2015-2020

Strategic Plan: A Discussion Paper

February 2015


Between 2010 and 2014, Douglas College grew faster than any other post-secondary
institution in BC. This growth was necessary, both to improve our performance against
Ministry expectations (i.e., FTE enrolment targets) as well as to keep up with student
demand. Given that we have significantly improved our FTE performance, the question for
the College community is, what do we do now? Based on employee feedback, it is clear that
rapid growth has stretched the College in many ways, from staffing to physical space. But
other feedback points out that the growth has also created a new sense of vibrancy and
momentum: Douglas College is clearly going places. But where are we going? And why are
we going there? The purpose of this document is to initiate a discussion about our answers
to these questions and the key strategic objectives that follow.

It is important to note at the outset that our answers were informed by an environmental
scan provided by the Office of Institutional Research and Planning; employees responses
to a strategic planning survey; two forums that focused on key themes that emerged from
the survey; and input from students, which was solicited by student ambassadors and
Campus Life. The College Board also contributed their views and challenged us to ensure
that our ideas were well founded.

The strategic planning process is far from complete. We think we are on the right track and
we have painted a picture of the future with broad strokes. If the image receives support
from the College community, the next step will be to make refinements and bring the image
into focus by developing initiatives that will take us through the next five years.

Who are we?

A good strategic plan flows rationally from an institutions core purpose. All planning,
goals and objectives should ultimately reinforce the core purpose, as it is from here that we
draw institutional strength, clarity, and a sense of unity. The core purpose defines us as an
organization, helping to answer the questions Who are we? and Why are we here?

Strategic planning discussions with employees, the results of a recent employee
engagement survey, and student feedback consistently refer to Douglas College as having a
certain sense of place, a feeling, that can be hard to define, but it often reflects warmth,
passion and a strong sense of community. As one student commented on Facebook in
January 2015:

#IChoseDouglas because my mom told me so! Why? Because she was a former Douglas
College graduate in the 90s. The reason I STAYED at Douglas for 3 years is because of
this mental connection I have here. Even after I left, I chose to work at Douglas because

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 I dont want to leave this place! Even after transferring to SFU, I feel like coming back
to Douglas just because I want to relive those warm memories I left behind.

Employees also draw strength from this sense of place. However, some employees
comments have also reflected a sense of apprehension about the future. Specifically, they
seem concerned that, as Douglas College matures, it could become colder, more
institutional, focused on the bottom line, and lose its unique sense of place.

It is clear that any discussion of the future of Douglas College must begin with a core
purpose statement that captures this sense of place so valued by employees and students
alike. With this in mind, after extensive discussions, we offer a bold new core purpose for
Douglas Collegeone that highlights our focus on students and the role that all employees
play in a transformative educational experience:

We inspire our students to do what they love and be good at it, providing educational
experiences that challenge, enlighten, and open doors to lives of passion and purpose.

Where are we going?

With our core purpose guiding us, we can turn our attention to plans for the futureour
vision of what we want the College to look like in 5-10 years. The core purpose tells us who
we are; the vision tells us where we are going. Strategic objectives can then be developed
to help us achieve that vision.

For a vision to be effective, it cannot simply be a reflection of the status quo. It should be
aspirational, true to the core purpose, and achievable within a given timeframe. It also
must reflect the reality of the post-secondary landscape, government expectations, labour-
market demands, and demographic trends. Ultimately, at the end of the strategic planning
timeframe, the vision will have guided us to success in creating an even better institution,
having built on our strengths and addressed any outstanding weaknesses.

From employee and student feedback, broad themes emerged regarding how to improve
the College, which helped formulate a vision. These themes included a desire to continue to
build on our teaching quality and the quality of our courses and programs; a desire to
improve student engagement opportunities at both campuses; a desire to improve student
services and streamline processes; a desire to more strongly connect students with
employers and community organizations; and a desire to facilitate stronger employee
engagementparticularly to have better, more open communication throughout the
College community, vertically as well as horizontally.

The post-secondary landscape further provides us with some direction to inform our
vision. The BC governments Skills for Jobs Blueprint requires all post-secondary
institutions to be mindful of in-demand occupations and the need to ensure alignment
between institutional programs and labour-market demands. Douglas College is well-
positioned to meet this requirement, as all of our degree programs are applied in nature

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and many of our diploma programs, including post-degree diplomas, are focused on
specific, high-demand jobs.

In addition to meeting government expectations to offer applied programs, Douglas College
is very strong in terms of our academic courses and programs, which are increasingly
integrated within applied degrees. As Douglas College develops more applied degree
programs and post-degree diploma programs, it is becoming increasingly differentiated
from other colleges. Our applied mandate focuses us on preparing students for
employment, but at the same time, we provide students with the deep, well-rounded
education typical of a research university. We considered the question, why are students
choosing Douglas?

There are plenty of reasons for students to come to Douglas College, from the strength of
our programs and faculty, to the warm culture, to more basic reasons such as our central
locations, small class sizes and reasonable tuition fees. But the dual nature of Douglas
College as applied and academic seems to be our core strength. Why choose Douglas? You
could say:

At Douglas, students receive the best of both worldsthe well-rounded educational
experience of a university, and the employer-ready skills of a collegein an
environment designed to inspire and motivate success.

This is the kind of institution Douglas College is, and the kind of education a student can
expect to receive. To grow and improve as an institution, we need to build on this concept
and, at the same time, remain true to our core purpose and culture.

Douglas College is doing remarkably well, but we can do better. We can build on the
strengths of our dual nature by improving both academic and applied opportunities at the
College. We can nurture our inspirational, welcoming sense of place so that it flourishes
for students and employees alike. We can foster an environment of open, honest dialogue
and communication, and help build a culture of ideas.

With this in mind, our vision for Douglas in 5-10 years becomes:

Douglas College is recognized as providing the most inspiring, student-centered
undergraduate educational experience in BC, bridging the gap between universities
and colleges by combining core applied workplace skills with a solid academic
foundation that successfully transitions graduates to the workplace and/or further
academic opportunities at top universities.

This vision is bold, but it is achievable. It is true to our core purpose, respectful of our
institutional culture, and builds on our strengths. It is who we want to become.

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How will we get there?

SMT began considering what we would have to do to achieve the vision outlined above.
Many ideas emerged, most were consistent with input provided through our initial survey
and in strategic planning forums. We developed a list of objectives. Then we organized
them into three strategic themes. These themes represent how we want students to leave
Douglas College: Inspired, Enlightened, and Prepared. Supporting each of these themes
were objectives that addressed College operations and instructional activities. We
organized them into four strategic underpinnings. These underpinnings represent the
foundational elements necessary to support the educational environment, specifically our
people; technology and facilities; external relationships; and financial sustainability.

In the sections that follow, we describe the three strategic themes and four strategic
underpinnings, and offer some key objectives for consideration. These objectives are not
intended to be exhaustive, but rather a starting point for our discussion.

Strategic Themes
Theme 1: Inspired

Collectively, the goal of the objectives that fall under this strategic theme is to create an
inspiring educational environment: a culture of ideas and critical engagement. Feedback
suggests that Douglas College is already an inspiring place for many students and
employees. But this strength needs to be supported if it is to become recognized as a
hallmark of a Douglas College education.
Key strategic objectives:
A. We deliver an inspiring student experience that meets or exceeds the needs of all
students.
Inside and outside the classroom, Douglas College has opportunities to inspire students to
apply themselves to their studies, to develop an intrinsic interest in their coursework, and
to complete their program. Initiatives under this objective will focus on enhancing
program quality, creating more educationally focused engagement opportunities, and
fostering a culture of open dialogue that encourages critical thinking.
B. All students graduating from applied programs will have completed a defined
period of relevant service learning or community volunteer experience.
As an institution with many applied programs, students should have the opportunity to
learn and practice applied skills through engagement with employers in the community.
Such engagement will build new connections in the community and strengthen existing
connections. Initiatives under this objective will focus on building and improving
opportunities for students to complete relevant experience working for potential
employers or volunteering in community settings. These opportunities should help
students obtain employment upon graduation, or provide them with unique skills to

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enhance their application for relevant graduate programs (e.g., Master of Social Work).
Given the value of these experiences, a question to consider is, should the same
opportunities be extended to some or all university transfer programs (e.g., Associate of
Arts)?
C. We put special emphasis on incoming students, to set them up for success in their
academic and professional lives.
New students require special attention to set them up for future success at Douglas College
or at another post-secondary institution if they decide to transfer elsewhere. Initiatives
under this objective will focus on providing better communication with prospective and
new students; streamlining application and admission processes; improving incoming
students engagement; and encouraging students to choose a credential pathway early
rather than simply gathering credits.
Theme 2: Enlightened

Objectives under this theme are designed to grow and enhance academic opportunities to
ensure that students have a solid academic foundation and seamless transfer to degree
programs. Breadth in academic coursework exposes students to new ideas and to different
ways of acquiring knowledge. We recognize that a year or so of sampling university
transfer courses does not fully enlighten students, but the experience should expand their
views and challenge them to think more deeply and critically.
Key strategic objectives:
A. Academic foundations programs will be structured to engage and challenge
students, ensuring that they have the foundational skills they need to prepare them
for a degree program.

B. The Certificate in Academic Foundations programs will ladder into all Douglas
College applied degree programs, and students must declare an intended degree
program within their first year.

C. One- and two-year academic programs will transfer seamlessly into BC research
universities and into the top 5 Canadian universities outside of BC.

With respect to strategic objective C, research from the BCCAT Student Transition Project
indicates that Douglas College students do well when they transfer to university,
graduating with similar GPAs as direct entry students. However, student feedback suggests
there is room for improvement when it comes to counting transfer course credits toward
degree program requirements in some disciplines: they get credit for the courses they
took, but they did not take the right courses to transfer smoothly into third year. Although
this isnt directly relevant to the goal of enlightening studentsenlightenment isnt
dependent on transferabilityit is an important advising issue and an important
consideration for disciplines offering university transfer courses to keep in mind when
creating and scheduling courses.

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Theme 3: Prepared
The goal of the objectives that fall under this theme is to improve program-specific, applied
workplace skills to prepare students for employment. The Colleges applied programs are
predominately offered on a closed-enrolment basis, with unique admission requirements
and program-specific courses. These programs vary in many respects, including currency,
relevancy, and graduate employment rate. Some programs have been extremely successful
in preparing their students for licensing exams, enjoying pass rates that exceed the national
average. All applied programs should strive toward these high standards, guided by active
and knowledgeable Program Advisory Committees.
Key strategic objectives:

A. The learning outcomes of all applied programs (certificates, diplomas, degrees, post-
degree diplomas) are well-aligned with employers needs to prepare graduates for
employment immediately following graduation.

B. All applied degree programs provide current substantive knowledge of the area,
applied skills, interpersonal skills, and a solid academic foundation. Degree
graduates express satisfaction with their knowledge and skills.

C. All regulated professional programs are designed to ensure graduates are eligible to
meet the standards for certification/licensing required by the professional
association or licensing exam.

Strategic Underpinnings

Underpinning 1: People

Supporting all of the strategies described above are the faculty who develop and teach the
courses, the instructional support staff who assist the students, and those who contribute
to the operations of the College in a variety of ways. The people who work at Douglas
College are key to the Colleges success, representing the first strategic underpinning that
lies at the foundation of the Strategic Plan.

Key strategic objectives:

A. The skills and competencies of College employees (faculty, staff, and administrators)
are current and reflect the strategic needs of the organization.

All employee groups should maintain currency, whether it is discipline-based knowledge
within educational programs, technical knowledge to support computing systems in CEIT,
or knowledge of effective business practices in administrative and service areas. There are
many ways to support professional development. Some require formal training or financial
support, but others do not. However, all types of professional development require an

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investment of time. The College provides all employees with time to engage in professional
development, and the College is receptive to investing in workshops or other opportunities
that would benefit groups of peopleeven small groups. The challenge for the College is to
determine what types of professional development people need and how much of it is
needed to be effective. Where the College sees gaps in currency (e.g., following the
introduction of new technology in a service area), assistance is relatively easy to provide.
In most cases, however, unless concerns are raised, the College must rely on people to
identify their own needs and either satisfy their needs themselves, using existing resources,
or request resources to assist them through existing mechanisms. The College is open to
initiatives that will improve current and past methods to support professional
development.

B. Performance excellence throughout the College is recognized and appreciated.

Excellent performance should be recognized and appreciated. This topic was one of the
issues that emerged from the 2014 Employee Engagement Survey, and plans have
subsequently been made to address concerns.

C. Employees have a clear understanding of the Colleges Strategic Plan, annual goals,
and their role in delivering the plan.

For an institution to achieve its strategic goals, it is important for the goals to be visible and
for everyone to understand his or her role in achieving them. To ensure that progress is
being made toward specific goals, the administration will set annual goals and monitor
performance with respect to those goals. This information will be communicated to the
College community.

Underpinning 2: Technology and facilities:

Increasingly, the ability to deliver educational programs and to meet students needs is
dependent on the effectiveness of educational technology, the availability of instructional
space, and the quality of the equipment that supports students learning. The College must
ensure that instructional technology is current and reliable. In addition, business
processes in the College should be supported by appropriate technology that is geared
toward improving the experience of users. The following key objectives are offered in
support of these goals.

Key strategic objectives:

A. The College will meet or exceed relevant industry benchmarks for the provision of a
reliable, secure and sustainable technology architecture and infrastructure that
balances industry standards with stakeholder needs, and facilitates and supports
efficient and effective College operations.

B. First-year students report high levels of satisfaction with our admission processes.

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 C. The College has sufficient and appropriate space (teaching/administrative/student)
optimally utilized to advance the Colleges operations, enhance the educational and
workplace experience, and engage and support partnerships with employers and
other community stakeholders.

Underpinning 3: Relationships

The ability to achieve many of the Colleges educational goals depends on effective working
relationships with the Ministry of Advanced Education, with colleagues in other post-
secondary institutions, and with community and business leaders who support our
students. Goals associated with the Colleges physical environment and surroundings
depend in part on relationships with local government. We regard these connections as
important underpinnings that support the strategic plan.

Key strategic objectives:

A. We have strong relationships with key employers in each sector in which we offer
programs. These relationships add value by generating external learning
opportunities (e.g., research, practica, internships), by providing students with
networking opportunities prior to graduation, and by increasing employers
investments in and support of Douglas College.

B. Douglas is regarded as an influential strategic partner by all three levels of
government.

Underpinning 4: Financial sustainability

The strategic goals of the College will require investment of time, energy, and resources.
The College is in very good financial shape, which has been achieved through on-going
revenue diversification efforts and by purposeful cost-management. The College must
continue to make decisions with a long term perspective to ensure that we can achieve our
strategic vision.

Key strategic objective:

A. The College's financial management policies, practices and systems facilitate the
development, protection and allocation of resources to increase revenues,
effectively manage costs, and mitigate risks, outperforming benchmarked peers.


Next Steps

This document represents a critical step in the strategic planning process: an opportunity
for the College community to consider key objectives organized by themes and
underpinnings and to contribute feedback to SMT. The objectives will be refined and other

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objectives will be added based on the feedback elicited by this discussion paper. Individual
members of the College community may correctly note that this document does not include
some objectives that are common to strategic plans in post-secondary institutions. The
post-secondary environment is guided by a number of Ministry expectations that address
system-wide goals. The College must respond to these expectations as a matter of course.
The purpose of the Colleges Strategic Plan is to identify objectives that will differentiate
the College from other post-secondary providers and to move the College toward its vision.
Accordingly, we have chosen not to identify Ministry expectations within the Colleges
Strategic Plan.

After SMT considers the feedback from this discussion paper, a draft Strategic Plan will be
prepared and presented to the Board for approval. Following Board approval, specific
initiatives will be developed to achieve various objectives, and metrics will be used to track
our performance. These details will be lead by SMT members who will work closely with
the people involved in implementing the initiatives. Objectives and related initiatives will
be assessed and prioritized annually as part of the regular planning and budget cycle.
Finally, communication strategies will be developed to provide regular and consistent
communication about our performance and to invite feedback from the College community.