President John Hayward called the meeting to order at 12:00 noon. In his opening comments, Preside Hayward reflected that this academic year has indeed been an exciting one. The Strategic Planning Process has generated an enormous amount of energy and conversation as we continue to plan for the future of Mercy College. Mr. Hayward said that it has been edifying to watch those engaged in the work of the ten Action Teams and four standing committees (Technology, Facilities, Diversity, and Retention) in creating specific action plans for the five goals in our Strategic Plan.

Sister Sally Bohnett, SND offered the opening prayer.

Dr. Steve Cady introduced the Table Chat discussion which addressed three questions:

• Introduce yourself and name your position at Mercy College. 
• As I read the reports for College Assembly, these are the things that I appreciated and my questions for clarification and understanding… 
• As I read the reports from the Interdepartmental Feedback (Cardio Vascular Technology [CVT], Enrollment Services, Facilities, Health Care Administration [HCA], and Marketing), these are the things that I appreciated and my questions for clarification and understanding… 

Mike Whalen, Director of College Advancement and Chair of the Implementation Team, noted the following:

• To date there have been eighty-eight (88) meetings of the Standing Committees and ten Action Teams 
• Final PLAN documents from each Standing Committee and Action Team will be posted on the Mercy2020 Course on D2L within the next several days. 
• The next steps in the Strategic Planning Process include: 
• May 9 – Rings of Assessment – Full Circle 
• All faculty and staff will have the opportunity to respond to the Action Steps contained in the PLAN Documents. It is imperative that everyone comes to this meeting having read all of the PLAN Documents. 
• June 15 and July 13 – members of Executive Staff and Leadership Council will meet for their review and response to the PLAN Documents. They will also consider the input provided at the May 9 meeting. 
• August 16 – Executive Staff and Leadership Council will present the results of their work over the summer months to all faculty and staff. Next steps in the implementation process will be detailed. 
• The 2012 Employee Campaign is well underway. Our goal is 100% participation. To date we are at 60%. The campaign ends on Monday, April 30. 

Dan Hoppe presented the “Webbie of the Year” Award to Dr. David Sigmon. He announced that Distance Education Division will sponsor a workshop on April 18, “Tracking and Detecting Dishonesty in D2L.”

Comments from Dr. Cady

Dr. Cady thanked everyone for all the work that has been taking place in the Strategic Planning Process, incorporating principles of innovation and transformation. Great plans have been created by many in the past and then have just sat on shelves. Assuring follow through is critical in the process. He is proud of our work and believes others will look to us as a model of best practices.

Mind, Heart, Hand Award 

President John Hayward presented this year’s Mind, Heart, Hand Award to Sister Barbara Davis, SC. He thanked Sister Barbara for her work in the Strategic Planning Process.

View the video below of President Hayward giving his thanks and update for the April College Assembly.

March 19, 2012 College Assembly Update

The first thing attendees noticed when they arrived for the March 19 College Assembly was that they were not given table numbers for max-mix seating. Instead, each individual was asked to go to one of the tables set up for each of the ten action teams and four standing committees sharing the initial drafts of their PLAN Documents. 

President Hayward called the Assembly to order at noon and introduced Sister Sally Marie Bohnett, SND who offered the opening prayer. 

Dan Hoppe announced that he and the Distance Education team visited the Youngstown campus in February. During their visit, Dan presented a WEBBIE award to Deb Phillips. For the month of March, Dan presented the WEBBIE award to Rosie Dunlap, long-time on-line instructor in the HCA program at Mercy College. 

Dr. Steve Cady and Sister Barbara Davis, SC introduced the process for providing feedback to the action teams and standing committees. Each person had the opportunity to “visit” three tables. One of the co-chairs for each team/committee led the discussion and a recorder captured the main ideas. At the end of the sessions, a representative from each group provided a one sentence “bumper sticker” summarizing the work of the day. 

Sister Barbara reminded everyone that all of the PLAN documents have been posted in the Mercy 2020 Course on D2L. The “reply” feature has been activated so individuals are invited to share comments or ideas related to any of the documents. A link has been created for each team/committee. 

President Hayward closed the Assembly by thanking everyone for the spirited discussions that took place and encouraged people to continue the conversation via their responses on D2L. Click on the video below to hear Dr. Karen Elliott, C.PP.S. as she shares her reflections on the Assembly.

February 20, 2012 College Assembly Update

As attendees gathered for the Assembly, they saw a background of blue skies on the front wall of the room. Members of the ten Action Teams along with the Technology, Diversity, Retention, and Facilities (Toledo and Youngstown campus) Committees have been meeting regularly to “dream” about the College’s future. Each group is creating action plans related to the five goals developed at the August 2011 Summit. Some of the actions will be able to be accomplished in the short term while others will require a longer time for implementation. This is an on-going process involving all constituencies in the Mercy College community which will advance the College as we move to 2020.

As part of the Table Chat section of the Assembly, Dr. Cady and Sister Barbara Davis, SC presented the background on the principles of Collaborative Culture. Attendees at the January 4, 2012 meeting for Action Teams individually reviewed the principles for healthy collaboration based on the work of Sandra Janoff & Marin Weisbord; Emily and David Axelrod; and Kathy Danemiller. Table groups identified those principles they believed to be most significant for Mercy College. Responses were posted on chart paper around the meeting room. Each person “voted” on the principles most important to him/her. Some principles were identified more than once. Raw data was tabulated and then refined by three members of the Implementation Team. Each attendee at today’s Assembly received a copy of their work which included a one sentence descriptor of the seven groupings. 

Responses from today’s discussion will be compiled and all will be invited to continue in “conversation” as we refine the principles of a collaborative culture for Mercy College. There will opportunities for on-going feedback and further discussion at upcoming assemblies and other venues. 

Though the agenda for the Assembly was indeed full, the collective responses from each of the fifteen table groups provided wisdom and insight for each of the areas addresses: reports from leadership; progress reports from each of the ten Strategic Planning Action Teams, Diversity, Facilities [Toledo and Youngstown], Retention and Technology; and the principles of Collaborative Culture. 

Listen as Heather Hoppe, Director of Institutional Research and Registrar, provides a summary of today’s Assembly.

Photo Slideshow from the meeting.

Strategic Planning Process Continues

There was a buzz in the air as members of the ten action teams and four standing committees gathered to begin the next phase of the Strategic Planning Process. Mike Whalen, chair of the Implementation Team, explained that the first task of this team was to review and group the action items identified by attendees at the August Summit. Objectives for each of the priority areas have been created and the action teams/committees will develop specific plans to address each objective.

The commitment of participants was evident as each shared his/her responses to the question: “Why does the focus of this action team/committee matter to me?” Woven throughout the comments was gratitude for the opportunity to play an active role in addressing key areas related to the College’s mission and vision.

Groups then reviewed and discussed a handout entitled “Principles for Healthy Collaboration – Three Expert Perspectives.” Each table group identified the principles they believed to be most applicable to the Mercy College community. Individuals “voted” on the principles that were posted on newsprint around the room. The “votes” were tallied and a composite is being prepared.

Following the large group session, individual teams met to begin their work utilizing the PLAN document that was distributed. Minutes from team meetings are posted on D2L. Teams will submit their first written report for the February 20 College Assembly.

Take a look at the slideshow below to see photos from the meeting and the action teams hard at work.

(Click on the icon in the lower right corner for full screen)

College Assemblies Provide On-Going Opportunities For Dialogue and Planning

Mercy College Assemblies were held on Monday, October 24, and Monday, November 21. Table groups had the opportunity to discuss reports from Leadership Council as well Interdepartmental Feedback reports from the IS Department, Division of Student Records, Library, Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, Division of Distance Education, and Division of Student Formation. The Interdepartmental Feedback process has served a twofold purpose: educating faculty and staff about the responsibilities of the department/divisions and providing affirmation for what is working as well as new ideas that might enhance the work of the department/division. There was opportunity for attendees to raise questions for clarification about the reports. The process has strengthened dialogue and has helped everyone to be better informed about the day-to-day operations throughout the College community.

Reports from the Strategic Planning Implementation Team were presented at both Assemblies. President Hayward has given three “charges” to the team:

• To hone the topics identified at the Summit 
• To develop institutional objectives in conjunction with Executive Staff and Leadership Council 
• To provide reports of the team’s work to the College community. 

At the November 21 Assembly, all faculty and staff were invited to join one of the Action Teams that have been created to develop specific action steps for each of the eleven institutional objectives identified by the Implementation Team. Objectives are related to classroom technology, diversity, service learning, healthy environment, facilities, scholarships and financial aid, budgeting process, professional development, new programs and services, retention of students, planned growth of the College, marketing, and the Youngstown campus. Data from the August 2011 Summit was used to determine priorities.

Each department and division within the College has developed its objectives related to the goals of the College’s Strategic Plan developed in August 2011.

Watch the video to hear Lori Edgeworth, Director of Career and Professional Development, provide a summary of these Assemblies from her perspective.

STRATEGIC PLANNING IMPLEMENTATION TEAM BEGINS WORK

President John Hayward appointed the following individuals to serve on the Implementation Team: Mike Whalen, chairperson; Deb Crowl; Sister Barbara Davis, SC; Lori Edgeworth; Dr. Karen Elliott, C.PP.S.; Heather Hoppe; Victor Monroe; Therese Pitzulo; Dr. Kim Watson. Dr. Steve Cady serves as facilitator/director for the work of the Implementation Team.

At the initial meeting of the team held on October 4, President Hayward presented three tasks to the team:

• To hone the topics identified at the Summit 
• To develop institutional objectives in conjunction with Executive Staff and Leadership Council 
• To provide reports of the team’s work to the College community 

The task of developing institutional objectives was the work of four team meetings (October 18, October 26, November 2, November 7, and November 16). Team members identified the following criteria as a basis for determining objectives:

• Objectives are to be broad enough to encompass more than one department/division within the College 
• Data from the August Summit support the identification of each objective 
• Our Youngstown campus is to be included in the development of action steps for each objective 

Executive Staff and Leadership Council reviewed the work of the Implementation Team prior to the presentation at the November 21 College Assembly. There was an “open invitation” to faculty and staff to volunteer to serve on one of the Action Teams, according to his/her interest in the indentified areas. A member of the Implementation Team and a member of Leadership Council will serve as co-chairs for each Action Team.

Action Teams were named in early December.

Mike Whalen, chair of the Implementation Team, provides an update on the work accomplished thus far (see video below).

First College Assembly of the 2011-2012 Academic Year Held on September 19

President Hayward and Sister Barbara Davis, SC gave a brief update about our August 16-17, 2011 Summit. Copies of the Strategic Plan V 2.0 as well as the summary of Summit documents and process were distributed. Full copies of all the Summit reports are posted on the Mercy 2020 course on D2L. A blog entry about the Summit has also been posted at mercy2020.com. President Hayward thanked everyone for their support of the Strategic Planning process and announced that he will be naming the Implementation Team within the week.

Below is a video clip of President Hayward giving the 2020 Update during the College Assembly.

During the question and answer period following the table review of department/division reports, question was raised regarding the plan to move forward with the “great ideas” from the Summit, in light of our budget issues. President Hayward responded that consideration of resources will surely be part of the development of action plans to meet our goals. We will continue to move forward with our plans.

Sister Barbara led the assembly in an activity entitled: “Inter-Departmental Requests: We Care Enough to Send the Very Best.” Each table group was asked to identify the things they would like the identified groups to start, stop, or continue to do differently in the future in order to ensure that we move forward together. For this discussion, the library, IS Department and Department of Student Records were the recipients of the responses from each table. A follow-up report will be given by each of these departments at the October 24 College Assembly identifying: (a) this is what we heard you say, (b) this is our progress to date, and (c) this is our commitment to you as we moving forward.

Commitment to the on-going work of Strategic Planning process continues to be a high priority for the Mercy College community.

View Strategic Plan V2.0 - Click Here
View the Mercy 2020 Summit Summary - Click Here
View the Inter-Departmental Requests (Valentine) Handout - Click Here