STRATEGIC PLAN 2015-2018
AND 2017 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1. Prepare students for careers and opportunities that stimulate sustainable economic and workforce development.

A. Identify and respond to regional market needs with focused career education and training programs built for existing and emergent careers.

1. Served 39 companies through Customized Training Programs and focused industry projects, training 2,312 incumbent workers throughout service area.
2. Launched North Carolina’s first multi-company hybrid apprenticeship program for industrial maintenance technicians.
3. Admitted first cohort of 20 students to the Occupational Therapy Assistant program.
4. Provided clinical experience to students and dental care to 3,000 people in need, with students and faculty giving nearly 170
   hours of community service over two days in partnership with NC Mission of Mercy.
5. Graduated the 100th Certified Production Technician and signed the 40th North Carolina Manufacturing Institute partner firm.
6. Became the state’s largest awarder of Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC) Certified Production Technician credentials.

B. Improve accessibility and eliminate barriers to student success.

1. Created a Wellness Center for students focused on helping students by providing food and other personal resources to help them overcome temporary personal challenges.
2. Provided nearly $11,000 in student emergency funding from the Rowan-Cabarrus Foundation.
3. Awarded nearly 190 academic scholarships through the Rowan-Cabarrus Foundation totaling nearly $215,000.
4. Awarded nearly 50 continuing education scholarships through the RCCC Foundation totaling $10,000.
5. Provided 200 GED test vouchers through the Rowan-Cabarrus Foundation.
6. Implemented new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to improve communication with prospective students,
   applicants and students.
7. Revamped recruiting efforts, resulting in the College receiving over 3,300 applications for fall 2017 and increasing the conversion of applicants who enrolled by more than three percent from fall 2016 to fall 2017.
8. Increased curriculum student headcount by two percent from fall 2016 to fall 2017.
9. Increased overall College Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) by 10.4 percent, going from 5,326 FTE in 2015-2016 to 5,881 FTE in 2016-2017. Increased curriculum FTE by almost two percent in spring 2017 over spring 2016.
10. Implemented an office hour initiative to help retain students in math and English.
11. Created an early childhood education model classroom to offer more hands-on opportunities for students in the program.
12. Recognized as number one provider of Career & College Promise classes, which offer tuition free college courses for high school students in North Carolina.
13. Increased hours of participation by students in the tutoring center by 39 percent.
14. Ranked fourth in the national 2016-2017 Digital Community Colleges Survey Top Ten Ranking Winners by the Center for Digital Education for the use of digital technologies to improve services for students, faculty, staff and the community.

C. Provide learning options that lead to certifications, diplomas, and degrees by participating in the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) National Completion Agenda.

1. 2017 graduates earned over 1,300 different degrees, diplomas and certificates, including many achieved online.
2. Started five new Career & College Promise Career Technical Education (CTE) pathway programs at regional high schools, including information technology mobile device programming, drafting, advertising and graphic design, nurse aide and early childhood education.
3. Added new Career & College Promise pathways in Associate in Fine Arts in Visual Arts and Associate in Engineering.
4. Added new Career & College Promise Career Technical Education in Electrical Systems Technology.
5. Awarded over 115 Microsoft certifications to Rowan-Cabarrus students and participants in the community at the Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Test Fest.

D. Accelerate degree completion by leveraging prior learning assessment.

1. Proctored over 9,200 tests in the College’s testing centers including 1,705 academic tests for online students and student missing in-class exams; 3,648 placement tests for new or returning students; 100 Credit for Prior Learning CLEP or DSST exams; 1,716 Pearson VUE exams; 1,740 high school equivalency exams; and 413 TEAS/HOAE/Kaplan (Allied Health Admissions) tests.
2. Awarded an additional 39 students associate degrees as part of the Reverse Transfer program with the UNC system.

E. Lead local and regional Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics (STEAM) initiatives.

1. Hosted STEM Open House at RCCC@NCRC for more than 300 local K-12 public and private students and more than 400 members of the community.
2. Awarded $750 from the state STEM festival to be used in the College’s STEM Open House.
3. Selected as one of only ten colleges to participate in the N.C. Space Grant Team Design Challenge and Competition with NASA.

2. Foster a culture of learning that inspires academic excellence and promotes student success.

A. Deliver innovative, technology-enabled and high-quality instruction.

1. Nominated for innovative online instruction award for CIS-115 from the NC distance education association. The course was
   re-developed and is 100 percent accessible with no textbook and based entirely on open educational resources.
2. Developed a new smart classroom standard that incorporates interactive technologies and mobile devices to provide a platform for continued expansion into next generation learning spaces.
3. Identified, ordered, secured, and organized equipment and supplies to start the Occupational Therapy Assistant program in
   addition to constructing the Occupational Therapy Assistant Home Simulation Lab in Building 600 at North Campus, which
   will enable students to test their skills in a simulated home environment.
4. Increased use of library electronic resources by 70 percent.

B. Enhance learning outcomes by developing expertise in effective teaching practices, curriculum pathway design, instructional technologies, learning assessment and student development.

1. Incorporated accessibility training into the online instructor certification courses.
2. Provided a three-day training and professional development program through the Center for Teaching and Learning focused on accessibility, classroom impact, and college initiatives resulting in over 154 certificates being awarded to faculty and staff.

C. Reaffirm accreditations from SACSCOC and other accrediting bodies through successful completion of required self-study, Quality Enhancement Plan, and other accrediting agency requirements.

1. Achieved accolades from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) for the reaccreditation of the College’s nursing programs for an additional eight years.
2. Continued the planning process and completed the phase one pre-accreditation for the Physical Therapist Assistant program.
3. Continued promotion of and execution of the College’s Quality Enhancement Plan, SEEK, the Student Education Empowerment Kit.

D. Continuously improve programs and services through focused, systematic and ongoing unit reviews and annual planning.

1. Implemented a master shell developer workshop to provide in-depth training on developing master course shells with
   an increased focus on accessibility and development of student learning outcomes.
2. Completed 10 program reviews in the 2016-2017 review cycle in support of the three-year comprehensive program review processes. Of these, eight program reviews were within the academic areas emphasizing the focus on learning outcomes.
3. Embarked on outreach campaign to secure additional dental partners and clinical site locations for the dental assisting program, resulting in eight additional clinical affiliate sites.

E. Improve achievement on Performance Measures established by the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS).

1. Increased state performance measures for first year progression and curriculum completion by 2.6 percent and 2.8 percent respectively in 2017.
2. Updated general education goals to focus on qualities that make a successful transfer student and improve outcomes on the state performance measures.

F. Continuously improve completion rates.

1. Increased number of students who remained enrolled through the College’s census date period by more than three percent from fall 2016 to fall 2017.
2. Signed Adult High School agreements with Cabarrus and Rowan schools to complement High School Equivalency programs.
3. Achieved a 100 percent pass rate for the fifth consecutive year in the College’s Practical Nursing program.
4. Achieved a 100 percent pass rate for the sixth consecutive year in the College’s Radiography program.

3. Provide excellent service to current and prospective students, colleagues, businesses, industries, and the community.

A. Enhance access to academic support, technology and financial services for students.

1. Transformed student success services, creating a proactive Student Success Model that meets students where they are; empowers them to see what their future can be; and helps them achieve their goals for a better tomorrow.
2. Awarded financial aid totaling more than $10.2 million to over 4,000 students in academic year 2016-2017.
3. Served 295 veteran students with Veterans Affairs awards totaling $398,831.
4. Transitioned from R25 to 25 Live software to better serve the needs of the College and provide opportunities for enhanced room and space scheduling.
5. Increased efficiency of student support by lowering the average inbound call times and average wait times for walk-in  students.
6. Launched updated internal system, Colleague UI 5, and migrated student technology resources to student-friendly platform, Self Service.
7. Transitioned to a new Student Advocacy Services area, including academic and career advising, accessibility services, and
   wellness center, serving almost 12,000 student interactions.
8. Engaged students by logging more than 5,000 involvement hours in the Student Life & Leadership student NavSync portal.
9. Expanded GAP Scholarship assistance program to provide financial support for tuition and books for students who either do
   not qualify for Pell Grants or who qualify for some financial aid but need help filling the financial gap between aid and cost of books or tuition.
10. Awarded $55,539.70 in Rowan Scholarship funding to 86 students thanks to a generous gift from Fred and Alice Stanback.
11. Embarked on an initiative to lower the cost of textbooks for students, including a proposal seeking out a new online bookstore model.

B. Engage students in planning and developing their educational goals and career pathways, including co-curricular experiences.

1. Celebrated Najma Hassan, the statewide winner of the 2017 North Carolina Dallas Herring Achievement Award.
2. Supported 135 emerging student leaders through the National Society of Leadership and Success.
3. Received a NC Works Career Coach grant which allowed the College to partner with the Rowan-Salisbury School System to provide two career coaches in three high schools to help students gain career clarity and to support students who do not have a plan for post-graduation.
4. Connected 208 interns with 153 Rowan and Cabarrus employers to supplement classroom instruction.
5. Graduated the first three students with Global Distinction honors in spring 2017.
6. Enrolled largest cohort of 24 Crosby Scholars for Fall 2017.
7. Celebrated the National Leadership and Skills Conference student award winners for first place in Major Appliance and Refrigeration Technology and HVAC/R.

C. Foster a culture of inquiry, improving the use of data and technologies to strengthen service.

1. Launched a new College website with a modern design, mobile friendly user interface, and enhanced mobile capabilities that simplify the experience for students to learn about the College, register for courses, and complete their academic goals.
2. Implemented BoardDocs, an e-Governance tool, for the President’s Cabinet, the President’s Council, and internal committees
   in order to maximize efficiency, reduce costs, reduce staff time and improve board/committee effectiveness in alignment with the College’s sustainability efforts.
3. Built a knowledge base to serve as a centralized source of Navigation Station related information to assist staff.
4. Successfully updated all classroom computers to Windows 10 for the start of the fall 2017 semester, making Rowan-Cabarrus the first community college to have Windows 10 fully deployed to all computers.
5. Implemented OnBase Reporting Dashboards and new OnBase forms to increase efficiency and process flow in order to better serve students, faculty and staff, including a Human Resources dashboard which tracks the completion of attestations each year.
6. Continued enhancing the College’s robust IT infrastructure by upgrading the overall bandwidth, allowing for faster internet speeds in order to support student, faculty and staff needs.
7. Developed completely paperless online application, approval and registration process for the Career & College Promise program to reduce the possibility of errors, and better meet students and high school counselors where they are.
8. Organized and established the first Student Library Council, which provides students the opportunity to share their perspectives on library services, resources, spaces and to promote civic responsibility by supporting various literacy initiatives on campus and throughout Rowan and Cabarrus counties.
9. Expanded the orientation program, specifically by developing an online platform to better accommodate online learners and meet the needs of non-traditional students.
10. Expanded the availability of a low cost Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) computer purchasing program for students in the College’s business programs, making available the use of financial aid funds and providing free Microsoft Office to all students.
11. Modernized the College’s data center to take advantage of hybrid data services hosted both on campus and in the cloud, reducing the data center server footprint by 60%, increasing overall data center capacity, enhancing disaster recovery capabilities, and increasing power efficiency supporting the College’s sustainability efforts.

4. Acquire, develop, and manage human, fiscal, and physical resources essential to the development and delivery of technology-enriched, high value education and service.

A. Plan and optimize resources in a fiscally responsible manner.

1. Received exemplary audits of financial statements and internal control compliance for both the College and Foundation.
2. Received a glowing audit report for the second year in a row from an audit of the College’s Veterans Education financial aid benefits programs.
3. Increased collection of delinquent debt by 14 percent, collecting a total of $320,543.44 in outstanding monies owed to the College.
4. Partnered with Carolinas HealthCare System as they utilized available classroom space at NCRC to provide instruction to their employees, a partnership which generated revenue for the College.

B. Secure public and private funding in support of the college’s mission.

1. Raised 114 percent of the $7.1 million goal for the Foundation’s Building a More Prosperous Community Major Gifts Campaign in support of the College.
2. Celebrated the generosity of Fred and Alice Stanback for their contribution of $2.68 million to support the College’s sustainability efforts including student scholarships and funding for the construction of the second phase of the College’s Renewable Energy Plan. The plan includes solar panels on the roofs of Building 100, 200, and 300 at North Campus, as well as construction of the one megawatt solar farm in Salisbury.
3. Awarded two grants from the Golden LEAF Foundation; $560,000 to develop a new mechatronics program and upgrade
   equipment for the welding program in Rowan County and $403,487 to establish a new Light Diesel Technology degree program in Cabarrus County.
4. Received several significant in-kind donations from generous partners, including Griffin Guitars, Autozone, Thread Shed and more.
5. Secured $3,356,900.15 in funding through the RCCC Foundation to support the College’s highest priority needs and student
   scholarships from the Annual Fund, Major Gifts Campaign, Golf Tournament, the Scholarship Luncheon and more.
6. Submitted 38 grant applications, and from those applications, received 22 grant awards totaling almost $1.7 million, which is a 73 percent return rate.
7. Contracted with an external firm, McLaughlin & Young, to provide referral services for students who need short-term  assistance, such as counseling support, to help them work through personal challenges hindering their ability to continue on their journey to completion.
8. Received $114,000 from NC Community College System to develop the building construction program.

C. Provide facilities that are safe, welcoming, sustainable, and flexible to support the college’s mission.

1. Completed the design of the Advanced Technology Center which will be constructed at the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis.
2. Contracted with Rodgers Builders as the Construction Manager at Risk for the Advanced Technology Center which is planned for construction in 2018.
3. Received two grants from Duke Energy to assist in the acquisition and construction of Electric Vehicle Charging stations on the North and South campuses.
4. Continued efforts to improve the College’s energy efficiency by cutting the combined energy use of both electricity and natural
   gas by two percent, while square footage of buildings increased.
5. Improved public safety by installing electronic access control systems on campus buildings and upgrading surveillance cameras and fire alarm systems at the North Campus.
6. Purchased the former Webster Radiator & AC shop at 650 Concord Parkway, North directly adjacent to the Cabarrus Business & Technology Center using Connect NC Bond funds.
7. Partnered with the City of Kannapolis in support of the downtown Kannapolis revitalization efforts to relocate the College’s
   Cosmetology program from its current West Avenue campus to its new location at 489 Cannon Boulevard, which will be known as College Station.

D. Be the employer of choice.

1. Hosted a College Health Fair with more than 300 students and employees and approximately 50 external partners in
   attendance.
2. Provided onsite vaccination clinics and health checks for employees in both Rowan and Cabarrus counties.
3. Conducted walking challenges, in spring and fall, in support of the College’s wellness focus.

E. Build an inclusive, performance-based culture aligned with core values.

1. Held all-employee meetings and Q&A sessions for College faculty and staff at the beginning of both the spring and the fall semesters to facilitate communications and build relationships.
2. Enhanced communication with employees by sending six President’s Messages outlining the College’s latest updates and priorities.
3. Hosted a “Conversations with the President” session where students had the opportunity to meet with the College’s president to share their day-to-day experiences and ask career and leadership advice.
4. Implemented diversity training for all College employees as part of a College-wide focus on diversity and inclusion for the 2017-2018 academic year to help the College foster a work environment in which all individuals are treated fairly and with respect, while also having equal access to opportunities and resources.

F. Strategically support leadership and professional development opportunities.

1. Managed 5,467 hours of individual professional development of employees.
2. Sponsored college employees to participate in Leadership Rowan & Cabarrus and the North Carolina Community College System Leadership Program.
3. Developed and delivered the Incident Commander Course, which utilizes the Federal National Incident Management System
   guidelines to train employees on how to manage an emergency incident on campus, to all employees tasked with responsibilities for emergencies.
4. Enhanced tutoring services by receiving College Reading & Learning Association International Tutoring Training Certification for Level 2 Advanced and conducted the first Level 2 training with 18 participants.

5. Serve as a catalyst for advancing the region.

A. Build, cultivate, and maintain excellent relationships locally and state-wide with leaders and innovators to increase support and influence practices and regulations affecting community colleges.

1. Executed strategic conversations with the Board of Trustees and the Rowan County Board of Commissioners, City of Kannapolis, Cabarrus Economic Development and North Carolina Senator Dan Barrett.
2. Featured on the cover of the American Association of Community Colleges’ Community College Journal for President Carol
   Spalding’s “Understanding the Internet of Things” article.
3. Planned and hosted several education and networking events for healthcare professionals in fields such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, and dental assisting.
4. Reorganized and held a meeting of the local Library Advisory Board, which was attended by many external and internal partners from local communities.
5. Promoted participation by staff, faculty, and administrators at the local, state, and federal levels. College employees serve as officers on local Chamber Boards, within Rotaries in both counties, numerous boards, and in national higher education organizations.

B. Expand the region’s workforce by attracting, retaining, and developing high quality talent.

1. Served 195 area businesses with training and support to improve skills and grow talent.
2. Offered 280 courses in criminal justice continuing education with students completing 58,275 hours of training and
   awarding 5,823 certificates.
3. Worked with several local employers on new initiatives to help facilitate the testing, screening, training and employment of local individuals.
4. Coordinated and managed 16 customized training projects and served 28 others through customized training business and industry services, expending more than $228,463 to train 3,609 employees for business expansion/retention.

C. Partner with employers to establish seamless transitions between education and work.

1. Provided 60 free Small Business Center seminars for local small businesses with 589 attendees.
2. Hosted employer spotlights to assist expanding businesses to promote employment opportunities and connect with prospective candidates.
3. Placed over 200 student interns through Work-Based Learning.
4. Achieved high job placement rates, including 100 percent job placement for radiography program and 94 percent placement for dental assisting program (100 percent of those seeking employment).

D. Collaborate with economic development partners to promote entrepreneurial opportunities and job growth within the region.

1. Awarded Center of Excellence recognition for the Small Business Center by the NC Small Business Center Network.
2. Helped create 45 jobs and assist with 11 business start-ups through advising and coaching provided through Rowan-Cabarrus Small Business Center.
3. Collaborated with local chambers of commerce to provide on-site Small Business Center counseling to existing and emerging
   small business ventures.

E. Expand the college role as a community partner in developing citizens who work to improve the quality of life.

1. Hosted three job fairs for students with community partners including NC Works Career Center Cabarrus and Rowan, the City
   of Salisbury, and other community agencies, which had a total of 139 employers and 892 job seekers, students and community members who participated in the event.
2. Increased participation in United Way by 44 percent, contributing a total of $12,700 during the 2017 United Way Campaign.
3. Created new food pantry at three campus locations (North, South and NCRC) by collecting more than 1,000 non-perishable
   food items.
4. Collaborated with Rowan County Commission to continue implementing the Better Jobs for Better Lives in Rowan County campaign including outreach, marketing, scholarships, training and placement of Rowan County residents.
5. Facilitated development of the Growing Rowan initiative, focusing on education, workforce development, marketing and business climate efforts in Rowan County.
6. Participated in Read Across America, visiting 48 classrooms and reading to 962 students, as well as sponsoring an annual book drive resulting in nearly 1,600 donated books.
7. Volunteered at Kannapolis Cruise-In and other campus, community and non-profit events, offering free haircuts from the Cosmetology program.
8. Hosted the Criminal Justice Technology Education and Job Fair, which was attended by sixteen local and state law enforcement agencies and two universities.