SPC Meeting Summary 1-31-11 - Welcoming New Member

Highlights of our meeting were:

• New committee member welcomed: At the suggestion of Andrea Price, Mercy COO, Steven Nathanson, Vice President of Planning for Mercy, has joined the Steering Committee. As he introduced himself, it was apparent that Steve brings a great deal of interest and support for Mercy College to the table. Of all the healthcare systems in this region, Steve noted that Mercy is unique by having Mercy College as part of the system. This provides a “win-win” situation in terms of our graduates seeking employment in the Mercy system and also the College provides Mercy employees the opportunity to further their education. Committee members are delighted that Steve is part of our “team.”

• Members addressed the difficulties faced by individuals trying to access the mercy2020 website. Plans are underway to move from Google to D2L. This will help meet expectations of accessibility to materials online and will keep communications open. The College community will be kept informed as this transition occurs.

• Plans for the February 14, 2011 College Assembly were reviewed. One of the topics for discussion will center on the purpose and outcomes for the Strategic Planning process. Initial outcomes were revised based on input from the August 12, 2010 College Assembly, two reviews by the Strategic Planning Committee, and Executive Leadership. Faculty, staff, and administrators will receive a copy of the outcomes before the Assembly so each person has time to review the seven outcomes and come prepared to discuss which is most important from his/her perspective.

• Committee members reviewed the next steps in the Road Map, including the design of future collaborative events that will be held starting in the fall 2011 semester.

View Dr. Kim Watson’s comments following our meeting.

The next meeting of the Strategic Planning Committee will be held on Friday, February 25, 2011 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

SPC Holds Second Meeting - First Meeting of the New Year

The second meeting of the Strategic Planning Committee was held on Thursday, January 6.

Several key areas were addressed:

• Review of the format for College Assemblies with particular attention to the December 10 Assembly. From this discussion, several recommendations were made to assist in refining the process for future gatherings. We affirmed the value of the “max-mix” table groupings which allows the opportunity to converse with persons we may not otherwise see on a regular basis. 

• Committee members had an “assignment” to review the table comments generated at the August 12 Assembly related to the purpose and outcomes of the Strategic Planning Process as well as the question of who needs to be involved in the process. The responses for this assignment are posted on mercy2020.com (Workspace/Strategic Planning Committee/Assignment 1). 

• At this meeting we addressed only the outcomes. In triads, we carefully reviewed our committee’s responses noting common and unique themes. Each small group crafted proposed changes to the outcome statements. The whole group then refined the suggestions. Our work is posted on the website (Workspace/Strategic Planning Committee/January 6 meeting). 

• The agenda at the February 14 College Assembly will include time for discussion and suggestions for further refinement and clarity regarding these revised outcome statements. 

Dates for future meetings of the Strategic Planning Committee were established:

• Friday, February 25     8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Friday, March 18         8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 27  12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m.

At the end of the meeting, committee members were unanimous in affirming their confidence in the process recognizing that participation of all of us (not just the committee) is essential as we effectively plan for our future.

Video from SPC member Dave Evatt that provides a summary of what was discussed at the meeting.