.  RELATIONSHIP TO STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS

The following Guiding Principles for Enrollment Planning have been established at Valencia Community College. These Guiding Principles are fully aligned with the Valencia Community College Mission and Values Vision, Mission, Values and Statutory Purpose , and the Strategic Learning Plan Strategic Learning Plan.

The Guiding Principles for Enrollment Planning at Valencia CommunityCollege are:

• Accountability.
• Accessibility (understanding that students want flexibility, many options, ability to manage their cash with good financial stewardship).
• Inclusion.
• Dignity and respect for all.
• Passion for Excellence and Quality.
• Financial Stewardship.
• Resource Stewardship.

At Valencia Community College , we believe that Enrollment Planning is most effective when it includes the following best practices:

• Thoughtful planning that is data driven (based on community needs, market analysis,) and based on Valencia 's strategic priorities.
• Evidence based on measurable outcomes.
• Student and learning centered.
• Fully uses all providers and modes of delivery.
• Maintains standards of excellence.
• Monitors and maintains satisfaction level of students (including timely graduation, courses offered on-demand and through multiple delivery modes).
• All units are coordinated/connected to provide best service.
• All employees are developed and understand their role in the process.
• Is cost effective.
• Rewards excellence in operation and results.
• Students agree on the established principles.

III.  VITAL ISSUES

The purpose of Valencia's Strategic Enrollment Plan is to improve Student Learning Performance by:

A.  Reducing Chaos for students by implementing and

     constantly improving precision scheduling.

B.  Increasing Investment in Student Learning by improving

     Valencia's financial performance. 

This may be conceptualized as illustrated in the following charts.

Enrollment Management Charts

IV.  RESPONSE TO VITAL ISSUES

When looking at the vital issues identified above the following questions must be asked:

• How can we begin to produce and implement precision scheduling so that complexity and unpredictability is reduced for students.
• How can we increase the investment in Student Learning?
• How can we improve Valencia's financial performance?

This (What? Answers to questions, response to issues?) can be accomplished using several strategies.

First, we must look at the schedule as an operational plan.  The schedule generates revenue which in turn is used for discretionary resources. The schedule should be built based upon the best estimate of student need to fulfill their educational plans. This estimate of student need is used to assure that learning support (courses, textbooks, software, technology labs, etc.) is aligned with student need in a timely fashion. All stakeholders in the college have access to the same enrollment and tuition estimates. All resources are aligned with our strategic needs.

Second, we must connect the schedule and budget directly to the college-wide learning plan. This would include sharing our best thinking with students to impact their progress and success, creating new and expanded systems that support better advising and counseling interactions, expanding and strengthening the role of faculty as advisors and mentors, and removing the challenges that exist in our processes so that a student' s college experience becomes more predictable and less stressed.

The objectives of our Precision Scheduling Process are to:

• Fulfill the enrollment plan.
• Meet student needs.
• Minimize the number of classes canceled and added.
• Guarantee the course schedule.
• Plan on an annual and multi-year basis.

The predicted and anticipated outcomes of the Precision Scheduling Process are:

• Mutually agreed upon budgets for staffing both adjunct and full-time faculty.
• Planned and precise resource management.
• Effective and efficient staffing.
• Student average course loads increased.
• Improved services to students.

The long term impact of enrollment planning and precision scheduling for Valencia Community College should be:

• Earlier counseling and advising for students.
• The ability of students to plan beyond one term.
• A strong basis for faculty involvement in advising
• Program continuity.
• Less complexity and unpredictability equals more learning.
• More students achieve their stated goals.
• Increased number of graduates.
• Increased amount of time and effort for administrators to spend on other leadership and management responsibilities.  

V.  PRECISION SCHEDULE DEVELOPMENT

1.  Begin with enrollment planning at each level of the organization

2.  Develop schedule to meet established enrollment goals

3.  Reaffirm recent enrollment trends of prospective new returning

     students

4.  Analyze strategic growth in specific program areas

5.  Estimate enrollments for each course; number of sections needed

6.  Review schedule based on Student Preferences Term Schedule

     Checklist

7.  Compile by course, departments, division, college

8.  Review and adjust in cross department teams, including student

     services; apply patterns that are student friendly

9.  Confirm total student demand and college commitment

10.  Build a revenue model

       a.  Estimate revenue from enrollment above

       b.  Modify for residency, exemptions, etc.

       c.  Create reserve/response fund as appropriate

11.  Build cost model

       a.  Estimate in every discipline and department the in-load,   

            overload,  adjunct distribution to the schedule

       b.  Adjust for retirements, new-hires, etc.

       c.  Adjust for reassignments  

       d.  Build a faculty assignment database for the year and assign

            costs to each assignment

12.  Build a schedule management system

       a.  Identify "reserve" sections that will not be initially published

            (about 3-5  of most populous courses)

       b.  Determine the decision process and timing for opening these

            sections in response to demand

       c.  In early stages, agree on decision rules for canceling sections

       d.  Create accountability reports for every department to track

            effectiveness of scheduling (cancellations, additions,

            class size, student drop/add rates, faculty feedback on first

            week, student services feedback)

 

VI.  Environmental Scan/Data

The mission of Valencia Community College is as follows:

Valencia Community College provides outcomes-oriented, quality learning opportunities by:

• Achieving, measuring, and applying the results of learning.
• Emphasizing critical and creative thinking, effective communication, collaboration, and workplace skills.
• Maintaining an open-minded, nurturing, and collaborative environment.
• Reaching out to potential students and providing affordable, accessible learning opportunities.
• Fostering enthusiasm for lifelong learning.
• Motivating learners to define and achieve their goals.
• Respecting uniqueness and appreciating diversity.
• Encouraging faculty and staff to continue professional growth.
• Partnering with businesses, industries, public agencies, civic groups, and educational institutions that support learning and promote the economic development of Central Florida.

In order to develop a strategic enrollment plan that meets the goals outlined in our mission statement, we must first understand the changes that are occurring in our world and for the students we serve. There are many variables that have changed the higher education landscape during the past fifteen years. Some of the variables that changed are:

Changing demographics and uneven population growth. Students seeking access to higher --education are more diverse than previous generations of students in terms of many characteristics. A higher proportion of students:

• are from minority racial or ethnic backgrounds,
• are from geographically dispersed areas of the region and world,
• have learning and physical challenges,
• come from lower socioeconomic levels,
• demonstrate limited academic preparation to do college work,
• come from homes where English is not the first language,
• work part-time or full-time,
• have families to support.

Rise in need for college education and workforce training -
Most jobs today demand some college education.

Globalization - Increasingly, technology makes it possible for potential students from around the world to seek to enroll at Valencia for on site or distance learning opportunities. The curricula in which students enroll must reflect global concerns, particularly as employers look for employees with an appreciation of international and inter-cultural issues.

New market forces -  Private, for profit universities, and corporate universities are eagerly seeking students whose main option to attend college in the past was the "traditional" college.

Increasing expectations from students and parents - Students expect colleges to be student centered and responsive to their needs.  They expect good and convenient service when they want the service, in the manner they want it and personalized to meet their particular needs.  That is why distance education programs and on-line degrees programs have grown dramatically during the past ten years. This need will continue to grow as students continue to request "college on demand," classes when they want them and in the learning modality in which they want to learn.  Students, and their parents, also want academic and co-curricular programs that are relevant and timely to them. 

Federal, state, and local accountability - Governments and businesses want students to reach their educational objectives in a timely manner and with knowledge and skills relevant to today's market needs.

Changing funding models - Federal and state funding streams will increasingly be tied to performance, directly through fund set aside for that purpose, or less directly as legislative bodies weigh performance in allocating funds to the higher education sector. At the same time, the College will compete for increasingly scarce resources for its operational and capital needs. Performance in terms of meeting our mission by serving students will be essential if we are to meet our organization's fiscal needs.

Changing enrollment patterns - There are growing numbers of students who want access to college who are different from the "traditional" college student of the past.  There are more non-traditional students, more re-entry, more adult learners, and more career-oriented students.  [Environmental scanning data that addressed these issues was collected and analyzed in the Development of the Valencia Community College Enrollment Plan. The Chief Learning Officer, Provosts, Deans, faculty leaders, assistant vice presidents, institutional research staff, and others were involved in the analysis.

Enrollment Data - Current enrollment conditions were examined. Market conditions were examined to determine where new programs need to be started and/or old programs expanded, where market penetration needs to be adjusted, and where the student profile needs to be adjusted.

Course offerings ( capacity, scheduling, duplication, wait lists) - Course offering information was analyzed to identify unused capacity (opportunities for growth), to identify unmet demand (where we need to invest resources), and to pinpoint areas where resources need to be recovered (programs that have reached a plateau and no longer meet community/student needs).

Retention Information - Retention information was analyzed to determine where and why students were dropping out and/or stopping out.

•  U.S. Occupational Employment for Occupations Requiring

    Postsecondary Training or Associate's Degree Annual Projections

    (currently 2004 to 2014)

•  Region 12 Occupational Employment Projections

•  Targeted Occupations List - Number of Annual Openings in Region

•  Job Growth By Occupational Group

•  Occupation Linked to Program (Dept of Ed)

•  Wage Earning for Occupation:

Targeted Occupation - Mean Wage - $11.39/Hour

High Skill/High Wage - Mean Wage - $17.86/Hour

State Approved AS Programs not Offered at Valencia

1.   Program Outcomes

      Factors to Assess Program Outcomes:

• Enrollment/Student Interest
• Completion
• Placement Rate
• Licensure Rates (if apply)
• Earnings of Graduates/Completers

2.   Complete Health & Viability Assessment

 

3.   Identify and Indicate Program Growth

 

4.   Findings and Recommendations:

• Curriculum Modifications & New Programs
• Strategies to Enhance Enrollment & Capacity
• Potential Articulation Agreements
• Online Course Development

D.   Financial Analysis :

Revenue Model

• Estimate revenue from enrollment
• Modify for residency, exemptions, etc.
• Create reserve/response fund as appropriate

Cost Model

• Estimate in every discipline and department the in-load, overload, adjunct distribution to the schedule
• Adjust for retirements, new-hires, etc.
• Adjust for reassignments
• Build a faculty assignment database for the year and assign costs to each assignment

E.   Business Process Analysis for Budgeting

How does Budgeting support or fulfill the Precision Schedule? Budget's primary responsibility is to coordinate the budget process in a manner that encourages good healthy communications and results in the best all location of the resources necessary to support the enrollment plan and generate the necessary funds.

Beginning of the process: What is the first step in the process? Using broad assumptions for our enrollment goals and expense patterns, we will develop a preliminary budget that will give us some idea of the resources available and the known costs.

End: When is the process complete? The process is complete when a more refined budget is prepared after input from each area as to staffing needs, marketing costs, and other expenses necessary to successfully obtain the desired enrollment.

Actors: Who are the people who actually touch the process? Every area

Stakeholders: Who are the people affected by the process? Every area of the college will be involved in this process.

Process: What are the action steps in the process? With input from the President and the senior staff, assumptions will be developed in order to generate a preliminary budget. This information will be used by the other groups to establish budgeting parameters. As specific staffing and resource allocation plans are developed by the various groups, a more refined budget will be established. Buy in that the budgeted resources are adequate to accomplish the enrollment objectives is necessary.

Where is the Pain? What are the challenges to this process? Moving from the perceived entitlements of base plus budgeting to more precision allocation of resources based on our enrollment objectives.

Wish List/Action Items: What would make the pain go away? Everyone obtaining a better understanding of the interrelationships of each unit (marketing, admissions, deans, grounds, etc.) in the fulfillment of the college's objectives. This along with all of us developing a willingness to share and even give up resources in order for everyone to be more successful.

VIII.  GOALS

Over the last several years enrollment has flattened. This flattening of enrollment is due to several major factors. These factors include but are not limited to:

• purposefully lowering enrollment in order to align enrollment with finances
• several bad hurricane seasons
• a rebounding economy and low unemployment
• not meeting student demands for alternative delivery of courses
• Start Right initiatives
• decline in dual-enrollment classes

In order to begin growing enrollment and revenue again, a new Strategic Enrollment Management System of planning has been initiated. Valencia Community College plans to grow enrollment strategically through precision scheduling based on both financial modeling and continuous enrollment analysis.

For the coming academic year, course enrollment patterns and student marketing surveys indicate that there is a demand for distance and flex-scheduled courses exceeding our supply. While graduation rates in our traditional AA (transfer) degree program remains constant, there is a considerable increase in the graduation rates for the Technical Certificate and AAS/AS degree programs.

Goal 1: Enrollment Targets

Valencia will increase student enrollment by 5-6% from Fall 2006 to Fall 2007.

Goal 2: Program Mix

Valencia will expand programs identified with available capacity and room to grow, as well as, expand programs where there has been a need identified in the annual occupational openings data.

Goal 3: Program Delivery

Valencia will increase the number of alternative delivery classes courses and flex-start classes by 15% from Fall 2006 to Fall 2007.

Goal 4: Income Targets

Valencia will increase income by to meet budget needs.

Goal 5: Services

Valencia will provide all necessary services to accommodate the increase in enrollment envisioned by this plan.

Goal 6: Stewardship/management

Valencia will provide the stewardship and management necessary to meet the enrollment challenges that will result from this plan.

IX.  KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

X.  STRATEGIES

Strategies have been identified and developed in the following areas to accomplish the desired increase in FTE for the designated academic year:

• Program Mix and Class Capacity Strategies
• Marketing and Recruitment StrategiesRetention Strategies
• Policy and Procedure Strategies
• Financial Strategies
• Financial Aid Strategies
• Dual Enrollment Strategies
• Campus Strategies

East Campus Enrollment Management Plan

Osceola Campus Enrollment Management Plan

West Campus Enrollment Management Plan

Winter Park Campus Enrollment Management Plan

 

XI.  ACCOUNTABILITY- STEWARDSHIP

A Schedule for the Enrollment Planning Processes has been established:

Enrollment Calendar

XII.  ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT LEARNING PLAN 

An Enrollment Management Learning Plan will be established annually that:

• identifies areas of best practices that we need to study and that will support our plan.
• establishes a professional development plan that will support learning of best practices.
• identifies appropriate development activities and budgeting priorities for those development activities.

XIII.  ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT RESEARCH AGENDA

Enrollment management relies on research. Research should provide strategic information on College demographics, market trends and student behavior. In turn, the College can more effectively engage in data-driven decision-making to support student learning.

The following questions can help guide the research agenda for the College moving forward:

1.  What are we doing, how do we measure it, and how well are we doing it?
2.  Whom do we want to recruit and does the College sufficiently target

     market its recruitment activities?
3.  Which academic programs attract students?
4.  Which delivery modes are most effective and for which students?
5.  Does advising and counseling, orientation and student life programs

     help students adjust to the College?
6.  How do the activities, programs and services support student learning?

Other research areas for consideration:

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS:
Local and national forecasts of higher education enrollment trends

STUDENT TRENDS:
First generation college students, challenges and opportunities
Diversity in higher education (what does this mean to Valencia?)

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS:
Course information, demand analysis, closed section tracking etc.
Full- and part-time enrollment mix
Learning communities