2025 Facilities Plan Report.pdf

Mt. Hood Community College

2024 Facilities Plan Report Fall 2024

Opsis Architecture

975 SE Main Street Portland, OR 97214 503.525.9511 opsisarch.com

Mt. Hood Community College

26000 SE Stark Street Gresham, OR 97030

Acknowledgements

STEERING COMMITTEE

Jennifer DeMent, VP Finance and Administration

Betsy Julian, VP Instruction

John Hamblin, VP Student Development

Charles George, Assoc. VP of Facilities

Mejdi Mahjoub, Purchasing and Procurement

Marie Andrews, IT Client Services Manager

Doug Schleichert, Facilities Project Manager

Blake Brown, Infrastructure Services Manager

Troy Builta, Building Information Specialist

Laura Nash, Dean Integrated Media, Performing Arts and Visual Arts

Jeff Sperley, ISTM Faculty

OPSIS ARCHITECTURE

Mark Stoller, Planner

CONSULTANT

Lisa Macklin, Comprehensive Facilities Planning

Mt. Hood Community College | 2024 Facilities Plan Report

Table of Contents

Executive Summary 1

Planning Process 4

Strategic Plan Summary 6

Academic Plan Summary 15

Environmental Scan 24

Utilization Analysis Summary 30

Needs Assessment 39

5-Year Campus Improvements 44

Improvement Concepts 57

Appendix 70

01Executive Summary

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The 2024-2034 Facilities Master Plan will provide Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) with a strategy for planned academic growth and the facility improvements to support their vision of the future.

During the past five years MHCC has experienced a decline in enrollment due to the COVID Pandemic and has successfully adjusted its approach to instructional delivery to best meet the needs of its student population and community partners. With enrollment trending in the positive direction, MHCC is positioned to see increased program development as the East County continues to grow.

Executive Summary

Needs Assessment

The goal of this planning process was to assess both the academic needs and facility utilization, to ensure the instructional needs are supported by appropriate spaces and facilities. This process involved an engagement strategy that shared ideas and solicited input from faculty, students, and community partners. To assess College needs, focus group work sessions were held with the following constituents:

• Academic Instruction

• Student Development and Success

• DEI and Accessibility

• Welcoming and Wayfinding

• Sustainability

• Sports and Recreation

• Asset Preservation / Deferred Maintenance

• Safety and Security

• Campus Technology

From these focus groups came the development of a comprehensive understanding of campus needs. These needs were then distilled into improvements that could be accomplished in the next five years.

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Facility Utilization Analysis

Accompanying the needs assessment, a comprehensive utilization analysis was conducted for the Gresham and Maywood Park Campuses, and the Bruning Center to assess existing facilities and where future improvements should be focused. The analysis indicates that the majority of instructional spaces are currently underutilized. There is a surplus of general-purpose classrooms and existing classrooms would benefit from improved technology and furnishings.

The area dedicated to labs and training spaces is adequate, but the science labs and associated storage are very outdated and require a significant renovation to promote current science instruction and safe chemical handling.

5-Year Campus Improvements

The needs assessment workshops established a solid foundation for the development of potential improvements for the next five years. Concepts for several of these improvement areas have been developed and are included this report.

Instruction

• Integrate the Allied Health Programs.

• Move the nursing program to the Gresham Campus.

• Develop an Allied Health Multidisciplinary Lab.

• New EMT Lab with access to outside training area.

• Renovation of the science labs and support spaces.

• Enhance spaces to support instructional modalities.

• Library - spaces for small group instruction and informal student learning.

Equity and Access

• Improve and add elevators.

• Replace existing toilet rooms with all-gender toilet rooms and lactation rooms.

• Create “Activity Centers”

• Lounge areas for informal student interactions and study.

• Access to restrooms, elevators, and food.

• Title IX improvements to athletic facilities.

Welcoming Feel

• Increase the use of color.

• Increase transparency into support and activity spaces.

• Improve approachability of campus

Student Support and Success

• Transform Library into a “Learning Resource Center”.

• Provide additional space for student clubs and organizations.

• Food - Explore new delivery models and provide social spaces for food sharing.

Asset Preservation and Deferred Maintenance

• Annual HVAC, plumbing, and electrical replacements / upgrades.

• Building envelope / energy conservation upgrades.

• 50 Meter Pool Enclosure

• Renewable Energy - photovoltaic panels on building roofs and electric vehicle charging systems.

Safety and Security

• Building intrusion and alarms.

• Mass notification systems.

• Cyber Security

• Campus grounds - Interior and exterior lighting.

02Planning Process

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Planning Process

With data from the needs assessment and utilization analysis, the Steering Committee developed necessary campus improvements that could be accomplished in a five-year period. These improvements reflect MHCC’s instructional program focus and community needs.

The goals and intent of this Comprehensive Facilities Plan is to establish a framework for thoughtful, organized sustainable growth supported by an inclusive process involving faculty, staff and community members. MHCC embraces East Multnomah County and its many communities, large and small. A core element of this process was to understand the educational needs of the region and how best to support it with campus and facility planning.

The planning process included the guidance of a Steering Committee, with committee members representing faculty, staff and College Leadership. The process began with a needs assessment encompassing eight areas of focus to establish a comprehensive understanding of MHCC’s needs across is Gresham and Maywood Park Campuses, and the Bruning Center. These workshops explored the academic strengths and weaknesses, identifying and informing program focuses for the future. To accompany the needs assessment, MHCC conducted a utilization analysis to assess the effective use of classrooms and labs, comparing current usage with previous peak use and trends in higher education.

03Strategic Plan Summary

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Mt. Hood Community College Strategic Plan serves as the guiding document for the College’s work over the next five years. The vision, mission, and values established through this Strategic Plan will define the work and future pathways for the College to support the success of the students, growth of staff, and building and strengthening community relationships and connections. All of which resulting in closing the achievement gap for all people regardless of educational and academic goals, economic status, race and ethnicity, or stage in life.

This Plan provides a framework to address key challenges and opportunities for our work, incorporating the ideas that have emerged from the Community College and broader community throughout our planning process. A robust engagement process included several focus groups, one-on-one interviews, an initial survey to understand opportunities and challenges. Out of these discussions, nine key themes emerged as areas that needed to be addressed. All of this cumulated in a half-day charrette with discussions that revolved around ideas and solutions. This resulted in five Strategic Plan Goals for the College.

These conversations laid the groundwork for the College’s Strategic Plan Framework, including updates to Mt. Hood Community College’s Vision, Mission and Values, seen in the following pages. This included revisiting the Community College’s equity statement, which is intended to fully support the College’s commitment to inclusive, equitable opportunities and outcomes for all.

Interdisciplinary working groups, with guidance from the Process Management Committee, were created specifically to review key challenges and opportunities and the ideas and strategies for addressing them that emerged from the community engagement process. This information served as a basis to develop objectives to meet each Goal. These are laid out in Chapter 3.

The following are key terms used in the Strategic Planning Process.

A Mission defines why the college exist and the overall purpose of the College.

A Vision is an aspirational statement describing the College’s ideal future state. The vision statement describes what success will look and feel like.

Values are core principles by which the College will carry out the mission. They define the basic attributes and beliefs that shape and guide College decision-making and provide ways of choosing among competing priorities.

Goals are defined as broad statements of direction that define what the College is trying to achieve.

Objectives are detailed statements that describe what to do to attain the goals.

Strategic Plan Summary

25 | Mt. Hood Community College Strategic Plan r the nts, ning All of gap for demic r stage ey from unity rvey s . Out ged this ssions his ollege .

r the ng Vision, ges .

ege’s support and opportunities and the ideas and strategies for addressing them that emerged from the community engagement process . This information served as a basis to develop objectives to meet each Goal . These are laid out in Chapter 3 .

The following are key terms used in the Strategic Planning Process .

A Mission defines why the college exist and the overall purpose of the College .

A Vision is an aspirational statement describing the College’s ideal future state . The vision statement describes what success will look and feel like .

Values are core principles by which the College will carry out the mission . They define the basic attributes and beliefs that shape and guide College decision-making and provide ways of choosing among competing priorities .

Goals are defined as broad statements of direction that define what the College is trying to achieve .

Objectives are detailed statements that describe what to do to attain the goals .

Mt. Hood Community College | 2024 Facilities Plan Report 8

26 | Mt. Hood Community College Strategic Plan

Equity Statement At Mt . Hood Community College we hold ourselves accountable to align our systems, policies, practices, and resource allocations to strategically and purposefully advance equity . We recognize the harm done to historically excluded people . We work towards a future where all people across the spectrum of difference thrive at Mt . Hood Community College . We seek to provide every person within our community the tools to be successful . We actively design equitable systems to promote fairness and justice .

Mt . Hood Community College prioritizes equity and acknowledges the importance of the ongoing and intentional work to interrupt oppression and remove barriers that perpetuate inequity . We strive to become an organization that demonstrates equity in concept, practice, and outcomes, where all people are valued and feel a sense of belonging .

Vision Statement Mt . Hood Community College is valued as a cornerstone of the community for affordability, equitable student success, innovation, and financial stewardship .

Mission Statement With a commitment to being inclusive, Mt . Hood Community College offers a full range of education and training in a supportive environment to advance personal and professional growth . We are a community hub for cultural, economic, recreational, and intellectual enrichment .

Goal B Educational Programs

& Support Services

Goal C Organizational Structure, Systems, & Processes

Goal D Facilities & Technology

Goal E Community Connections

Strategic Plan Framework

Goals

MHCC Is Committed to These Values

Goal A Teaching &

Learning

Accessibility We seek to minimize barriers

Equity We value fairness and impartiality

Innovation We believe in continuous improvement

Learning We foster an environment to support student success

Quality We aspire to excellence in all our programs and services

Support We seek to create an encouraging environment

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Goal A-Teaching and Learning Improve Teaching and Learning Practices and Processes to Support Learning and Success for All Students.

Objectives:

OBJECTIVE A1

Provide ongoing trainings and time for teaching staff to integrate best practices for effective and inclusive teaching into their classes, including culturally responsive teaching, experiential learning, and community connections . (On-going)

OBJECTIVE A2

Create welcoming and trauma-informed learning environments that promote a sense of belonging and well-being, cultivating a learning mindset for all members of the campus community . Collaborate across units, divisions, and departments with curated topics (On-going)

OBJECTIVE A.3

Improve and/or develop assessment of course, program, and core outcome levels;

creating a cycle of continuous improvement for teaching and learning . (0-2 years and On-going)

OBJECTIVE A.4

Re-design and implement the teaching and course evaluation system to provide support (i) for students to give feedback to teaching staff and (ii) to incorporate meaningful formative and summative student feedback to teaching staff that will improve teaching and learning . (0-2 years and On-going)

OBJECTIVE A.5

Increase student success by maintaining high academic standards while reducing the overall DFWI (D, F, withdrawal, incomplete) rate through improved course learning conditions and enhanced co-curricular support . (On-going)

Mt. Hood Community College | 2024 Facilities Plan Report 10 nity College Strategic Plan

Goal B-Educational Programs and Support Services Provide the Full Range of Educational and Support Programs and Services Needed to Allow Students to Meet their Educational, Career, and Personal Goals

Objectives:

OBJECTIVE B.1

Identify and align programs and offerings internally and with local and regional partners and community-based organizations to better meet industry and community needs . (On-going)

OBJECTIVE B.2

Develop and implement a regularly occurring and transparent comprehensive academic program review process that aligns with accreditation process and includes a 360-degree review from employees, students, community members, and partners .

(0-2 years and On-going)

OBJECTIVE B.3

Develop and implement a regularly occurring comprehensive review of student support services (advising, TRIO, AVID, etc .) to ensure continuous alignment with student needs . (0-2 years and On-going)

OBJECTIVE B.4

Identify and align support services to parallel student needs and interests (student basic needs, Barney’s pantry, Head Start, etc .) . (On-going)

OBJECTIVE B.5

Create a process that identifies student needs and interests (modality, day/time, location, etc .) then align academic courses and programs to parallel findings .

(2-5 years)

OBJECTIVE B.6

Expand the community college’s academic program planning and review process and prepare an updated Academic Program Plan that is integrated with the Strategic Enrollment and Comprehensive Facilities plans, to include the values, mission, vision and meet the goals of the Strategic Plan . (2-5 years)

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Goal C-Organizational Structure, Systems and Processes Align the College’s Organizational Structure, Systems and Processes to Reflect the Diversity of the Communities We Serve

Objectives:

OBJECTIVE C.1

Address structural inequity to increase diverse representation of students and employees . (On-going)

OBJECTIVE C.2

Create a structural framework for equity to be a part of the student and employee experience throughout the life cycle . (0-2 years and On-going)

OBJECTIVE C.3

Consistently use the equity lens tool to continuously embed equity principles into the college’s systems and processes . (On-going)

OBJECTIVE C.4

Build a positive climate using principles of equity and trauma-informed care .

(On-going)

OBJECTIVE C.5

Ensure that the implementation progress of the Strategic Enrollment Plan is integrated with the Academic Program and Comprehensive Facilities plans and is annually evaluated and findings are publicly posted and reported to the Board of Education . (On-going)

OBJECTIVE C.6

Seek additional funding through a variety of potential revenue sources such as a local bond measure, grants, and philanthropic and industry funding and support to implement the objectives defined in this Strategic Plan . (On-going)

OBJECTIVE C.7

Expand and strengthen the Office of Student Basic Needs to increase resources for students . (0-5 years)

Mt. Hood Community College | 2024 Facilities Plan Report 12 nity College Strategic Plan

Goal D-Facilities and Technology Provide Facilities and Technology Platforms to Serve The Needs of All Students

Objectives:

OBJECTIVE D.1

Expand awareness and utilization of the college’s centralized calendaring system and provide training for new hires . (0-2 years)

OBJECTIVE D.2

Improve MHCC’s website presence to streamline, improve readability level, include language translation and refine focus to ensure it is geared towards student and the community .

(2-5 years)

OBJECTIVE D.3

Spread awareness of IT and facilities initiatives and improvements on Campus . (0-2 years)

OBJECTIVE D.4

Identify gaps, consider feedback to identify priority improvements, put together a funding and resource plan based on priorities identified, and implement priority projects for Online Learning . (0-5 years)

OBJECTIVE D.5

Ensure student and employee facing electronic systems, including the Community College website and registration system, are user friendly and easy to navigate; utilizing business process review to identify and prioritize improvements . (2-5 years and On-going)

OBJECTIVE D.6

Update the Comprehensive Facilities Plan to be integrated with the Academic Program and Strategic Enrollment plans, and proactively seek funding sources or partnerships to implement strategies that will support a welcoming, safe, and inclusive physical setting .

(2-5 years)

OBJECTIVE D.7

Ensure that all employees and students have modern and up-to-date office and classroom technology that is consistent of current workplace/industry needs . (On-going)

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Goal E-Coordinate Community Connections Increase Our Visibility and Strengthen the Connection Between the College and Our Local and Regional Community Partners

Objectives:

OBJECTIVE E.1

Develop a process for capturing the work MHCC is doing to connect with the community, and coordinate our efforts for engaging and informing the public, as well as the campus community . (0-2 years and On-going)

OBJECTIVE E.2

Ensure the College is authentically engaging with historically excluded and multi-lingual communities . (0-2 years and On-going)

OBJECTIVE E.3

Create and implement a mechanism for accurate translation of community facing materials/flyers/etc . (0-2 years and On-going)

OBJECTIVE E.4

Partner with local organizations to create a community hub to exchange and share resources . (0-2 years and On-going)

OBJECTIVE E.5

Collaborate with local businesses and industry partners to create opportunities for experiential learning that leads to career-level, living and/or family wage employment . (On-going)

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36 | Mt. Hood Community College Strategic Plan

Indicator Definition Goals* Disaggregation Bench marking History Targets:

Student Success Indicators:

Completion Students’ completion rate six years after enrollment

A, B, D Race, Gender, Age group, Pell status, FT/ PT status, College Readiness

PDP 2017-2022 Increase six-year completion to 40% by 2027

Retention Fall to Fall Retention adjusted for students who continued their education elsewhere

A, B, D Increase fall-to-fall retention rate to 70% by

Credit Accumulation Rate

Proportion of students that are progressing toward credential completion .

A, B, D Increase percentage of students earning 23 credits in the first year of study to 40% by

Student Learning Indicators:

Core Learning Outcomes

Percentage of reviewed artifacts of learning meeting predetermined threshold .

A, B, D Same as above Local New Increase percentage of work meeting threshold to 80% (*current number is not known yet)

Community Indicators:

Valued by the Community

Percentage of community members who believe that MHCC is a good investment for the community .

Conduct two question surveys annually .

E Race, Gender, Age group, Local Business, High School seniors/ parents, Advisory boards, community members

Local 2016 The question we used to ask:

MHCC is a good steward of our taxpayer dollars

Increase percentage of community members who believe MHCC is a good steward of taxpayer dollars to 70% by 2027

High School In- Take Rate

Percentage of in-district HS graduates transitioning to

MHCC

E 2019 2017-2022 Increase percentage of in-district HS graduates transitioning to MHCC to 30% by

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Employees Diversity

Each employee group reflects diversity of MHCC district

A, B, C Race Local 2017-2022 Increase diversity of each employee group to be within 5% of MHCC district by 2027

Students Diversity

Student body reflects diversity of MHCC district

A, B, D Race Local 2017-2022 Increase percentage of students of color to be at least 5% over MHCC district by 2027

Performance Indicators *This column shows which of the 5 sets of goals and objectives most closely aligns with each performance indicator .

04Academic Plan

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Academic Plan Summary

Introduction

The Academic Program Plan (APP) is intended to serve as a framework for Mt. Hood Community College’s academic future from 2023-2033. This ten-year plan uses internal and external information to give broad guidelines for academic planning at MHCC. It is not a prescriptive document; it is a document that identifies some areas of growth, and also provides suggestions on how the college should evaluate new instructional proposals.

The APP is divided into sections of emphasis. Each section is linked to strategic plan goals and makes recommendations for the college. The Academic Program Plan Working Group (APPWG) designed this document to be reference material for any MHCC employee who has an idea for a new academic offering or a revision to an existing program.

The Academic Program Plan was written with the goal of fulfilling outcomes from the MHCC Strategic Plan. The Academic Program Plan Working Group used information from the 2022 MHCC Environmental Scan, surveys of faculty, deans, staff and students, and publicly available data from Greater Portland Inc.

in the development of this plan.

It is crucial to acknowledge that the needs of our community are subject to change over time. To serve the community effectively and equitably, we must develop an active and adaptive plan that can respond to these evolving needs. By remaining attentive and responsive to the changing dynamics, we can ensure that our educational system remains inclusive and provides equal opportunities for all members of the community.

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Goal: To stay relevant and thrive, MHCC must thoughtfully add new academic offerings and services; also, MHCC must revise and update existing programs and services to meet current and future community needs. Given the consensus that the student population is rapidly diversifying, all areas of opportunity for academic programs mentioned in this section must be considered through an Equity Lens (see Section

2) to ensure they meet the needs of the changing population.

Section 1: Opportunities for Academic Offerings

THEMES FROM THE DATA

Based on the information gathered by the Academic Program Plan Working Group (APPWG), this section suggests areas of opportunity for growth in current and future academic offerings. MHCC should evaluate the following when assessing new and existing academic programs.

ACADEMIC OFFERINGS: DO THEY MEET LOCAL

NEEDS?

According to their website, “Greater Portland Inc (GPI)” is the only regional public-private partnership dedicated to creating and expanding jobs and driving tangible regional prosperity. The organization is supported by public-sector partners, private investors and philanthropic groups throughout the region,” (Greater Portland Inc. website, https://www.

greaterportlandinc.com/about-us . Paragraph1).

GPI focuses on eight areas of local career emphasis:

• Apparel and Outdoor

• Bioscience

• Climate Tech

• Computers and Electronics

• Design and Media

• Food and Beverage

• Metals and Machinery

• Software

Based on the Environmental Scan and information gathered from the campus community, the APPWG identified additional categories of academic emphasis in the MHCC service district:

• Health Professions (including behavior health)

• Apprenticeships

• Overcoming disinformation/critical data analysis, e.g., concerns about Artificial Intelligence, Chat GPT, what skills are needed to most effectively discern truth and misinformation, data science/ analysis opportunities

Chapter 5 of the 2022 Environmental Scan also provides data on areas of job growth in Middle Skill Jobs in the MHCC Service District (e.g., Fig. 1).

APPRENTICESHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Unlike traditional college degree and certificate programs, Apprenticeships are taught at training centers around the region and focus on skilled trades including brick masonry, carpentry, construction, electrical work, glasswork, sheet metal, and many other trades. MHCC earns FTE reimbursement for these programs, and awards AAS degrees and certificates to those who qualify.

MHCC historically enrolls over 6,000 Apprenticeship students per year. From the 2017 academic year to the 2021 academic year, the total was 33,414 students.

Unfortunately, during the same period, only 127 students completed an AAS degree, for a completion rate of 0.38%. By contrast, during the same 2017-2021 period, students in other AAS degree programs were awarded at a rate of 13.07%.

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CAREER PATHWAYS AND WORKFORCE

DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Career Pathways and Workforce Development are other existing areas at the college with opportunities for expansion and growth that should be investigated over the next 10 years.

Career Pathways is an evidence-based model that improves student outcomes and closes equity gaps through high-quality occupational educational/ training programs, intentional support services, and investments in culturally and linguistically specific outreach and career-connected learning that help students succeed.

Career Pathways strategies include:

• Connected education and training enables individuals to secure credentials of value and advance over time to higher levels of education and employment in a given occupation or industry sector. Stackable credentials of value can be both noncredit industry-recognized and/or part of a two-year degree, that results in career and wage advancement over time.

• Intentional student support services may include, but are not limited to, college and support resources navigation, career navigation and preparation such as employability skills, industry tours, resume and interview development, work experiences, and job search assistance.

• Sources or partnerships to implement strategies that will support a welcoming, safe, and inclusive physical setting.

• OBJECTIVE E.2 Ensure the College is authentically engaging with historically excluded and multi-lingual communities.

• OBJECTIVE E.5 Collaborate with local businesses and industry partners to create opportunities for experiential learning that leads to career-level, living and/or family wage employment.

SECTION 1 RECOMMENDATIONS

Over the next ten years, Mt. Hood should place strong emphasis on developing new academic offerings aligned with the workforce training and informational needs of the service district.

Suggestions for aligning current and future academic programs within an academic area:

• Employees making curriculum changes and/ or proposing new academic offerings should demonstrate that their proposal has evidence from multiple sources (internal and external) demonstrating alignment with community and student needs.

• Proposed academic offerings (both new programs and changes to existing offerings) should be evaluated to see if the idea is represented in the Greater Portland Inc. (GPI) areas of emphasis and also reflected in Chapter 5 of the Environmental Scan. Areas where there is an overlap between GPI and the Environmental Scan are recommended for strong consideration.

• Potential academic offerings that can leverage existing MHCC resources, such as courses, facilities (e.g., athletic facilities/personnel, language resources such as ASL/Spanish, aquatics center, existing labs, etc.), technology, alumni, professional/community connections, faculty and staff expertise, etc. should receive strong consideration.

• MHCC employees charged with new program development should seek to find areas of growth, expansion or revision of existing programs when possible.

• Evaluating the cost to gain education versus the expected wages, and career mobility must be factored into evaluating new and existing offerings.

• All new and existing academic offerings should be evaluated to ensure they meet student needs in terms of class days, times, delivery method, relevance etc.

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Suggestions for growth in Apprenticeships over the next ten years include:

• Expanding the definition of general education for Apprenticeship AAS degrees. Requiring students that are studying at an off-campus training site to come to MHCC to complete four general education courses in computation, communication, and human relations is a large barrier to completion. In addition, many training centers reported feeling like their students were being made to repeat content that they were already learning at the training center.

• In 2023, MHCC was approved to expand Apprenticeship AAS general education beyond specific course numbers and include “embedded” education, if offered by the respective training center.

• Data from 2026 onward should show if the expansion of general education for Apprenticeship degrees aids in completion growth.

• Continue to partner with additional training centers.

• Explore the possibility of offering a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Construction Management and/or Project Management, or related field that might draw interest from former Apprenticeship students.

• Industry certification organizations include:

• Construction Management Association of America

• American Institute of Constructors

• Project Management Institute

• Explore what apprenticeship opportunities there may be in different industry sectors.

Suggestions for Expanding Career Pathways at MHCC over the next 10 years include:

• Explore adding new programs and modifying existing Career Technical Education degree program into short-term, stackable, less than one-year, certificates with industry value that are wholly included in the two-year degree program or are noncredit industry recognized credentials with immediate labor market value.

• To make these stackable credentials most desirable, students should be able to attend part-time or full-time, and gain valuable work experience while earning the credential(s). Within a Career Pathway, students should be able to pursue both education and career advancement over a course of time that meets the needs of their professional and personal lives.

• To support these stackable credentials, MHCC should modify procedures and systems to allow auto-awarding of all certificates less than one year in order to ensure that students have the immediate short-term credentials that lead to career and wage advancement in their industry.

• Awarding certificates and credentials as students earn them, as opposed to waiting to award them in bulk after the student completes their full degree is a needed internal process improvement to ensure that stackable credentials have the maximum value for students.

• Lastly, to meet the changing needs of students, community, industry partners, MHCC should explore new, or existing, campus space to support Workforce Development Training growth and expansion. Investing in state-of-the-art facilities for Workforce Training could give MHCC an advantage and meet local workforce needs.

• Create benchmarks, guiding questions and tools for evaluating new program development and reviewing existing programs in support of Strategic Plan Goal B.2.

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Section 2: Equity Checkpoints

The 2022 Environmental Scan and information gathered from employees and students clearly show that the student body at MHCC is rapidly diversifying and changing from historical enrollment patterns.

According to the executive summary of the 2022 Environmental Scan, “MHCC student enrollments reflect this growing diversity in the service area. In 2019 approximately 41% of the student body identified themselves as a student of color – five percentage points more than the people of color in Multnomah County, the most populated county in the service district,” (p. v). Feedback from employees supports the claims in the Environmental Scan related to increasing diversity on campus and noted that students who speak multiple languages or who are learning English are also an increasing population. As noted in the Environmental Scan, MHCC may want to consider aligning the needs of multilingual or foreign language speakers with the needs of local businesses and industries through programs that enable workers to earn a living wage while learning English and other basic skills, (p. 91).

In response to the growing emphasis on equity, there is a noticeable increase in the interest and involvement of various entities such as the government, philanthropic organizations, industries, and the public in equity-related education. It is crucial to recognize that the learner demographic is evolving, with an increasing number of individuals being multilingual and non-native English speakers. This shift prompts the need for changes in instructional practices and curriculum development to better cater to the diverse backgrounds and needs of our students.

The importance of language support cannot be overstated, particularly as we encounter an increasing number of students on campus who possess limited English proficiency. Providing adequate language support services becomes essential to facilitate their academic success and integration into the community.

THEMES FROM THE DATA

• Due to growing emphasis on equity, we may see more government, philanthropic, industry and public interest in equity related education.

• Acknowledge that more and more learners will be multi-lingual (non-native English speakers) through changing instructional practices and curriculum that reflect our students.

• As MHCC district becomes more diverse, and the nation’s education systems as a whole move to eradicate systems that have underserved students of color historically, curricula should embrace culturally relevant teaching practices and multicultural educational practices.

• Language supports are becoming increasingly important as we find more students on campus with very low English skills.

• The needs of our community may shift over time, and we need to have an active, adaptive plan to equitably serve the community.

SECTION 2 RECOMMENDATIONS

• Hire staff that represent the spectrum of demographics we serve and aspire to serve.

• Incentivize adoption of equity-minded policies and practices across areas of study.

• Offer workshops and training that support the development of cultural awareness and culturally informed teaching practice.

• Examine the proposed recruitment and admissions practices for the program, or institution, to ensure equity.

• Upgrade systemic software to allow for more inclusive information gathering such as pronouns, preferred name. Make it easy for students to update and change their preferred name and pronouns.

• Use data and the equity lens to evaluate and implement a student-centered course schedule.

• Assess program costs, including accumulated debt, as a part of the review process with equity in mind.

• Review the existing and needed on-ramps for nontraditional students to access the new programs.

• Track the experiences of students of color and their needs to identify intervention points that may increase completion rates and close the gap between them and their white counterparts.

• Offer ongoing professional development in each department on how to address non-native language speakers’ needs.

• Work with high schools more specifically around multilingual learners and transitioning to College/

IECC.

• Ensure that courses, instructional activities, events, and spaces are accessible and inclusive.

Goal: Drive strategic innovation by prioritizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the development of new programs and the evaluation of existing programs, courses, and college services.

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Section 3: Transitions and Experiences

One goal of the MHCC academic plan is to focus on student transitions and experience. Student transitions and experience refers to not only students enrolling in degree-bearing programs, but also their experience within the programs. Both areas have opportunities for growth, and we believe that improving student transitions and experiences here at MHCC will lead to overall improvement in student completion.

THEMES FROM THE DATA

• Students and the educational system have been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students who have had their educational careers disrupted are facing social, emotional, and educational difficulties returning to the College.

Additionally, students are expecting more flexibility from programs, including different modality options and varied times for class sessions.

• MHCC needs to improve the enrollment process so students can more easily enroll in classes.

Additionally, the college should work to break down silos at the college to help students transition between departments and academic programs.

• We expect to see online services become a more important part of the college and our work moving forward.

SECTION 3 RECOMMENDATIONS

• Streamline course selection and enrollment process for new students who may be unfamiliar with the college.

• Track efforts and record results regarding improvement to enrollment; compare results to enrollments before the changes were implemented.

• Solicit student feedback regarding what is working and what still needs refinement when it comes to enrolling in classes.

• Engage students in non-degree bearing programs to assess their educational interests and help them transition into credit-bearing courses at

MHCC.

• Develop clear transitions into degree-seeking programs for students who are already engaged with the college.

• Improve the percentage of students who transition from these non-degree bearing programs into degree-seeking programs.

• Analyze past schedules and course offerings to identify where the enrollments are successful.

• Create a scheduling process that is responsive to students’ stated interests and enrollment trends that includes the ability to make changes during scheduling periods.

• Ensure several modalities for course delivery are available across programs and academic departments.

• Allow programs and academic departments to run online and hybrid formats that best meet the needs of the students in their areas.

• Explore part-time schedules for students in programs and academic areas that include a realistic timeline for completion.

• Include training on the student experience for faculty, both within classrooms and the college at-large.

Goal: Improve transitions for students to successfully enroll or transfer into academic areas and programs; in addition, improve experiences for students within programs and academic departments by creating a flexible scheduling process with multiple modalities represented.

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Section 4: Wraparound Services

While MHCC has a “strong suite of support services,” according to the Environmental Scan, many students are still unaware of the variety of services available to help them succeed. Faculty and staff are also often unaware of the services available to students, creating frustration and confusion for all parties. Historically, many services live under the student development division, leaving them somewhat siloed from the instructional division. To better serve students, MHCC must work to integrate student support services with instructional services.

THEMES FROM THE DATA

• MHCC has a wide variety of support services available, but not enough students or employees know about them.

• There is a need to better align and integrate services for students, and consistently distribute information to all employees (particularly faculty) and students.

• Multiple technology platforms that do not integrate are a source of frequent frustration.

SECTION 4 RECOMMENDATIONS

• Evaluate and use data to identify successes and shortcomings in the relationship(s) between instruction and student services.

• Develop and implement plans to increase successes and reduce shortcomings and silos.

• Work with Facilities Planning to better utilize existing campus spaces to increase the flow between instructional and non-academic support services.

• Support initiatives to move MHCC toward a new Student Information System (SIS) that contains embedded, interactive tools that reduce the number of different systems students must access.

• Current systems are not properly integrated and require many different logins, links, clicks, etc.

• Academic planning software needs to be integrated with degree audit software to give students an accurate picture of their progress to completion. Transfer students and those who took dual credit in high school, for example, are not getting accurate academic planning with Navigate because it cannot “see” the classes they previously took.

• Once a new SIS is in place, MHCC must provide robust and ongoing training for current employees and provide this training during all new employees’ onboarding.

• Implement early alert best practices to provide subject tutoring and study skills for students identified at risk of DFWI.

• Use data and a review of community college best practices to develop and implement ongoing services that will reduce both academic and non-academic barriers for MHCC students.

• Ensure accessibility of all virtual and physical facilities, including classrooms, the library, and tutoring, to meet ADA requirements.

• Support initiatives that help MHCC faculty, staff, academic programs and wraparound services work toward meeting and supporting students where they are, and not where higher education thinks they “should” be.

• Offer services in other languages and/or increase the availability of translation services.

Goal: Promote a better integration of student services and instruction to address the needs identified in the Environmental Scan of the Strategic Plan and improve student and faculty awareness of Student Support Services.

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Section 5: Faculty Training

As the MHCC district becomes more diverse and the education systems nationwide strive to rectify historical disparities faced by students of color, it is imperative for curricula to embrace culturally relevant teaching methods and incorporate multicultural educational practices. This approach ensures that students from all backgrounds feel represented, valued, and supported within the educational system.

THEMES FROM THE DATA

• Social change has been happening quickly, and many social issues came to light or were amplified during the pandemic. Faculty and others need training on prominent social issues and how to incorporate new strategies designed to foster inclusion and tolerance in a classroom community.

• Emerging technologies, such as the rise of AI and Dual Delivery (using technology such as DTEN) instruction, are changing the landscape of education and instructional delivery. The College needs to be responsive and proactive to these changes in technology and provide faculty with training on best practices to utilize new technology in the classroom.

SECTION 5 RECOMMENDATIONS

• Develop training that promotes culturally responsive teaching.

• Develop training related to prevalence of Artificial Intelligence used by students and educators.

• Continue training faculty on best practices for various modalities, including face-to-face, online, hybrid and dual delivery instruction.

• Continue to support programming offered through the TLC.

• Continue college-wide assessment action days, although work needs to be done to find times when all faculty are available to attend training sessions.

• Develop Faculty Informational Training related to Student Services. One possible forum could be in-service sessions in concert with Student Services to develop an awareness of the support services available for students.

• Offer training in Advising tools such as Navigate.

This should be connected to general advising training for all faculty, especially in degree options.

• Create an FAQ on Faculty Main page that addresses services related to students’ basic needs and lists information about Student Services

• Coordinate with relevant councils to inform future professional development training.

• Ensure that professional development, pedagogical training, instructional activities, events, and spaces are accessible and inclusive.

Goal: Improve faculty awareness of culturally responsive teaching practices and provide ongoing training to benefit instructional development and classroom practices.

05Environmental Scan

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Environmental Scan

Executive Summary

Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) has initiated a planning process to develop a Strategic Plan for the College. This plan will lay out a vision, mission and set of values which define the work and future pathways for the College building toward and acting within a more equitable and increasingly diverse community.

This Environmental Scan provides a review of external and internal trends, as well as key points of interest and suggestions by MHCC and community stakeholders, which will all help to guide the creation of the updated Mt. Hood Community College Strategic Plan.

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Key Findings

MHCC has built a strong data infrastructure to support decision-making but some key metrics for tracking student success are missing, making it difficult to assess how well students are progressing toward their educational goals.

• In order to enhance and expand student services and academic support, there is a desire to link programming and needs by collecting data and tracking long-term metrics on students throughout their educational experience, in particular those with “basic needs insecurities”. [MHCC Employee Focus Group, Interview, and MHCC Strategic Planning Charrette]

• Community representatives encouraged the College to identify ways to track a student’s progress in order to be more proactive in intervening when students encounter difficulty.

This is an especially critical need for first-generation, older students, and foreign-born students who may have a difficult time reaching out to faculty and staff when struggling due to language barriers, embarrassment, or other culturally specific reasons. [MHCC Community Focus Groups and MHCC Strategic Planning Charrette]

• Degree intent and general intent are collected at the beginning of a student’s educational journey, but this initial intent remains unchanged unless a student declares a new intent or goal, potentially causing a gap in understanding program effectiveness or assessing learning barriers.

[MHCC Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness, Analytics and Institutional Research]

• The experience of students of color need to be better tracked to identify intervention points that may increase awards rate and close the gap between them and their white counterparts, who earn awards at a 60% rate, 44 percentage points more than students of color. [MHCC Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness, Analytics and Institutional Research]

MHCC has a strong suite of support services, but many students are unaware of the services available to help them succeed.

• MHCC has a wide range of student support services that support a variety of needs, from mentoring to veteran’s support, from Barney’s food pantry to HeadStart, to creating a student basic needs resource team and establishing a multicultural diversity resource center. [MHCC Focus Groups and Interviews]

• A number of students have experienced a tremendous amount of support and assistance from employees, while others have expressed frustrations with accessing needed support and receiving a timely response. [MHCC Student Focus

Groups, MHCC College Community Survey, and MHCC Strategic Planning Charrette]

• Students who knew about support services spoke highly of the staff and benefits of the programs.

However, many others stated they did not even know these services existed. [MHCC Student Focus Groups and MHCC Strategic Planning Charrette]

• Both students and employees stated that ‘student support services’ and the ‘AVID|Learning Success Center’ was one of the top five strengths of the College. [MHCC College Community Survey]

• Conversely, students ranked ‘counseling’ as one of the top weaknesses of the College. [MHCC College Community Survey]

• There is a need to better align and…