Dear colleagues,

Thanks for tuning in for another strategic plan implementation update. In this week’s update I’d like to cover two initiative implementation plans that fall under the Community & Regional Partnerships, Students at the Center, and Systems to Facilitate Success work areas. These plans and their operators support students in very different ways, but both provide and refine resources integral to student success. Read about them below.

Develop Regional Academic Programs
 
This initiative, led by Richard Fulton, focuses on the development of new regionally-focused academic programs. This initiative team will look at expanding high school concurrent courses for rural schools in Colorado and New Mexico, as well as develop new undergraduate and graduate programs based on regional need. Research indicates a need for the development of behavioral and preventive health programs for allied health careers (e.g. nursing, social work, counseling, physical therapy, physician assistant), and master’s degrees in education (e.g. special education, principal leadership) and public administration to meet regional employment needs and expand enrollment to an adult, career-changer market. This team will work closely with Provost Nixon, faculty, the Curriculum Committee, deans, and department chairs. By creating regionally-focused programs, we’ll be able to encourage more first-generation high school students with limited access to college courses to seek opportunities in higher education, and further establish FLC as the leader of local workforce development by offering advanced degrees in new fields and relevant certificates.

Streamline Communications to Students

Lindsay Nyquist and her team are addressing the need to reduce and consolidate emails to current students. In this new system, content from student affairs, student services, and academic units will be consolidated into a clear and attractive email and sent out to students weekly. This content could include everything from advising and registration reminders, important surveys, the menu at San Juan Dining Hall, upcoming events, or anything else important to the business of being a student. This concept has been presented to ASFLC and representatives from each student-serving department and their feedback has adjusted the product and the process.

I look forward to sharing more of these updates as we progress through our strategic plan initiatives. As a reminder, please bookmark this page to readily access the implementation plans. Just expand the four work areas and scroll to the initiatives to see the links. If you’d like to connect to a group, reach out to the initiative owners directly or drop me an email. 

Best,
Tom