Strategic Plan 2021-2025
Strategic Plan 2021-2025
Strategic Plan Introduction
Every five years, Yakima Valley College (YVC) creates a strategic plan to guide the future work of the college to advance the mission of goals. The previous strategic plan was in effect beginning in 2016 and ending in 2020. The new strategic plan will be in effect beginning in 2021 and ending in 2025. This document contains an outline of the key steps of the strategic planning process at YVC.
Message from the President
Since our founding in 1928, the faculty and staff of Yakima Valley College have focused
on helping each student build a better life for themselves and their families. We
value our role in strengthening communities throughout the Yakima Valley and beyond.
Each year, YVC prepares the caregivers, educators, businesspeople, artists, scientists,
and other professionals who are essential to the prosperity and vibrance of our entire
region.
We believe that everyone in our community is entitled to an excellent and affordable
post-secondary education. That’s why we work every day to foster an environment of
innovative, inclusive and equitable teaching and learning. We’re proud our college
is one of the most diverse institutions of higher education in Washington state, a
designated Hispanic-Serving Institution since 2002 and supporting a student body of
which approximately 80% are the first in their family to attend college.
Whether you take classes on our Yakima or Grandview campus, one of our learning centers
in Ellensburg or Toppenish, or online, know that YVC is committed to providing you
with high-quality instruction and the support services to ensure your success. Whatever
dreams you have for your future, we look forward to walking with you on your journey.
Sincerely,
Teresa Rich, PhD
Interim President
As one of 34 community and technical colleges in Washington State, the YVC service district covers more than 8,000 square miles. Yakima Valley College acknowledges that its locations are on the homelands of Native peoples, including the 14 Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, who have lived in this region from time immemorial.
According to the United States Census Bureau American Community Survey, the population of Yakima County in 2019 was over 250,000, an increase of 3% from 2010. The county is comprised of 50% Hispanic or Latino, 42% White, 6.7% American Indian or Alaskan Native, 1.6% Asian, 1.6% Black or African American, and less than 1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (percentages add up to more than 100% as some residents identify in more than one category). The percentage of adults with a high school diploma is 73% and the percentage who have attained a bachelor’s degree or higher is 16%. The percentage of people in Yakima County living in poverty is 17%.
Yakima Valley College – District 16
In 2019, YVC enrolled 8,139 students. Of those students, 48% were enrolled in professional/technical programs, 31% in transfer programs, 19% in college and career readiness programs, and another 2% attending for personal enrichment reasons. The percentage of students taking at least 12 credits (full-time) is 55%, and 45% attending part-time. Approximately 72% of YVC student receive some kind of need-based aid and 84% report that they are first-generation college students (neither one of their parents/guardians has a bachelor’s degree).
The race and ethnicity composition of YVC is 60% Hispanic, 44% White, 3% American Indian or Alaska Native, 3% Black or African American, 2% Asian, and 1% Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (percentages add up to more than 100% as some students identify in more than one category). YVC serves the largest percentage of students of color in the Washington State Community and Technical College System. Female students outnumber males at 65% and 35% respectively. The average age of students is 27, with the highest percentage of students in the 20-29 age group (47%).
Strategic Plan Information
Mission Statement
As a federally designated Hispanic-serving Institution residing on the traditional homelands of the 14 Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Yakima Valley College cultivates equity and a culture of innovative and inclusive teaching and learning.
Yakima Valley College serves all students holistically, supports all students’ learning goals, and fosters achievement within career and educational pathways.
We strengthen our communities by providing opportunities for personal enrichment, economic mobility, and sociocultural engagement.
Descriptions, Objectives, and Strategies
YVC uses a Guided Pathways model to direct attention to the complex interactions between students’ personal reasons for attending, the support services utilized, and equitable student learning and success. The Guided Pathways approach begins with students’ goals in mind, providing student support at three major touchpoints each with associated learning and achievements: Onboarding, Committing, and Succeeding.
YVC’s strategic foci for 2021-25 include analyses of how our services and learning environments are best adapted to online and hybrid learning environments, increasing transparency of learning outcomes, and use of disaggregated data on student learning and achievement to improve attainment of equitable outcomes.
Strategic Objectives
- Ensure equitable student learning and achievement outcomes
- Create opportunities for students to make connections between academic learning, goals, and careers
- Provide timely services to support student access and persistence throughout the learning process
Key Strategies
Prioritize Learning and Institute Measurable Learning Outcomes at Multiple Levels
Purposeful emphasis on transparent, measurable, equitable learning outcomes at the
service, course, program, and institutional levels. Assess the effectiveness of teaching
practices on student learning so that effective practices can be broadly shared and
adopted.
Prioritize Equitable Student Achievement
Develop systematic and ongoing evaluation of student achievement using disaggregated
data.
Expand Academic Advising
Expand mandatory advising efforts to include three key points of New Student Orientation
(NSO), 30 college-level credits, and degree application at 60 credits for associate
degrees and two quarters prior to degree application for applied baccalaureate degrees.
Ensure Access to Mental Health Support
Provide mental health awareness, strategies, and support services.
Integrate Career Preparation within Guided Pathways
Provide a variety of services to students to explore options related to their field
of study and connect them to employment opportunities.
Utilize Student Feedback for Improvement
Target student survey efforts to enhance our understanding of the student experience
and prompt sharing of ideas for improvement.
Develop Online Services and Programs of Study
Map our processes and course schedules to ensure that services and programs of study
are available online as well as in face-to-face options as appropriate.
Experiential Learning
Create and support opportunities for students to connect academic learning to real-world
situations and real-world learning to academics, including assessment of and credit
for prior learning.
YVC is committed to our educational mission of creating a culture of teaching, learning and innovation.
YVC seeks to provide opportunities for students to explore ideas and assemble knowledge, improve the student development experience, and cultivate a passion for lifelong learning.
YVC’s strategic foci for 2021-25 supports the advancement of teaching and learning, provides meaningful professional development opportunities for all employees and sustains structures that support regular reflective awareness, adaptation and collaboration.
Strategic Objectives
- Develop cross-disciplinary structures and support to improve collaboration and innovation in teaching, programs, and services
- Build capacity to expand and support online teaching and educational research
- Develop collaborative, equitable, student-focused decision-making processes at every layer of the institution
- Support all employees in teaching, learning, assessment, and innovation through research, scholarship and professional development opportunities
- Build shared understanding of practices that improve equitable student learning and achievement
Key Strategies
Employ Innovative, Active, Evidence-based Teaching Practices
Gather research on evidence-based teaching practices and implement them in courses.
Measure the effectiveness of the practices with our students through data analysis.
Use results to inform decision-making related to continuation and/or expansion of
practices.
Increase Student Engagement
Utilize experiential education to increase student engagement with the community and
contribute to real-world experience. Cultivate an environment to promote student engagement
within the community.
Increase Communication
Create processes that allow for anyone to contribute innovative ideas to expand our
combined impact.
Initiate Program Effectiveness Planning
Create a comprehensive process for program effectiveness plans that include elements
of continuous improvement that identifies the collective impact of our courses and
services on student learning and achievement.
Support Innovation and Adaptation
Collaborate and design platforms to proactively address challenges, especially during
times of crisis by using innovative approaches. Embrace bold decisions that incorporate
research and lessons learned from staff, faculty, and students. Examine and expand
adaptive practices such as hybrid models for instruction, virtual services, and alternative
schedules for students, staff, and faculty.
Provide Relevant and Meaningful Professional Development
Advance employee potential through professional development opportunities at all levels
in an equitable manner focused on strengthening a culture of teaching, learning, and
innovation.
Assess Student Learning
Support the improvement of teaching and program outcomes through a systematic and
meaningful assessment of the student learning process.
Create a Center for Teaching and Learning
Provide resources, communication, and other assistance through the creation of a center
for teaching and learning that is easily accessible to all faculty. Ensure resources
are current and maintained accordingly to maximize usefulness.
YVC is committed to leading with racial equity by establishing and maintaining a culture of equity mindedness. We know we are serving students equitably when membership in any group does not determine student outcomes.
YVC continuously examines the processes of the institution to meet the needs of racialized and minoritized[1] people in our community, including Latinx, Native American/Indigenous, Black, Asian and Pacific Islander, LGBTQIA+, undocumented students, and people with disabilities.
As a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in the pursuit of equity, YVC is committed to implementing evidence-based inclusionary policies and practices and to establishing and monitoring equity accountability measures. We use disaggregated data to identify disparate outcomes and work to include representation and participation of minoritized groups in curriculum and processes of the institution. We believe students, regardless of their starting point and demographic, have the right to an education that fosters liberation, empowerment, and economic mobility.
Strategic Objectives
- Integrate principles of equity and social justice throughout the college learning and working environment
- Institute professional development opportunities and onboarding for YVC employees focused on access, equity, and inclusion.
- Disaggregate college-wide data to identify and address equity gaps leading with race and ethnicity in all college areas including, but not limited to, hiring practices, student life, and access to technology.
- Perform a comprehensive anti-racist Policy and Procedures/Processes review in all college divisions.
Key Strategies
Create an Equity Framework (Equity Lens)
Develop and implement a comprehensive Equity Lens framework for YVC to ensure considerations
of equity and social justice are applied throughout the college.
Provide Equitable Professional Development Opportunities
Develop and offer a comprehensive, sustainable range of opportunities for engagement
in meaningful professional development centering topics of access, inclusion, equity,
and social justice to enhance levels of competency across the college.
Institute Equity-Minded Hiring and Onboarding
Create a sustainable, comprehensive structure for equitable hiring practices, orientation,
and onboarding focused on inclusion, equity, and social justice.
Establish a Comprehensive Anti-Racist Review Tool for Policies, Practices, and Procedures
Develop and implement a tool or process to review existing and proposed policies,
practices, and procedures throughout YVC to ensure that barriers to student success
are identified and addressed.
[1] Minoritized Group: A social group that is devalued in society and given less access to its resources. This devaluing encompasses how the group is represented, what degree of access to resources it is granted, and how the unequal access is rationalized. Traditionally, a group in this position has been referred to as the minority group. However, this language has been replaced with the term minoritized in order to capture the active dynamics that create the lower status in society, and also to signal that a group’s status is not necessarily related to how many or few of them there are in the population at large. Source: Sensoy, Ozlem, and Robin DiAngelo. Is Everyone Really Equal? An Introduction to Key Concepts in Social Justice Education, first edition. Teachers College Press: New York, 2012, p. 5.
Yakima Valley College commits to strengthening the diverse range of communities we serve and to which we belong including communities traditionally racialized and minoritized by higher education. This includes students, college personnel, as well as the workforce, business community, and families, particularly Latinx, Native American/Indigenous, Black, Asian and Pacific Islander, LGBTQIA+, undocumented, and people with disabilities.
YVC strengthens its communities through opportunities for meaningful engagement and robust communications that support equitable dialogue, participation and collaboration. We share our communities’ knowledge and strengths throughout all areas of the college to increase, expand, enhance our relationships, and create a sense of belonging.
Strategic Objectives
- Develop collective impact by engaging YVC’s communities
- Identify and develop actionable and equitable engagement programs, support, and services in all areas of the college
- Clearly articulate YVC’s mission, goals, and identity throughout its communities
- Utilize and create advisory relationships
Key Strategies
Cultivate Community Participation
Provide opportunities for our community, such as workshops and outreach classes, to
increase knowledge and engagement in the areas of arts, culture, languages, STEM,
community history and recreational programs.
Maintain and Expand Relationships with Organizations, Schools, and Employers
Ensure the learning and professional outcomes valued by area employers and other educational
institutions are addressed in college programs.
Promote College Resources
Integrate various communication platforms, including social media, to educate a broader
range of our community about college resources, including facilities and events.
Expand Business and Industry Collaborations
Expand business and industry collaboration efforts to enhance our understanding of
the development of skilled workers for improvement and preparation. Strengthen program
specific advisory committees and expand connections for students to experience professional
learning with community partners.
Explore Other Areas of Community Integration
Research ways to enhance community collaborations and partnerships by creating advisory
boards such as a Community Integration and Equity Advisory Committee, Hispanic-Serving
Institution Advisory Committee, and other community opportunities for idea exchanges.
YVC’s sustainability involves providing a healthy and safe working and learning environment. This sustainability builds understanding of evolving health and safety, financial, and environmental ecosystems and impact, integrating practices that support and improve these systems. YVC actively builds resilient communities through our work as educators and upholders of a public commons in which diverse groups of people collaboratively create solutions to local and global problems.
YVC’s focus for 2021-2025 is to continue developing and aligning strategic and operational planning structures that support strategic allocation of resources to provide long-term financial stability for our teaching and learning environment. We apply principles of environmental sustainability to our wealth of built and natural resources on campus and surrounding areas. We integrate health, safety, and well-being considerations into the work we do.
Strategic Objectives
- Develop planning, decision-making, and resource allocation structures for programs and services to achieve optimal enrollment levels, affordability, and fiscal sustainability while continuing to support a high-quality, equitable teaching and learning environment.
- Maintain and enhance physical, financial, data/technological, and environmental security.
- Promote health, safety, and well-being principles and practices.
- Implement environmental sustainability principles and practices.
- Increase adaptive capability in staff, students, and built environment to create organizational and environmental resilience.
Key Strategies
Implement New Enterprise Software Platform
Implement new enterprise software platform (ctcLink) to replace outdated Legacy system.
Update business processes to gain system efficiencies, and train/mentor staff to sustain
long-term success. Protect and ensure that state system data integrity and YVC system
data integrity complement each other.
Maintain College Reserve
Continue using fiscally prudent practices that allow the college to sustain operations
during economic downturns and/or reduced resources. Provide transparency in budget
and financial decisions and an avenue to contribute to budget/financial decision-making.
Maintain Staffing Stability
Ensure adequate staffing levels on campus for administrative, professional exempt,
faculty, and classified staff. Develop a succession plan for executive leadership;
document/preserve budget and financial processes.
Provide Financial Support
Provide financial resources for YVC strategic planning objectives/strategies. Pursue
financial support via alumni, donations, partnerships, and additional sources of funding.
Cultivate Grant Resources
Cultivate grant resources that match YVC’s institutional and students’ needs, maintain
a balance between institution-funded and grant-funded positions, and review return
on investment for grant-funded positions/efforts when grant funds end.
Promote Health, Safety, and Well-Being
Continue to promote health, safety, and well-being of students, faculty, and staff
in the college environment.
Establish Long-Term Plans
Establish long-term maintenance/disposal/replacement plan for equipment and current
building features (technology, facilities, desks, chairs, instruction, etc.) for both
grant and institutional funded items. Provide budget for replacement. Dispose/recycle
items in an environmentally safe manner.
Reduce Financial Barriers
Alleviate financial challenges due to blocks on student accounts and encourage low/no-cost
digital textbooks or open education resources. Explore use of Foundation funds or
other sources to pay small financial issues (blocks due to amounts owed) so students
can continue.
Continue and Expand Environmental Impact Efforts
Continue to pursue green, efficient buildings and technology in new construction and
renovations, electric vehicles and charging stations, and native plants/trees (water
reduction/less grass).
Pursue a robust, well-communicated recycling program for students and staff. Reduce paper usage by using electronic documents (documents available on student portal). Make available student kiosks in supervised areas (e.g., registration, key instructional support areas) to help them with e-documents, such as e-add/drop.
Work with public transportation officials to improve students’ access.