Conclusion

Strengths

• The Board of Trustees, administration, faculty and staff are committed to the College mission.
• A viable planning process and governance structure is in place.
• Because of sound fiscal planning, the College's financial stability is expected to continue.
• The College maintains ethical practices in all its relationships, both internally and externally.
• A budget process is in place that allows for purchasing necessary classroom and laboratory equipment.
• The College installed a campus-wide fiber optic network and developed an ongoing revenue source to replace and maintain the network and peripheral technology.
• A redesigned MCCC campus is aesthetically pleasing and safe.
• The College has a reliable process for hiring, orienting, and evaluating administrators, faculty, and staff.
• Reliable survey instruments are used to measure the College's effectiveness toward students, faculty, staff, and employers.
• The College provides a strong instructional support system, including Writing-Across-the-Curriculum (WAC), Supplemental Instruction (SI), and individual or group tutoring.
• Campus-wide understanding and support of institutional assessment has provided substantial progress in this area.
• An effective student services area focuses on student needs in financial aid, academic advising, career counseling, child care, registration, and student records.

Challenges

• Institutional assessment must continue to be a campus-wide focus, including continuous improvement efforts utilizing results.
• New revenue sources must be pursued in case traditional funding sources such as state aid, tuition, and local millages remain static or decline.
• Continuing to hire qualified staff for new and existing programs. Retraining current staff as appropriate.
• Continuing to provide leadership, staff time, and funding for future development needs.
• Developing programs and delivery systems that meet the changing educational needs of MCCC's students, including distance learning and on-line instruction.
• Maintaining on-going enthusiasm and active participation in the institutional planning process.

The results of the Self-Study effort have been shown in the information presented in this Executive Summary.

As a continuing part of this process, a new Institutional Plan 1999-2002 has been developed. Listed below are the main themes of that plan. While too numerous to include here, each theme has from 7 to 10 sub-themes which are very specific goals.

The new Institutional Plan is a result of total staff input into the Self-Study and institutional planning process. The plan serves as the focus for institutional direction for the next three years.