With our guided pathways implementation in full swing, it seems like things are changing almost daily at the college. One thing we’ve heard repeatedly from other colleges that have gone through this is, “You can talk all day, but if you don’t start acting, you’re not going to really learn what’s working and what’s not working.” I want to thank all who have been working individually and in teams to turn our talking into reality. The result will be more successful students and a stronger college.

If you have questions about these changes, I encourage you to view the Guided Pathways FAQs (pdf) posted on the Office of the Provost webpage. You also can send me an email or visit with our Futures Institute members or those who worked on program mapping.

Student onboarding

As you may know, we’ve just introduced a number of new and improved student onboarding processes, beginning with streamlined admission steps and a First Step orientation video. Our Areas of Study Information Sessions have begun and we have a new webpage describing our 10 areas of study. We continue to fine-tune program descriptions within each area.

Organizational changes

To support redesigned programs and services, we’re adding a few administrative positions and restructuring some existing vacant positions. These managers will help oversee activities and strategic planning among programs and campuses. New associate vice president positions will expand opportunities for leadership and promote a more effective organization by reducing the number of direct reports to our vice presidents of instruction and student services.

• An Associate Vice President of Student Success and Analytics will monitor and report student data in real time to support the proactive advising that is integral to guided pathways. The position will report to Vice President of Student Services Dr. Virginia Fraire. Our three student retention and intervention managers, Jodi Denyszyn, Matthew Figg, and April Whalen, will report to the AVP of Analytics.
• An Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management also will report to Dr. Fraire and oversee recruiting, student onboarding, and financial aid, including new outreach strategies to guide students well before they initiate the application process.
• The Associate Vice President of Academic Programs and Associate Vice President of Workforce Programs will report to Vice President of Instruction Mike Midgley. These individuals will help ensure curriculum, programs, and services within these two very large units are coordinated and complementary and support our overall efforts to guide students to enter and complete the pathway best-suited to their goals.
• An Associate Vice President of Instructional Services will help plan and develop services supporting instruction and oversee Distance Learning, Faculty Development and Evaluation, External Learning Experiences, Instructional Development Services, Articulation, Curriculum Management, and Library Services.
•  An additional instructional dean will bring our total to nine. ACC has not added an instructional dean since 1999. Over the course of the next year, the instructional dean positions will be realigned to our new areas of study and the initial posting will be for internal candidates only. We also plan to hire a new Dean of Distance Learning who will report to the AVP of Instructional Services.

We are appointing 10 Faculty Coordinators (part-time) who will work with department chairs to coordinate activities within an area of study. They will report to the dean responsible for the area of study. The positions are open to faculty and adjunct faculty who will be given release time or paid a stipend as applicable. Applications are being reviewed and we hope to have these coordinators named by mid-summer.

Lastly, we plan to hire 15 additional advisors to achieve the 350:1 advisor/student ratio recommended by the National Academic Advising Association.

I have said many times that our pathways implementation will be an iterative process and we will make adjustments as we go. We’re calling this first phase “version 1.0.” In “version 2.0” we’ll refine and improve program maps, course scheduling, and other guided pathways elements.

Because we believe ACC has the potential to be a leader in this movement in Texas, we’ve applied to be part of the first 12-college cadre in the Texas Pathways Project.

Because we believe ACC has the potential to be a leader in this movement in Texas, we’ve applied to be part of the first 12-college cadre in the Texas Pathways Project sponsored by the Texas Success Center of the Texas Association of Community Colleges.

Institutional Effectiveness report

While guided pathways represents ACC’s future, I invite you to take a look at what we accomplished in our recent past in the 2016 Institution Effectiveness Report (pdf). The IE report is one of two reports the college will submit annually to our Board of Trustees. It details our progress and next steps for the five goals outlined in our Strategic Plan.  A new strategic planning cycle begins this summer.

Tags: from the provost, guided pathways, Institutional Effectiveness report