Board of Trustees reviews strategic plan for 2015-2016

Texarkana, Texas, September 30, 2014- In a regular meeting, the members of the Texarkana College Board of Trustees took a first look at the belief statements underscoring the institution’s strategic goals for 2015-2016. The administration presented five belief statements, each with at least four goals, for discussion and review. The belief statements and goals evolved from broad engagement of students, faculty, staff and members of the Texarkana College Board of Trustees by gathering input and data from planning retreats, focus groups and surveys.

The following are Texarkana College’s belief statements as presented by President James Henry Russell:

Increasing the number of persons with higher education credentials in our region is our highest priority.
Excellence in financial management, facilities/grounds, and safe and secure learning environments are non-negotiable.
Community trust and support is critical to the College’s success.
Texarkana College is the economic engine of our area, and academic, continuing education and workforce programs provide a high return on investment for our students and our community.
Maintaining first class human resources and commitment to continuous improvement of institutional culture is paramount to student success.

“Members of the Board of Trustees are asked to look at the first draft of the strategic plan over the next two months to allow time to fully realize and plan for the goals we have presented today,” said Russell. “There are fiscal as well as administrative commitments associated with many of our goals and each must be fully evaluated to determine if resources are available and within our reach.”

Board members were asked to submit recommendations and comments over the next few weeks to Russell to be incorporated into a second draft that will be presented for review at the October 2014 board meeting. The final plan will be brought to the board at their November meeting for approval.

“We have set our sights on some pretty lofty goals for the next eighteen months,” Russell said. “This type of planning has worked well for our institution over the last three years and we have successfully met our goals every time. Once the plan has been approved by the Board in November, we will distribute it to every member of our faculty and staff and measure every decision we make against the plan to ensure we stay on track. This will be the framework by which we build our institution over the next several years.”