Please submit your ideas for MCC's strategic priorities for the next three years related to the Core Principle of "Accountability" by posting a comment below.
Accountability - To promote a service-oriented and ethical culture of fiscal, social, professional, and individual responsibility
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think one of our strategic priorities should be to promote and model environmental stewardship.
ReplyDeleteWe could do that through the purchases we make (recycled materials or biodegradable products), the prodcuts we use on our campus (i.e. fertilizers, cleaning supplies), and the services we provide (recycling institute, Bioneers symposium, etc.).
What are the professional and personal standards of conduct that our students should subscribe to at MCC? Standards vary by culture and professions and, therefore, have different expectations.
ReplyDeleteWe should consider instituting some sort of program to promote pride and ownership in our institution among all groups. Have events that encourage students to see MCC as more than 'just school.' Find ways to encourage full-time faculty to stick around campus and teach more in the summer.
ReplyDeleteWe need to develop a coordinated sustainability strategy internally and promote this model to the community as well. It will help MCC be more accountable to the public to show that we are spending their tax dollars wisely through working to reduce MCC's energy costs and developing other sustainable programs.
ReplyDeleteImprove the evaluation process so that employees have input, therefore promoting their individual accountability for the job that they were hired.
ReplyDeleteIn each area we need to promote or devise systems that ensure we are following up with relevant parties on progress towards decisions and solutions for issues. As a positive example, let me give kudos to IT for their help desk ticket system. It continually updates me on the status of my problem until it’s resolved.
ReplyDeleteAs we set measurable goals, there should be milestones throughout the year where we report out what we are doing and whether we are achieving our goal.
ReplyDeleteIndividual's goals should be tied to the Department's goals which tie to the Division's goals which tie to the Strategic plan. This way we are all responsible for the college's success.
ReplyDeleteReview our critical processes and ensure we have the proper checks and balances in place.
ReplyDeleteRegarding environmental stewardship, put in a wind turbine and solar panels.
ReplyDeleteFormula and justification for how lab fees are distributed.
ReplyDeleteTo be very specific - why aren't we hiring more faculty in some areas? I know of departments where all the FT faculty work overloads (to the equivalent of at least one additional faculty member) plus several adjunts all working maximum loads. If the true focus of MCC is quality education, this is not a best practice. Faculty can easily become exhausted or burned out - quality of teaching falls since there isn't time for grading of in-depth assignments; and it is becoming increasingly difficult to monitor adjuncts and be certain that they are covering the topic area to the degree expected.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of adjuncts, why didn't anyone see (or discuss) some of the recent issues in hiring, firing, and evaluating as the union was forming? Wasn't someone involved who could have foreseen these issues? And have all these issues been resolved?
ReplyDeleteDevelop a process that allows for evaluation of Executive Deans that includes staff and faculty feedback.
ReplyDeleteAssess the legality of full time faculty members serving the role of lead and department chairs are allowed to supervise, hire, evaluated, and fire part-time faculty (adjunct) members.
ReplyDeleteWe need to focus on existing programs we currently offer and utilize our resources to enhance them as much as possible, rather than always looking to bring in something new. Every time something new comes along, we shift our already stretched resources to those agendas at the expense of the existing programs, faculty, and staff.
ReplyDeleteRenovating the Art Department a few years ago was a great decision; yet we see other programs stuck with subpar facilities as we pursue new programs with no new funds. The Black Box Theater is a less than ideal facility that should be a high priority to replace. The NW Herald reported after the MCC Board budget meetings last summer we were to have a new greenhouse with help from state funds. We should be directing our resources to upgrade these and other existing educational opportunities the community already associates with MCC and looks for us to provide.
Adding new positions into the matrix of existing positions needs to be carefully looked at to assure resources are used as efficiently as possible. For example, why do we add Dean or other administrative positions below Executive Deans in some areas and not others? It seems the total workload is not in balance and perhaps not all these positions are really needed and resources could be better allocated to serve the MCC community as a whole?
ReplyDeleteDevelop a personnel evaluation system that helps employees improve performance and demonstrate accountability and alignment with the College's strategic plan
ReplyDeleteIn my humble opinion,
ReplyDeleteWe need to change our focus from accepting mediocrity to striving for the best. We may not currently be capable of reaching all our goals, but if we don’t believe and try, we have defeated ourselves before we even begin. We all need to think and act as if anything is possible.
We need to handle failure better. Mistakes are learning opportunities. Everyone makes them. How we handle our failure is a measure of our character. We need to be honest, listening to all points of view, and focusing on providing immediate solutions when necessary or scheduling dialogue with relevant people when there is adequate time to prevent crisis.
We should strive to reach a point where everyone is comfortable sharing their mistakes, so we can learn from others. I can’t remember where I picked up this phrase but I try to “never make the same mistake twice, always make new ones.”
I don't really think we need to institute a program for policing ethical behavior. If we do, then we certainly have much larger problems on the horizon...
ReplyDeleteLead by example. As this (in my mind) is closely related to quality, your performance and attitude toward job responsibilities will speak for themselves. This too, is important to have buy-in and active participation from the top-down.
I agree with the post above that mistakes need to be handled with grace. If people are afraid of making mistakes, we will never want to try anything new. We should do what we can to have an environment where it's OK to make mistakes, as long as we learn from them.
ReplyDeleteFiscal responsibility: balanced budget. A plan for future tuition increases (related to affordability).
ReplyDeleteWhat can we do to teach/encourage our students to accept personal, social, and professional responsibility?
ReplyDeleteCan these concepts be folded into our current Gen Ed goals without losing the existing feel of those goals? A mature acceptance of responsibility may be one of those life/employability skills that we want our students to have.
Accountability. Accepting responsibility as adults and members of the insitiution for the conduct of students, peers etc. If someone is smoking in a non smoking area- ask them to stop. Dress as a professional- stop participating in non professional behavior like gossip and sniping. Take ownership in the future of this insitution as a tax payer and as a peer. It can not all be solved by the administration nor the board- Model and drive the behavior we want.
ReplyDeleteDo not allow individuals who are retiring to interview and appoint their successor. Why was the former VP of Academics allowed to interview the person who currently holds the position? Shouldn't this task been completed by the President or someone who would not have a conflict with their current duties?
ReplyDelete