FY 2015 Strategic Plan
Updated July 1, 2014
TCSG Strategic Plan
Commissioner's Introduction
The Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) provides a unified network of technical education, adult education, and customized business and industry training throughout the state. Our programs use the best available technology and offer easy access to lifelong educational opportunity for all Georgians.
Georgians looked to the TCSG colleges for training in state-of-the-art skills and new careers after their jobs were impacted by the Great Recession; it was a major factor that led to a 30% surge in TCSG enrollment between 2008 and the all-time record of 197,059 students in 2010. Enrollment in 2013 returned the pre-recession level, though the number of full-time equivalent students was 7% higher in 2013 than in 2008. Throughout these challenging times, the employment rate for TCSG graduates never dipped below 80%. Moreover, additional college survey data indicates that the placement rate is above 95% when self-employed entrepreneurs and students who continue their college education at a two- year or four-year college are included.
To successfully navigate this new economic reality, TCSG must take a leadership role in shaping the future of technical education in Georgia, our nation and as an active member of the global community. In addition, TCSG needs to identify alternative funding sources to maintain the quality educational options available to our students.
In July of 2010, TCSG initiated a strategic brainstorming process to gather information and ideas from system employees and stakeholders around the state. The ideas were analyzed and the result presented to the State Board in October 2010. Next, the planning team worked with agency leadership to craft a strategic framework for moving TCSG forward. After input from college presidents and others, the framework was finalized into the TCSG Strategic Plan by the TCSG State Board. Finally, TCSG identified eight strategic outcome measures to assist in monitoring our progress.
Change is a constant in our modern world, but from the opening of Georgia's first technical school in 1944, technical education has remained focused on workforce skills that lead to employment college that works! This new plan is a product of TCSG leadership, staff and students and reflects their hard work and participation. It is with great pleasure that I present our Strategic Plan.
TCSG STRATEGIC PLAN
FY 2015 Update
INTRODUCTION
TCSG conducted a comprehensive strategic planning process that resulted in a new strategic vision for the future. The planning process actively engaged TCSG's stakeholders and generated ideas to create strategic options. The options were analyzed and resulted in a number of strategic concepts. In turn, these concepts were used as the framework for building the new strategic plan.
Our strategic plan is organized around four major goals that will help TCSG fulfill the agency mission and achieve our vision for the future. In addition, each goal has several strategic objectives that must be met to achieve the goal.
However, developing a quality strategic plan is only the beginning of an effective planning process; effectively implementing activities to achieve the goals and vision for the future is equally important. Consequently, TCSG is committed to measuring and tracking our success through forward looking metrics. To document progress in implementing the plan, we have identified eight strategic outcome measures to guide us.
TCSG MISSION
The Technical College System of Georgia provides technical, academic and adult education and training focused on building a well-educated, globally competitive workforce for Georgia.
TCSG VISION
The Technical College System of Georgia will be acknowledged as the world leader in technical education, providing access to student-centered, high-quality affordable postsecondary education and training. We will equip students for success, thereby building literate and economically strong communities and businesses for Georgia.
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GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
As part of the strategic planning process, agency stakeholders generated over six thousand ideas. After these were analyzed and placed into categories, agency leadership developed a strategic framework to use as the foundation for building TCSG's Strategic Plan. Accordingly, the following goals and associated strategic objectives tie directly to the ideas developed during the planning process.
Goal 1: Students
Students and student success are the focus of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG); colleges will prepare their students for quality jobs and/or continuing education.
Strategic Objectives (Students)
1. Access: All residents will have access to a quality education. 2. Affordability: TCSG should remain a low cost, quality educational option and provide alternative
methods to help finance students' educational goals.
3. Student Life: TCSG students will have access to a full range of campus and college activities to
enhance their intellectual and social experience.
4. Completion: To be successful, TCSG must ensure that students graduate from their educational
program in a timely manner.
5. Articulation: TCSG coursework completed by students that choose to continue their education
should be recognized by other institutions of higher learning.
6. K-16 Engagement: To ensure students make seamless transitions, TCSG must work with both the
K-12 educational systems and the post-secondary educational entities in Georgia.
Goal 2: Learning
TCSG institutions will facilitate learning to ensure students have the knowledge and skills to succeed in today's competitive global environment.
Strategic Objectives (Learning)
1. Instruction: Instruction should facilitate student learning and not be limited to traditional
classroom models.
2. Adult Education: Provide instruction that prepares students to successfully complete the GED
(General Educational Development) test with a goal of being ready to achieve a higher education credential or enter the work force in meaningful employment.
3. Technology: TCSG will use innovative technology to enhance student learning.
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4. Facilities: Ensure that the system has exceptional, world class facilities to enhance student
learning by developing a long range plan that supports TCSG capital budget requests and includes alternatives for funding and ownership.
Goal 3: Financial
TCSG must develop sustainable funding methods to ensure institutions have the financial resources needed to support learning excellence.
Strategic Objectives (Financial)
1. Development: Enhance development activities to build private financial support for TCSG as a
system and at individual colleges.
2. Tuition: Ensure tuition achieves the appropriate balance between affordability and market
realities.
3. State Support: Document the justification for increasing support from the state while
recognizing financial constraints can limit this revenue source.
Goal 4: Community, Jobs and Workforce Development
TCSG will be a recognized leader in technical education that builds Georgia's workforce for economic development by engaging communities across the state, nation and around the world.
Strategic Objectives (Community, Jobs and Workforce Development)
1. Local: Ensure that local community workforce needs are met through educational programs and
economic development efforts that serve business.
2. State: TCSG's system brand and reputation for learning excellence will attract business to
Georgia and support statewide economic development.
3. National: TCSG will participate in developing national strategies to improve educational
outcomes, economic development and job creation.
4. International: TCSG will take a global leadership role by engaging international technical
educational organizations and pursuing business partnerships.
STATE BOARD STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
In addition, the TCSG state board identified the following strategic initiatives:
1. Global Leadership (Methods of working with the international community) 2. Development Plan (Identifying and securing alternatives to state funding) 3. K-16 Engagement (This includes initiatives that require working with the K-12 system and other
postsecondary institutions.)
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Summary of 2014 Strategic Plan Implementation Updates
Currently, TCSG is implementing a number of new initiatives to support student success, and help us achieve the Governor's Complete College Georgia1 goals. These activities are being tracked with action steps and 12-month goals in the TCSG Plan Implementation Tracking document. This companion document to the TCSG strategic plan is an important part of a complete strategic planning process and is available on the TCSG webpage at www.tcsg.edu.
Learning Support Redesign: This was a major initiative designed to improve TCSG student outcomes and support Complete College Georgia goals. Effective Fall Semester 2013, all 24 technical colleges have redesigned Learning Support (LS). The primary emphasis of the redesign is to move away from a program of instruction to addressing specific problem areas.
With less than 15% of students persisting to graduation in the "old" system, one of the main objectives of the redesign is to have students complete learning support requirements and enter into a program as quickly as possible prepared with the basic skills for success in the program. In addition to learning support redesign, TCSG is also implementing the following:
Program Restructuring: A TCSG taskforce is reviewing the possibility of reducing the length of TCSG programs to facilitate program completion.
Guided Pathways/Block Scheduling: TCSG is working to pilot a block scheduling option for select programs that requires students to schedule classes in semester blocks thereby creating a "guided pathway" to facilitate program completion.
Accelerating Opportunity: This program provides an opportunity for adult learners at the adult education secondary level to enroll in TCSG credit programs as they work toward their GED.
Military Support: TCSG has hired a system level military affairs director. In addition, TCSG and the University System of Georgia are partnering to create Georgia's new Military Academic and Training Center to provide career opportunities for veterans.
Achieving the Dream (ATD): This national initiative is building on the belief that broad institutional change, informed by student achievement data, is critical to efforts to improve student success rates. Currently, 10 TCSG institutions are participating in ATD.
Campus Safety and Security: TCSG created the system emergency manager and campus safety coordinator positions to enhance safety to ensure students and faculty have a safe and healthy learning environment.
1 Web link: http://www.dtae.org/teched/completecollege/tcsg_role_cca.pdf (Accessed on April 28, 2014)
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STRATEGIC OUTCOME MEASURES
To measure success in achieving our goals, TCSG will track eight strategic outcome measures. If we successfully meet our strategic objectives, these should reflect our improved outcomes. For Academic Year 2015, the commissioner challenged TCSG with a 10% increase in the agency's measures. These are difficult to achieve "stretch" goals that will require our colleges and staff to rethink existing practices and identify creative alternatives.
Enrollment and the Full-time Equivalent Student Count
TCSG's first two strategic outcome measures are impacted by numerous factors. Some of these, like program quality, are within the control of our institutions. Others, like the overall employment environment in Georgia, are not. Consequently, to fully understand students taking courses at TCSG colleges, we believe these two measures should be considered together.
First, TCSG enrollment is countercyclical as unemployed and underemployed workers look for marketable job skills when the economy is in recession. Traditionally, when Georgia's economy improves, TCSG enrollment declines. Consequently, the significant improvement in Georgia's economy over the past several years has negatively impacted TCSG enrollment.
In addition, the Full-time Equivalent (FTE) student count is a function of the number of students enrolled in TCSG institutions and the credit hours they take. This measure is also countercyclical and is impacted by the same factors that impact enrollment.
Recent Changes to Help TCSG Students in FY 2015
To address recent enrollment declines and help TCSG students, the Governor and the General Assembly created several initiatives for FY 2015 to improve TCSG student outcomes and thereby strengthen Georgia's workforce.
Zell Miller Grant: HOPE funding for the Zell Miller Grant Program will provide full tuition assistance for TCSG students in certificate and diploma programs maintaining a 3.5 or higher Grade Point Average. $7,200,000 in funding was included for FY 2015.
Strategic Industries Workforce Development Grant (SIWDG) Expansion: programs now include: welding; healthcare technology; diesel mechanic; information technology; commercial truck driving; practical nursing; and early childhood education. The $11,500,000 (FY 2015) in SIWDG funds are designed to supplement HOPE funds to fully fund the cost of tuition for students.
Low Interest Loan: This provides $10,000,000 for a low interest loan program for TCSG students.
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Strategic Outcome Measure 1: TCSG Credit Enrollment
250,000
Technical Education Credit Enrollment
(Includes USG institutions with technical education divisions)
200,000
195,366
150,000
156,800
151,150
150,000
165,000
100,000
50,000
0 2011
2012
2013
2014 Estimate
Note: 2012 does not include enrollment for the summer transitional term.
2015 Challenge
Strategic Outcome Measure 2: Full-Time Equivalent Students
120,000 100,000
80,000
Technical Education Full-time Equivalent Students
(Includes USG institutions with technical education divisions)
107,629
81,271
79,009
77,508
85,259
60,000
40,000
20,000
0 2011
2012
2013
2014 Estimate
Note: 2012 does not includes FTE students for the summer transitional term.
2015 Challenge
Source for both charts: TCSG
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Strategic Outcome Measure 3: Graduates
40,000 35,000 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000
5,000 0
35,579
Unduplicated Graduates
Degree, Diploma or TCC [2]
34,399
28,278
28,561
31,417
2011
2012 [1]
2013
2014 Estimate
2015 Challenge
Note 1: 2012 includes graduates for the "full year" including the summer transitional term. Note 2: This Includes graduates from USG colleges with technical divisions.
Source: TCSG Scorecard
Graduation and finding employment are crucial measures of TCSG student success. Our programs of study range from certificates that may be completed in less than one semester to two-year associate degrees. To increase graduation rates and improve workforce readiness, Georgia is participating in the Complete College America (CCA) project. Georgia's CCA initiative is Complete College Georgia (CCG) and is being implemented through the Georgia Higher Education Completion Plan, a joint project of TCSG and the University System of Georgia. The goals of Complete College Georgia are an important component of Governor Deal's broader Georgia Competitiveness Initiative designed to stimulate job creation and economic growth. The CCG goal is to increase TCSG graduates by almost 80,000 above the baseline through 2020.
Enrollment in FY 2014 is expected to be down slightly. However, the TCSG learning support redesign and program restructuring initiatives should help increase the number of TCSG graduates. In addition, the Accelerating Opportunity, Achieving the Dream and military support initiatives support student success and should result in an increasing number of graduates. Consequently, we estimate a slight increase in the number of graduates in 2014, and the commissioner is challenging the system to increase the number of graduates in 2015 by 10%.
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Strategic Outcome Measure 4: TCSG Retention Rate
TCSG Retention Rate
80.0% 70.0% 60.0%
67.7%
65.3%
62.2%
65.0%
71.5%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
2011
2012
2013
2014 Challenge
2015 Challenge
NOTE: An accurate estimate of the 2014 retention rate is not feasible until the end-of-year reports are available.
Retention Rate Definition: Fall Quarter Cohort from the previous fiscal year (first time, regular admitted students) who graduated from or were still enrolled at a Georgia technical college or university system college through the subsequent fiscal year.
Source: TCSG Scorecard
The State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia voted in December 2011 to approve the Georgia's Higher Education Completion Plan2, a joint project of the TCSG and University System of Georgia (USG) resulting from Governor Nathan Deal's Complete College Georgia (CCG) initiative that aims to increase the state's college completion rate.
If the learning support redesign process is successful, then TCSG's retention rate should increase as these remedial students who currently struggle begin to succeed in greater numbers. Overall, these students who successfully complete learning support should graduate in greater numbers.
Consequently, the commissioner is challenging TCSG colleges to make improvements to the long term TCSG student retention trend in 2014 and 2015 with a stretch goal that will be very difficult to achieve. The one-year increase of 6 percentage points is a challenge to encourage strategic thinking to improve outcomes.
2 Web link: http://www.usg.edu/educational_access/documents/GaHigherEducationCompletionPlan2012.pdf (Accessed on 2-10-2014) Page 8 of 12
Strategic Outcome Measure 5: Adult Education Student Progress
Adult Education Students Who Completed
40,000
at Least One Level
35,000
30,000 25,000 20,000
22,661
26,445
26,430
25,000
26,875
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
2011
2012
2013
2014 Estimate
2015 Challenge
Note: Adult education enrollment in 2014 is down, and this may result in the estimate not being achieved.
Source: Office of Adult and Vocational Education (OVAE) National Reporting System
The need for adult education in Georgia is critical. Over 1.2 million adults over age 18 in Georgia have less than a high school education; this is 18% of Georgia's total adult population. Adult education programs serve students with a variety of needs in three instructional levels:
ABE Adult Basic Education (Elementary/Middle School Level); ASE: Adult Secondary Education (High School Level) and ESL: English as a Second Language.
In FY 2010 and FY 2011, adult literacy was impacted by a reduction in funding and legislative changes. However, additional program changes may result in an increase in students completing a given level. In addition, the Governor recommended and the General Assembly provided almost $1 Million in additional funding to hire 15 more full-time faculty positions for adult education programs beginning in FY 2015. This will help adult education centers around Georgia serve more residents in need of basic education that can lead to a GED.
For 2015, the commissioner is challenging the adult education community with a stretch goal that represents a difficult to achieve 10% increase over the 2014 estimate.
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Strategic Outcome Measure 6: Maintain SREB Tuition Ranking
$4,000 $3,500 $3,000 $2,500 $2,000 $1,500 $1,000
$500 $0
SREB States Two Year Colleges and TCSG
Median Annual Tuition and Fees 2011-12
$2,530
$2,951
$3,515
Source: SREB
The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) publishes data comparing college tuition and fees across the south. Among the 17 states in the SREB region comparing 2-year colleges and TCSG, only North Carolina, Mississippi and Texas have lower tuition and fees than TCSG. However, to address ongoing financial challenges, every system in the SREB except Mississippi increased tuition and/or fees in the 2012 reporting period.
In addition to Georgia's low tuition, the HOPE scholarship and grant program provide students with the opportunity to receive a post-secondary education at a minimal cost. This means that the majority of TCSG students have a significantly lower out-of-pocket cost than the SREB amount noted above.
Maintaining a realistic balance between affordability for our students and funding for quality programs is important. This commitment to providing educational value for the money supports TCSG student access and success.
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Strategic Outcome Measure 7: Custom Contract Training
Companies Receiving Customized Training From TCSG Institutions
3,500 3,000 2,500
2,445
2,844
2,932
3,000
3,300
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0 2011
2012
2013
2014 Estimate
2015 Challenge
Source: TCSG
One of TCSG's main roles is education and training to enhance the state's workforce and support economic development. Staff in TCSG colleges work closely with local business leaders to ensure programs meet the changing needs of their communities. Ongoing feedback between local business and technical colleges result in certificate, degree and diploma programs that are effective and responsive.
In addition, TCSG colleges support Georgia business and our workforce by offering customized training to the businesses in their community. Customized training varies from modification of an existing technical education class to the development of new courses based on a specific local business need. For 2015, the commissioner is challenging TCSG staff by creating a stretch goal that represents a 10% increase over the 2014 estimate to encourage strategic thinking to improve outcomes.
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Strategic Outcome Measure 8: Quick Start and Job Creation
Jobs Created With Quick Start's Training Assistance
10,000
9,507
8,662
9,431
8,600
9,460
5,000
0 2011
Source: TCSG
2012
2013
2014 Estimate
2015 Challenge
For more than 40 years, Quick Start has provided customized workforce training as an incentive to qualified businesses in Georgia. Today, the program is one of the state's key assets for supporting new and expanding industries. Quick Start delivers training in classrooms, mobile labs or directly on the plant floor, wherever it works best for a company.
In November 2013, Georgia's business climate was named No. 1 in the nation by Site Selection magazine, one of the nation's top economic development trade publications. Quick Start's customized workforce training was a key factor in the award. According to Site Selection magazine's Editor in Chief, "Executives at companies investing in Georgia regularly point to its many logistics advantages, cutting-edge workforce training programs, particularly Quick Start, and proactive economic developers on the state and local levels who understand the business requirements of today's capital investors."
For 2015, the commissioner has challenged all of TCSG with "stretch" goals that will require our colleges and staff to rethink existing practices and identify creative alternatives. The Quick Start 2015 challenge represents a 10% increase over the 2014 estimate.
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