Implementing Guided Pathways to Make Success Inescapable
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Implementing Guided Pathways to Make Success Inescapable Table of Contents Project Summary ...................................................................................... 5 Introduction ................................................................................................ 7 Implementing Guided Pathways to Make Success Inescapable (Bellwether Application) ....................................................................... 8 Rationale/Need for TCC’s Guided Pathways Program ................................................................. 10 History and Replication of TCC’s Guided Pathways Program ................................................................. 13 Step One: Raise Awareness ................................................................ 15 Step Two: Integrate and Prioritize .................................................. 17 Step Three: Build Infrastructure ..................................................... 21 Step Four: Implement, Assess, and Reinforce ........................... 25 Lessons Learned ..................................................................................... 29 Measures of Effectiveness .................................................................. 30 Appendices ................................................................................................ 31
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Implementing Guided Pathways to Make Success Inescapable Project Summary The American Association of Community College’s Pathways Project, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, selected Tulsa Community College to participate as one of 30 community colleges nationwide just as the college was launching our five-year Strategic Plan. Guided Pathways is a model for ensuring broad access to higher education as well as clear paths to completion with necessary “just-in-time” support, particularly for at-risk students and adult learners who can’t afford to waste time or money on their path to college completion. The Pathways Project has four broad areas for success: mapping pathways to student end goals, helping students enter a pathway, keeping students on the path, and ensuring students are learning. To implement Guided Pathways, TCC first aligned the Pathways Essential Practices with the strategies from our 2016-2020 Strategic Plan: We All Impact Student Success, with each practice addressed by one or more of the strategies. Implementing Guided Pathways requires a significant commitment from everyone in the College, as the work truly changes the way colleges operate. Anyone can implement the program and AACC provides free tools to help schools implement Pathways. TCC’s binder “Implementing Guided Pathways to Make Success Inescapable” provides an easy four-step process to help other institutions implement this work. Our binder gives readers an overview of our process and the lessons we learned along the way. Step One: Raise Awareness Step Two: Integrate and Prioritize Step Three: Build Infrastructure Step Four: Implement, Assess, and Reinforce While we are only in the second year of our Pathways journey, we are already seeing positive results, and the numbers are encouraging. Because of our Guided Pathways implementation, we have decreased our student-toadvisor ratios, and have seen improvements in fall-to-fall retention rates, especially for first-time underrepresented minority students, and have achieved several other early indicators of success. We believe in this work because we are seeing the transformation daily on our campuses. We hope other colleges will find this binder a useful tool in implementing Guided Pathways to make success inescapable for all students.
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T HE P RO BL EM Fewer than 20% of full-time students graduate from TCC within three years. Only about one-third graduate or transfer to a university within the same period. According to the Center on Education and the Workforce, by 2020 the U.S. will have 5 million fewer workers with postsecondary education than are needed to fill employment gaps. To address this pervasive issue, higher education and community colleges, in particular, have been called on to increase completions and the number of college-educated workers across the nation. Yet, research consistently shows that completion rates at community colleges are unacceptably low. We are failing our students and our communities, and the problem is not our people. The problem is our design. As W. E. Deming said, “Your system is perfectly designed to give you the results you’re getting.” As our nation struggles to fill employment gaps, community colleges can no longer focus solely on access for all. It is time to shift to a culture designed for access, completion, and post-completion success. Guided Pathways is a model for ensuring broad access to higher education as well as clear paths to completion with the necessary “just-in-time” support, particularly for at-risk students and adult learners who can’t afford to waste time on their path to completion. By streamlining the academic experience for students and providing the necessary supports on their road to completion, community colleges across the nation can make student success inescapable.
T HE S O LUTION Implementing Guided Pathways to make success inescapable.
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Implementing Guided Pathways to Make Success Inescapable (Bellwether Application) “I just wanted to remind you that everything begins with the student. How well you handle the student on the individual basis, is how well you will handle students as a group. We are lumps of clay, wanting and needing to be sculpted into a work of art. When we leave the doors of TCC we want to feel that we can be displayed in the best Art Gallery in society.” - Student response to 2014 Strategic Plan Survey
Program Description As one of 30 institutions participating in the American Association of Community College’s Pathways Project, Tulsa Community College has redesigned the student experience to ensure clear pathways to completion with “just-in-time” support. The Guided Pathways program is integrated with the College’s Strategic Plan and includes improvements to make success inescapable.
Program Summary As Tulsa Community College was launching its new five-year Strategic Plan in Fall 2015, the institution was selected as one of 30 community colleges to participate in the American Association of Community College’s Pathways Project. The purpose of the Guided Pathways program is to create clear pathways to completion while providing students with the supports they need at each point in their academic career.
The institution’s implementation of Pathways has been guided by AACC’s Essential Practices for Guided Pathways, which fall under four broad areas: 1. Mapping pathways to student end goals; 2. Helping students enter a pathway; 3. Keeping students on the path; and 4. Ensuring students are learning.
The institution’s implementation of Pathways has been guided by AACC’s Essential Practices for Guided Pathways.
To implement Pathways, TCC first aligned the AACC Essential Practices with the strategies from the 2016-2020 Strategic Plan: We All Impact Student Success, with each practice addressed by one or more of the strategies. The College then created a Guided Pathways Council, co-chaired by President Leigh B. Goodson, which oversees the teams implementing the Essential Practices. The cross-functional Council provides ongoing accountability and support for the teams, including individual meetings with strategy team managers to address project scope and objectives, barriers to success, and resources needed to successfully implement their strategies.
TULSA COMMUNITY COLLEGE Some of the first Pathways practices implemented were program maps for all academic majors, advisors assigned to academic schools, a new faculty development framework including four key competencies supporting Pathways, and a co-requisite model for developmental education. Other aspects of TCC’s Guided Pathways include mandatory new student orientation and advising, new software tools designed to promote persistence and completion (e.g., Career Coach, Degree Works, Starfish), reduced number of program options to streamline choice, enhanced alignment of programs with transfer options and labor market needs, math requirements aligned with programs, new retention specialists to support persistence, and alignment between course, program, and institutional learning outcomes. Over the next year, TCC is focusing on streamlining the onboarding experience for new students and implementing other critical elements of Pathways, including the creation of meta-majors, making career exploration inescapable for all students, and contextualizing general education courses. As the College completes its formal participation in the AACC project, it has already experienced a number of successes, including improvements on the Strategic Plan
TCC has seen improvements in fall-to-fall retention rates for first-time underrepresented minority students from 54 percent to 63 percent.
Key Performance Indicators. In just two years, TCC has seen improvements in fall-to-fall retention rates for firsttime underrepresented minority students from 54 percent to 63 percent and the student-to-advisor ratio decreased from 1,044-to-1 to 530-to-1. The Guided Pathways work at TCC has led to a narrower set of highly structured program options with mandatory and well-integrated student support services. By limiting choice and providing “just-in-time” support, TCC and other institutions implementing Pathways are working to make success inescapable. As community colleges across the nation adopt more streamlined programs and services for students, they will continue to make the necessary shift from a culture primarily focused on access to one dedicated to access plus success. The results will benefit not only the students and the colleges themselves, but the larger communities they serve.
Aspects of TCC’s Guided Pathways include mandatory New Student Orientation.
AACC Essential Practices for Guided Pathways
Mapping pathways to student end goals
Helping students enter a pathway
Keeping students on the path
Ensuring students are learning
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Rationale/Need for TCC’s Guided Pathways Program “I had absolutely no idea what I needed to do and had an extremely hard time getting answers on exactly what to do with where to start and how to finish with financial aid, enrolling, online classes, basically everything you need to know and do with going to college.” - Student response to 2014 Strategic Plan Survey
In summer 2014, TCC began the process of developing a comprehensive strategic plan to guide the College over the coming years. To facilitate the process, the College formed a Strategic Planning Steering Committee, consisting of 15 diverse employees representing all areas and campuses of the College and co-chaired by a full-time faculty member, the Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, and the Vice President for Administration. In addition to conducting an environmental scan to better understand the current internal and external factors facing the institution, the steering committee conducted surveys and focus groups with students, employees, and community members to pinpoint the key areas to focus on in the new strategic plan. As can be seen in Appendix A, the environmental scan revealed unacceptably low retention and graduation rates at the College, particularly among traditionally underrepresented minority students (i.e., African American, Native American, and Latino students). Rates of first-time students coming to TCC requiring developmental education were alarmingly high as well, and results from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) revealed that TCC students were generally less engaged with their institution than students at other community colleges.
The institution’s implementation of Pathways has been guided by AACC’s Essential Practices for Guided Pathways.
Survey and focus group results reinforced the need for improving student outcomes, particularly by focusing on redesigning the student experience (see Appendix B).
TULSA COMMUNITY COLLEGE are undergoing a shift from a culture of access to a culture of access plus completion, and academic pathways is the direction the national research suggests for our students. Most importantly, our own stakeholders were telling us this new direction was vital for the future of the College.
One of the AACC Essential Practices states that, “Programs are clearly mapped out for students. Students know which courses they should take and in what sequence.”
Improving student support and the College’s academic offerings were the top themes identified in the surveys of students, employees, and community members. The most illuminating theme from the responses among all stakeholders was that students need more structure and guidance, particularly adult learners who often return to college to change careers and don’t have time and money to waste on their path to completion. TCC had historically emphasized open access and expanding our offerings, services, and locations to serve as many students as possible. The unexpected consequence was we had so many options it overwhelmed many students and created anxiety and a lack of direction. As many community colleges are experiencing, we
After compiling and analyzing all the data from the environmental scan, surveys, and focus groups, the steering committee oversaw the creation of a five-year strategic plan, which was approved by the TCC Board of Regents in April 2015 (see Appendix C). The plan consists of 41 strategies designed to achieve seven strategic goals focused on Academic Quality, Student-Centered Services, Performance-Based Culture, Employee Development, Resources, Community Partnerships, and Marketing. In September 2015, as TCC was preparing to implement the new strategic plan, we applied to be one of the 30 community colleges to participate in the American Association of Community Colleges’ Pathways Project. The Pathways Project is focused on career pathways at scale, for all students. What was most appealing to our institution about the Pathways Project was the extent to which its Essential Practices naturally aligned with the institution’s strategic plan strategies. For example, one of the AACC Essential Practices states that, “Programs are clearly mapped out for students. Students know which courses they should take and in what sequence,” and strategy 2f of the TCC Strategic Plan aims to, “Create clear degree plans and pathways to completion for each academic program.”
3-year Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity - Full-time Students* 30% Asian
25% 20% 15%
White
10%
Hispanic American Indian/ Alaskan Native Black or African American
5%
2009
2010
2011
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The timely coalescing of AACC’s Pathways Project with our institution’s new strategic plan and collective dedication to providing more structure for our students naturally lent itself to the development of academic pathways.
As part of the application process, TCC completed a College Readiness Assessment to gauge our level of preparedness and commitment to completing the work necessary to improve student outcomes (see Appendix D). The results of the Readiness Assessment from AACC reinforced the need for redesigning and streamlining the student experience, while highlighting that the institution had the resources and commitment necessary for the heavy lifting required to develop structured pathways. In October 2015, AACC notified TCC that we were selected to participate in the inaugural cohort for the Pathways Project. AACC’s Pathways Project arrived at the perfect time for TCC. Through our participation in Achieving the Dream, we laid the foundation for this transformational work. We
were “all in” and creating coherent, structured pathways to completion for students became the North Star guiding all decisions and changes at the College. This work represents the core of what we offer to our students and has the potential to revolutionize students’ experiences and success at TCC. The Pathways model serves as an organizing framework for how we are implementing our 2016-2020 Strategic Plan. The plan includes the diverse strategies that are foundational elements for supporting student success, but the Pathways framework provides the overall architecture for aligning all of those distinct strategies. The timely coalescing of AACC’s Pathways Project with our institution’s new strategic plan and collective dedication to providing more structure for our students naturally lent itself to the development of academic pathways.
Ariz: 2.1% Vt: 2.6% Pa.: 3.3% N.J.: 4.3% Ala: 4.5% Miss.: 6.2% N.M.: 7.0% Del.: 10.1% N.C.: 11.2% Maine: 11.3% Wyo: 13.1% Ind.: 13.4% Ohio: 14.4% Iowa: 15.5% Neb.: 15.9% Mo.: 16.7% R.I.: 17.1% Texas: 17.6% N.Y.: 19.1% Minn.: 20.1% Nev.: 20.7% Mich.: 21.1% Nev.: 20.7% Mich.: 21.1% Ga.: 21.6% Conn.: 21.6% N.D.: 22.0% Md.: 22.3% Tenn.: 22.4% Mont.: 25.3% Fla.: 26.4% Va.: 26.5% S.C.: 27.4% Hawaii: 27.8% S.D.: 31.8% Wis.: 33.1% Utah: 34.3% Colo: 34.4% Wash.: 37.9% Idaho: 38.0% Ore.: 43.9% Calif: 48.5% N.H.: 51.4%
Okla.: -17.5% La.: -11.5% W.Va.: -10.9% Alaska: -6.7% Ky.: -5.2% Ark.: -1.8% Kan.: -1.8%
Percent change in state fiscal support for higher education - 2012-2017
Courtesy of Tulsa World
TULSA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
History and Replication of TCC’s Guided Pathways Program “Keep the students in focus - a lot of colleges are more focused on the numbers rather than the students. TCC should keep their eyes on students instead of the statistics. If TCC invests time into their students, they should succeed. - Student response to 2014 Strategic Plan Survey
TCC’s Pathways work began with our own strategic plan, not with the AACC’s Pathways Project. Although the AACC project allowed us to learn from experts in the field and to develop relationships with 29 other community colleges engaged in this work, developing academic pathways to completion for students can be replicated at any college. The implementation of Guided Pathways does not necessarily require new revenue, as TCC is implementing Pathways during a time when Oklahoma leads the nation in reductions in state funding to higher education. Participation in the AACC project provides technical assistance, but does not include any financial assistance for implementing the practices. TCC reallocated resources to hire new academic advisors and retention specialists, to bring in national speakers for internal TCC Pathways Institutes, and to fund professional development for faculty and staff.
STEP ONE
Raise Awareness
STEP TWO
Integrate and Prioritize
To fill the employment and skills gaps facing our nation, this work must be replicated at numerous institutions and cannot be limited to a handful of colleges participating in a particular program. To implement Guided Pathways and improve student outcomes, TCC utilized the steps below, which can be replicated at any institution. For each step, we describe why it is necessary to make success inescapable, what stakeholders and actions are involved, and how we at TCC implemented that particular step: 1. Raise Awareness 2. Integrate and Prioritize 3. Build Infrastructure 4. Implement, Assess, and Reinforce
STEP THREE
Build Infrastructure
STEP FOUR
Implement, Assess, and Reinforce
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Step One: Raise Awareness Why do we need to implement Guided Pathways? “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday’s logic.� - Peter Drucker
Why is this step necessary for making success inescapable? Without awareness of the need for transforming the student experience, stakeholders will not understand why the institution must make dramatic changes, and it will be exceedingly difficult to build a coalition to get the work done. Resistance to change is a natural human reaction, and leaders often underestimate the power of the familiar, even when the familiar is dissatisfying. By raising awareness and creating a sense of urgency, institutions can leverage the collective impact of all stakeholders to create an optimal learning experience for students.
What stakeholders and actions are involved in this step?
Without awareness of the need for transforming the student experience, stakeholders will not understand why the institution must make dramatic changes
Before implementing Guided Pathways, it is critically important to raise awareness and create a sense of urgency about the need for improving student success outcomes.
This step requires significant investment from executive leadership to serve as active and visible sponsors for the necessary changes. For most institutions, the primary and most effective sponsor is the President, although other executive administrators and Board members can serve important roles in creating urgency around student success. Additionally, collaborative and influential faculty leaders can make the difference between a successful Pathways program and one that is constantly spinning its wheels. It also can be helpful to intentionally engage a few influential faculty
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How has TCC implemented this step? Leadership needs to show why the status quo isn’t working, and data is essential to making that case.
members that are less trusting of administration, so they can critically evaluate the program early on and hopefully become some of the biggest advocates for the change. Institutions can raise awareness and create a sense of urgency at the College in many ways. However, addressing the following questions early on will maximize the likelihood of success: 1. Are institutional stakeholders aware of student success outcomes at your College? 2. Do stakeholders understand the need for implementing Guided Pathways? Do they know the consequences of continuing with the status quo? 3. Which stakeholders need to be engaged, about which particular topics related to Pathways, in what format, and by whom? Student success data are key to making the case for Guided Pathways. It’s not enough for the President to explain why streamlined academic pathways are helpful for students. Leadership needs to show why the status quo isn’t working, and data are essential to making that case. A Google search for community college graduation rates will reveal multiple articles citing the low completion rates, typically hovering around 20% for first-time full-time students graduating within three years. Leaders at the College need to know their own institutional data and be able to communicate those data frequently and to many different audiences. Often, employees and other stakeholders are unaware of the poor student success outcomes at community colleges, and getting these data in front of them can be half the battle. Yet, sharing data alone is not enough. Leaders must create urgency by using the data as a springboard to discuss the institution’s mission and why and how the College must improve to better meet its community’s needs. These
To raise awareness for the need for change at TCC, President Goodson and the Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Cindy Hess, had several conversations with internal and external stakeholders, helping build momentum for the project. Presentations were given to the TCC Board of Regents, TCC Foundation Trustees, Faculty Association, Staff Council, Professional Staff Council, Tulsa Regional Chamber of Commerce, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, Tulsa County Area School Administrators, Tulsa Funder’s Roundtable, Tulsa’s collective impact organization dedicated to education, Impact Tulsa, and numerous rotary clubs, chambers of commerce, and other community groups. TCC also utilized its internal communications to promote the need for Pathways in its weekly employee newsletter, a special Pathways newsletter, Convocation, President Goodson’s Open Lines series on each campus, Dr. Hess’s Campus Conversations series on each campus, TCC’s internal Pathways Institutes, and the President’s Book Club, which focused on Redesigning America’s Community Colleges by Thomas Bailey, Shanna Smith Jaggars, and David Jenkins, widely considered the playbook for implementing Guided Pathways. Moreover, President Goodson worked closely with the TCC Board of Regents to communicate the need for change and what the implications of implementing Guided Pathways would be for the College. Shifting to the Pathways model would require the institution to focus its governance structures and practices, as well as its resource allocations, on ensuring students have a clear pathway to completion with the necessary supports along the way. Appendix E includes sample documents used to raise awareness at TCC.
Key Takeaways
• Build consensus among stakeholders for the change. • Use data to tell the story and create a sense of urgency.
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Step Two: Integrate and Prioritize What and when will we implement? “If everything is important, then nothing is.” - Patrick Lencioni
Prior to launching Guided Pathways, institutions would benefit from analyzing their own existing initiatives, programs, and strategic directions to integrate the Pathways work with current work groups and efforts, where possible. Moreover, prioritizing the sequencing of Pathways implementation can lead to greater buy-in and support from stakeholders and minimize trying to accomplish too much all at once.
Why is this step necessary for making success inescapable? One of the greatest organizational challenges for institutions of higher education is integrating and aligning different initiatives and programs so they operate as symbiotic pieces of a coherent and focused approach to increasing student success. All too often, colleges launch various initiatives without clear alignment between them, leading to change saturation and initiative fatigue. A major risk involved with implementing seemingly disjointed and unrelated programs to support students is that employees and other stakeholders may perceive the changes as temporary until the next “big thing” comes along. Launching too many initiatives at once can be costly, both financially and in terms of human resources, as employees can become stretched too thin and not able to dedicate their full attention and time to any particular project.
When implementing Guided Pathways, it is important to integrate the work with existing work groups and collegewide priorities, articulated in the strategic plan. Integration allows for different initiatives to be implemented in a complementary way that supports institutional goals, potentially sharing resources and minimizing duplication of efforts. In addition to integrating initiatives, prioritizing projects is essential for successful implementation. All institutions have a maximum capacity and trying to do too much at once can lead to employee burnout and project failure.
What stakeholders and actions are involved in this step? Integration and prioritization requires not only executive leadership and the governing Board’s support but also input and guidance from the mid-level managers and other employees who will be charged with implementing the projects and initiatives. If an institution has an office or a position dedicated to institutional planning, that area can help facilitate these discussions. Some institutions also rely on external consultants to help with initiative integration and prioritization.
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Identifying the overlap between established priorities and the Pathways work allows for more efficient and effective work processes and communicates to stakeholders that Pathways is not just the “flavor of the month.”
In this step, it is important start with the existing work being completed at the College. Some guiding questions for this work are: 1. How does the implementation of Guided Pathways align with the College’s strategic plan? 2. What projects currently being implemented overlap with the Pathways work? 3. What existing work groups are ready to take on parts of this work? 4. What current institutional processes can be built on to ensure accountability and support for Pathways implementation? It is helpful to align the elements of Pathways (such as AACC’s Essential Practices) with the College’s strategic plan. Identifying the overlap between established priorities and the Pathways work allows for more efficient and effective work processes and communicates to stakeholders that Pathways is not just the “flavor of the month.” This integration and aligning process should include those areas leading the current projects, both to gain buy-in from implementation leaders and to ensure feasibility. After aligning the elements with current institutional projects, the next action is for executive leadership to prioritize the projects for implementation. For example, will the institution implement Pathways by first creating meta-majors for students, will the College start with
reforms in Student Affairs, or will another approach work best for the institution? When prioritizing projects, it is important to consider financial costs for implementation as well as feasibility from a human resources perspective. A common mistake at this step is not taking into consideration employees’ current capacity and workload, which can result in employee burnout and potential turnover.
How has TCC implemented this step? At TCC, we launched the implementation of our 20162020 Strategic Plan in fall 2015, the semester during which we applied for and were accepted into AACC’s Pathways Project. To integrate our Pathways work with our strategic plan, our first step was to align the AACC Essential Practices with the strategic plan strategies (see Appendix F). Since developing more structured pathways and providing more support for students was a major theme from our strategic plan surveys and focus groups, there was a natural alignment between the strategic plan strategies and the Essential Practices. For instance, one of the Essential Practices states that, “Intensive support is provided to help least prepared students to succeed in college-level courses as soon as possible.” Strategy 2h of the strategic plan aims to, “Improve entry-level placement process and developmental education,” which aligns perfectly with helping the very poorly prepared students. Indeed, as part of strategy 2h, TCC implemented a co-requisite model for students placing into developmental education, such that students placing in development education take both the college-level and
TULSA COMMUNITY COLLEGE developmental courses in the same semester, taught by the same instructor. Once each of the Essential Practices was mapped onto one or more strategic plan strategies, the College prioritized the order in which we would implement the practices. To prioritize our Pathways implementation, the institution conducted a gap analysis in which we determined our greatest needs by examining the strategic plan survey and focus group results as well as by completing a Scale of Adoption Assessment Tool from AACC (see Appendix G for template and TCC’s completed tool). Analysis revealed some of the highest priorities included developing comprehensive program maps for each academic major (including career
and transfer options), building stronger relationships between academic advisors and faculty as well as between advisors and students, accelerating developmental education students’ entry into college-level work, and enhancing faculty development. The initial prioritization process also included gathering input from TCC’s Board of Regents, who fully supported addressing the priorities identified via the gap analysis. Thus, the strategies from the strategic plan addressing these practices were prioritized in our first year of implementing Guided Pathways, which was the 20162017 academic year. Prioritization of these practices was manifested not only in time spent on the projects, but also resources allocated to ensure successful implementation. For example, funds were reallocated to invest in the hiring
STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL ONE
STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL TWO
STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL THREE
ACADEMIC QUALITY
STUDENT-CENTERED SERVICES
PERFORMANCE-BASED CULTURE
Recruit/Hire Dedicated Faculty
Streamline New Student Onboarding
Institutional Effectivenessn Plan
Process For Hiring Adjunct Facutly Faculty Reviews Increase Course Consistency Increase Access to Tutoring & Labs
Personalized Support Service Consistency on All Campuses
STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL FOUR
EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT
Organizational Structure Enrollment Management Plan
Strategic Scheduling
Innovative Teaching Methods Faculty Development
Student Learning Assessment
Improve Customer Service
Degree Pathways Policies to Foster Persistence Improve Placement Process
STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL FIVE
Affordable Quality Textbooks
RESOURCES
Recruit Diverse Employees
Resource Allocation Process
Attract/Retain Talent
Cost Effectiveness Flocation
Comprehensive Training
Private/Public Funding
Internal Communication
Facility Improvements
Professional Development
Campus Safety
Performance Appraisals
Paperless Forms & Processes Utilize Technology
STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL SIX
STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL SEVEN
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
MARKETING
Local Business Partnerships
Website
Workforce Trends
Strategic Marketing
Student Recruitment
Advertisement Campaign
College Readiness University Transfer
Pathways and Our Strategic Plan To integrate our Pathways work with our strategic plan, our first step was to align the AACC Essential Practices with the strategic plan strategies. Since developing more structured pathways and providing more support for students was a major theme from our strategic plan surveys and focus groups, there was a natural alignment between the strategic plan strategies and the Essential Practices.
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A common mistake at this step is not taking into consideration employees’ current capacity and workload, which can result in employee burnout and potentially turnover.
of additional academic advisors to reduce our student-toadvisor ratio (which was 1,044-to-1) and to better serve students. In spring 2017, we conducted another gap analysis and audit to determine our Pathways focus for the next year. The analysis indicated that creating an integrated and seamless first-year experience for our students should be the next priority. Therefore, our Pathways work for the 2017-2018 academic year is focused on streamlining onboarding for new students, including new student orientation, the firstyear experience seminar course, making career services inescapable, general education coursework, and scheduling for student needs, particularly during their first year in college. As we proceed with the prioritization process, we have determined that equity and university transfer will be the focus of our Pathways work during the 2018-2019 academic year. To ensure equitable outcomes for all of TCC’s students, we have partnered with the University of Southern California’s Center for Urban Education to adapt our practices and policies to adequately support all students, especially students of color, who have particularly poor retention and graduation rates. To better support our students intending to transfer, TCC is working with the
John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education and a number of our local university partners on ensuring our students are transfer-ready and that they have a seamless experience transferring to a university. Throughout the entire prioritization process, new opportunities have presented themselves and we have worked hard to ensure any new initiatives fit into our existing strategic plan and Pathways work. One of the most important parts of prioritizing work is the ability to say no to certain projects, and having the strategic plan and Pathways practices as our North Star has been invaluable for guiding our prioritization process.
Key Takeaways
• Align the work with existing College initiatives and goals. • Conduct a gap analysis and use data to prioritize initiatives.
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Step Three: Build Infrastructure How will we implement Guided Pathways? “A bad system will beat a good person every time.” - W.E. Deming Integrating Pathways work with existing priorities and prioritizing the projects involved in Guided Pathways are essential to successful implementation. However, without the appropriate processes and systems to support implementation and accountability, transformation for student success will remain a vision. Once the institution has decided what will be implemented, and when, the conversation needs to focus on the how of implementation.
Why is this step necessary for making success inescapable? Implementing Guided Pathways is challenging work. Not only does it involve implementing multiple changes to college systems and processes, but it requires a shift in institutional culture and effective project, change, and knowledge management, which are commonly areas of weakness for many community colleges. In most institutions of higher education, staff and executives are hired for their content expertise, whether it be in student affairs, finance, or even a particular academic subject area. This results in most institutional projects being led by employees with limited experience with project management and change management. Thus, without intentionally creating an infrastructure to support implementation and the employees leading the work, Guided Pathways are unlikely to “stick” at the institution.
Without intentionally creating an infrastructure to support implementation and the employees leading the work, Guided Pathways are unlikely to “stick” at the institution.
With effective supports and accountability systems in place, subject matter experts leading the Pathways implementation can be successful in completing their projects and develop a deeper understanding of and skills in organizational development and effectiveness.
What stakeholders and actions are involved in this step? This step requires active sponsorship and engagement from executive leaders, especially for accountability purposes and to ensure the organizational structure will support Pathways, but the key players are ultimately those project
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22 IMPLEMENTING GUIDED PATHWAYS managers leading implementation and the personnel who will support the project leads. Support personnel include individuals with expertise in planning, project management, change management, knowledge management, data analysis and program evaluation, and organizational development, including tasks such as how to run an effective meeting and how to take meaningful meeting minutes. Governing Board input and support also is critical, particularly if building infrastructure involves significant reorganization of the institution. Some key questions to guide the work in this step are: 1. Does the current organizational structure support the implementation of Guided Pathways? 2. Are there existing systems and processes in place to support implementation, particularly as regards accountability and project management? 3. Who will be the overall project manager(s) for the implementation of Pathways? 4. What existing or new work groups will lead and oversee Pathways implementation? 5. What is the role of executive leaders in the success of Pathways implementation? To implement Guided Pathways at scale effectively, it is essential the institution has organizational structures and processes that support Pathways. Therefore, a preliminary risk assessment for each essential practice can be a useful action to start within this step, with the goal of identifying any institutional barriers that may potentially limit effective implementation. If barriers are identified, addressing those prior to implementation can minimize problems encountered during the development and launching of Pathways.
To implement Guided Pathways at scale effectively, it is essential the institution has organizational structures and processes that support Pathways.
Equally as important as minimizing institutional barriers to execution is ensuring systems and processes exist to foster accountability and support for implementation. Although the processes can and should vary from college to college, implementation teams should each have defined leaders and some form of regular reporting of status updates for accountability. Assigning executive-level ownership for particular Pathways elements can also promote accountability and sponsorship at the highest levels of the organization. Moreover, institutions can maximize their likelihood for successful implementation by providing formal and ongoing support to project teams in the areas of project management, change management, and program evaluation.
How has TCC implemented this step? As we began our Pathways work at TCC, one of the first steps undertaken was to reorganize Academic Affairs and Student Affairs to better support our redesign of the student experience. Consistent with what our strategic planning surveys and focus groups revealed, we recognized that our organizational structure was not ideal for the development of clear pathways to completion for our students. Faculty on each of our four campuses reported to an Associate Dean on their respective campus who, in turn, reported to the Provost at their campus. Academic Affairs was decentralized until it reached its highest level, the Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer, to whom the four Campus Provosts reported. This structure did not promote college-wide consistency in offerings and course delivery, and it served as an institutional barrier to cross-campus collaboration among faculty. To address these gaps, in academic year 2015-2016, a task force worked on a new organizational structure for Academic Affairs, which was implemented in July 2016. The new structure retained four Campus Provosts but also included seven college-wide Deans who led seven academic schools: Science and Mathematics, Liberal Arts and Communication, Health Sciences, Business and Information Technology, Visual and Performing Arts, Child Development and Education, and Engineering and Applied Technology. Each Dean has college-wide responsibilities and reports to one of the Provosts, and new college-wide Faculty Department Chair positions allow for the greater collaboration among faculty required for implementing Guided Pathways. In Student Affairs, reporting lines were equally campusbased in the old model. Academic Advisors, Career Advisors, Student Life staff, and other employees reported to campusbased Directors, who reported to campus-based Deans. As with Academic Affairs, this structure served as a barrier to delivering consistent services to students on each campus.
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Board Committee
Executive Leadership
College Council
Flow of Information Academic Affairs & Student Success
Chief Academic Officer Senior Student Affairs Officer
Academic Council Student Affairs Council
Chief Financial Officer
Institutional Effectiveness Council
Facilities
Vice President of Administration
Administrative Operations Council
Community Relations
Vice President of External Affairs/ President of Foundation
External Affairs Council
President & Chief Executive Officer
President’s Cabinet Guided Pathways Council
Finance, Risk, Audit
Executive
Each council is chaired by an executive leader, who also serves as a liaison to a corresponding Board committee.
At the same time as the Academic Affairs reorganization, Student Affairs was reorganized to include four collegewide Deans of Student Affairs, each with responsibility over specific areas: Student Retention and Support Services, Student Life, Assessment and Testing Services, and Student Judicial Affairs and Safety. Another major change related to Pathways was the creation of a single Director of Academic Advising who oversees advising on all campuses, rather than having advisors report to a Director of Student Development on their respective campus, which had been the case. The Student Affairs reorganization also resulted in two new positions created to better serve students: Assistant Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management. Following the reorganizations, multiple Student Affairs personnel were assigned to academic schools, to more purposefully integrate the work of faculty and student services staff in our efforts to best meet student needs. Specifically, Academic Advisors, Retention Specialists, Student Life staff, and Library staff have all been assigned to work with specific academic schools, creating a more cohesive school-based team available to serve students within a given pathway. Before reorganizing Academic Affairs and Student Affairs, the President worked closely with the TCC Board of Regents to discuss the need for change and how the reorganizations would support our Pathways work and improve the student experience. The Board had many discussions among themselves as well as with the President and other executive leaders during this transition, asking important questions and providing strong support along the way. At around the same time, as TCC was also restructuring its shared
governance model, the Board reworked their committee structure to align with the councils. Each council is chaired by an executive leader, who also serves as a liaison to a corresponding Board committee. For instance, TCC’s Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Cindy Hess, serves as Chair of the Academic Affairs Council as well as a liaison to the Board’s Academic Affairs and Student Success Committee. This restructuring and alignment between the Board’s work and the staff’s work reflects a shift in how the governing Board does its work, as Board committees are now more intentionally focused on the College’s work on Pathways and other institutional initiatives (see Appendix H). In addition to reorganizing to better support Pathways, we built on our infrastructure used for two previous institutional initiatives: Achieving the Dream and the implementation of our 2016-2020 Strategic Plan. As part of the College’s participation in Achieving the Dream (which the College later branded as Completing the Dream), we developed a strong infrastructure for supporting intervention teams that included a cross-functional Lead Team consisting of all intervention team leaders and support personnel, annual work plans and program evaluations, and ongoing meetings with the Lead Team co-chairs for accountability and project management support. In October 2015, the Lead Team proposed to the President’s Cabinet that the model we developed via Achieving the Dream be used to oversee the implementation of our Guided Pathways for students (see Appendix I). It was approved and the result was the creation of a Guided Pathways Council, co-chaired by the President, a faculty member, and the Associate Vice President for
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24 IMPLEMENTING GUIDED PATHWAYS Cabinet meets to review the strategic plan, updates on various strategies, and the Key Performance Indicators identified for each of the seven strategic plan goals. Each strategic plan strategy is assigned to one or more Cabinet member, via our shared governance council structure, who is responsible for overseeing implementation of their respective strategies (see list of strategies by councils in Appendix N).
Each strategic plan strategy is assigned to one or more Cabinet member, via our shared governance council structure, who is responsible for overseeing implementation of their respective strategies.
Institutional Effectiveness. To further ensure accountability and support for the Pathways implementation teams, we capitalized on the College’s new processes for implementation of the 2016-2020 Strategic Plan. After the plan was approved by the TCC Board of Regents in April 2015, the President’s Cabinet identified Strategy Managers to lead each of the 41 strategies in the plan. The Strategy Managers were all required to attend a five-hour project management overview and training in August 2015, at the outset of the plan’s implementation (see agenda in Appendix J). Additionally, Strategy Managers were required to complete a Strategy Charter to outline their project (see template in Appendix K), which they update annually as needed, and they are required to submit status updates for their respective strategies after each fall and spring semester (see template in Appendix L). With the Guided Pathways Council and strategic plan implementation processes in place, based on our prioritization process, 10 strategies from the strategic plan were identified to be implemented as part of our Guided Pathways work (see Appendix M). These 10 strategies made up TCC’s Guided Pathways work for our first year of implementation (2016-2017). In addition to the regular updates the Strategy Managers provided for the strategic planning implementation, those leading the Pathways strategies also met regularly with the council co-chairs individually to discuss their respective strategy, progress to date, and any assistance they needed to successfully implement their strategies. The Guided Pathways Council and reporting for the strategic plan provide accountability and support mechanisms for the Strategy Managers, but members of the President’s Cabinet also are held accountable for the Pathways work (and the strategic plan as a whole). Following each fall and spring semester, the President’s
With the infrastructure in place for implementing and monitoring our work, TCC recognized that moving to a Guided Pathways model is a major undertaking that involves a shift in institutional culture. To best support employees and other stakeholders as we made this transition, the College invested in training a small group of employees to serve as change management consultants and trainers. As a way to build organizational competency in change management, and to help employees deal with the many changes underway, all supervisors and managers at TCC participated in a four-hour change management training and the President’s Cabinet went through its own training on change management, focused on being active and visible sponsors for change. We also hosted change management sessions for all employees at our annual Professional Development Day and trained a group of 10 employees to serve as change management practitioners for each of the college-wide councils. Each change management practitioner has been assigned to one or more of the councils listed in Appendix N, including the Guided Pathways Council.
Key Takeaways
• Assess potential barriers for implementation and make adjustments to ensure success. • Equip leaders with project management and change management skills to implement strategies. • Put processes in place to ensure accountability and monitor progress.
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Step Four: Implement, Assess, and Reinforce How are we doing and how do we make Pathways the norm? “Vision without execution is hallucination.” - Thomas Edison After raising awareness about the need for developing Pathways, integrating and prioritizing the work, and building the systems and processes necessary to support the work, the final step involves implementing the Essential Practices, assessing progress along the way and making adjustments as needed, and reinforcing the changes so that the work becomes the “new normal” for the institution. As we work to build “just-in-time” support for our students, institutions would be wise to create comparable supports for the stakeholders doing the heavy lifting during implementation. This type of transformation also requires ongoing reinforcement of the new processes, procedures, and practices so they become institutionalized and part of the College’s culture.
Why is this step necessary for making success inescapable? All the planning in the world is worthless if you cannot execute the plan effectively. This step is about executing the strategies that have been systematically planned to improve students’ lives. It’s one thing to determine the need for program maps but it’s an entirely different thing to sit down with a student to discuss her degree plan from first semester through graduation. It’s not enough to implement a strategy and hope it works. It is essential to track progress and monitor whether the intended effects
This step is about executing the strategies that have been systematically planned to improve students’ lives.
occur. If the intended impact is lacking, institutions must be willing to redirect efforts in a more productive way. Given that Guided Pathways includes many complex Essential Practices, it is essential to audit progress overall and revisit the prioritization process noted in Step 2 to stay on track toward implementing Pathways at scale. Finally, as with any
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26 IMPLEMENTING GUIDED PATHWAYS transformational change, implementing Guided Pathways requires ongoing reinforcement of the changes. Without reinforcing the new way of doing things via performance reviews, resource allocations, and other means, the culture of the institution will remain unchanged and stakeholders will continue to operate as they always have.
What stakeholders and actions are involved in this step? This step requires multiple stakeholders, including but not limited to the individuals leading implementation of the different Pathways elements, the front-line workers and faculty whose jobs will change, and executive leaders to ensure accountability, support, and reinforcement for the Pathways work. Central to the success of this type of work is an individual or small group who oversees implementation of the entire program, serving as a liaison between the project managers leading implementation and the executive leaders who serve as the program’s sponsors. In implementing, assessing, and reinforcing the Guided Pathways work, the questions below can be helpful in directing the work in this step: 1. Are the right people leading the implementation of the right strategies? 2. What professional development or other supports are needed for implementation to be successful? 3. How will the success of implementation be measured? 4. What position or office will oversee and “own” each Essential Practice once institutionalized? 5. How will all the changes involved in developing Guided Pathways be reinforced throughout the institution? Implementation should begin with ensuring project leads have a clear understanding of their charge. All too often employees are charged with implementing a new system or procedure, and it is assumed they fully understand the intent and vision for the project. This mistake can prove costly when redesigning the student experience. Initial meetings with project leads to discuss the scope and expected outcomes of their projects are a vital part of effective implementation. These initial meetings should inform the teams’ project charters, which outline the scope, objectives, timeline, resources, and more about their respective projects. Based on the project scope and objectives, implementation teams should be created for each Essential Practice being developed, targeting employees closest to the work being undertaken.
Central to the success of this type of work is an individual or small group who oversees implementation of the entire program, serving as a liaison between the project managers leading implementation and the executive leaders who serve as the program’s sponsors.
Critical to this step is the ongoing support and accountability for implementation teams. However it is done, having some process for ensuring executive-level sponsors hold project leads accountable for their progress is a key component for successful execution. Providing ongoing support regarding project management, change management, and program evaluation will help keep projects on track and moving forward. It is equally important to monitor the institution’s overall progress in implementing Guided Pathways at scale. If there is an individual or small group responsible for overseeing the entire Pathways program implementation, those individuals should regularly audit and assess where the College is in terms of overall implementation and should make recommendations to executive leadership for adjustments and next steps, as needed. Related to overall progress is reinforcement of the new Pathways practices so they become part of the fabric of the institution. Reinforcement can take many forms, including but not limited to ensuring all new practices and procedures have a position or office that will “own” it once institutionalized, shutting off old software systems that have been replaced as part of the Pathways work, rewarding behaviors consistent with the Pathways model, and including new practices and competencies in performance reviews that support helping students move through Guided Pathways.
How has TCC implemented this step? At TCC, we are implementing Guided Pathways via our strategic plan strategies. The Guided Pathways Council includes the Strategy Managers for the 10 Pathways strategies as well as other support personnel. The Strategy Managers
TULSA COMMUNITY COLLEGE meet individually with the council co-chairs at least twice a year, with an initial meeting in early fall semester to discuss their work plan for the year and what outcomes they hope to achieve. The result of the initial meetings with the cochairs from September 2016 was a comprehensive timeline and action plan for the College’s Pathways work in 20162017 (see Appendix O). Follow up meetings with Strategy Managers in the spring of 2017 focused on progress to date (both quantitative and qualitative) and plans for the future, including plans for institutionalization of the Essential Practices they were implementing (see follow up questions in Appendix P). In addition to reviewing progress of implementation at the Guided Pathways Council, status updates are regularly reviewed by the President’s Cabinet and the Board of Regents, including ongoing reviews of college-wide Key Performance Indicators.
being implemented in 2017-2018 focuses on making career exploration inescapable for students. This strategy required the purchase of a new software tool, Career Coach, to connect students’ interests and skills with TCC’s academic offerings and local job opportunities.
After meeting with the Pathways Strategy Managers in spring 2017, the Guided Pathways Council co-chairs conducted an audit of the AACC Essential Practices to determine how far along we have come with regards to the practices being implemented during the 2016-2017 academic year. This audit also informed recommendations for the Essential Practices (and corresponding strategic plan strategies) to implement as part of the Guided Pathways Council in 2017-2018. With each recommendation, the President and other executive leaders evaluate any financial contributions needed to ensure successful implementation, reallocating resources where needed. For example, one of the strategies
By following these four steps, any institution can implement Guided Pathways. Although launching Pathways is a heavy lift for any college, it can be effectively done without large financial investments. The steps included in this binder represent the key organizational action items that are likely to promote successful implementation to positively impact as many students as possible. At TCC, we are only a year and a half into our Pathways work and we have already seen significant improvements in both institutional practices and culture as well as some of our Key Performance Indicators of student success. Along the way, we are learning a great deal about what works and what does not, and it is these lessons that remind us we need to remain vigilant and open to adjustments, as needed, to better serve our students.
To reinforce changes resulting from Pathways implementation, we are working with Strategy Managers to ensure all new processes, practices, and procedures have organizational homes to sustain them over time. Other reinforcement methods are specific to individual strategies, such as requiring that all curriculum changes to academic programs be accompanied by a corresponding update to the program map and requiring that faculty reflect on their student learning outcomes assessment results in their annual performance review.
Key Takeaways
• Ensure project leads have a clear understanding of their task and the resources needed to be successful. • Reinforce Pathways work and initiatives throughout the organization. • Monitor progress on Key Performance Indicators and make adjustments, if needed.
Although launching Pathways is a heavy lift for any college, it can be effectively done without large financial investments.
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Lessons Learned At TCC, We Are Pathways. We are Implementing Guided Pathways to Make Success Inescapable for all students, employees, and our community at large. Since first applying to participate in AACC’s Pathways Project in September 2015, we have learned a great deal. These lessons can help colleges develop and implement their own Guided Pathways to make success inescapable.
Step One: Raise Awareness
Step Three: Build Infrastructure
The single most important lesson we learned during this step is to communicate earlier, more, and through multiple channels. Our President and other college leaders created a sense of urgency among many stakeholders by frequently speaking about the Pathways model and why we need to implement it to better serve our students. Nevertheless, a year into implementation we still heard reports of some faculty and staff who were not aware of Pathways. Although communication is always a challenge, particularly in large, multi-campus institutions, the primary lesson learned was that just when you think you have communicated enough, keep going.
Despite their necessity in moving projects forward, accountability measures are often viewed as unnecessary steps in implementation. In our implementation of the strategic plan and Pathways, the regular status updates and annual update of the strategy charter are perceived by some Strategy Managers as tedious and not critical to the “real” work of serving students. Nevertheless, a number of Strategy Managers report that, although they do not necessarily enjoy the reporting parts of implementation, the task is an important step to keeping them on track with completing their strategy. As we progress with our Pathways work, we have been responsive to suggestions for improving the reporting requirements. For instance, instead of requiring Strategy Managers to download an Excel file, complete it, and upload the file to an online database, we now utilize a user-friendly online survey tool to gather status updates and updated strategy charters.
A second key lesson is that data are your friend, but student voices are your best friend. Utilizing data to create urgency can be effective, particularly for highlighting poor retention and graduation rates, but hearing from students is often the most powerful tool for raising awareness of the need for change.
Step Two: Integrate and Prioritize We learned that integration of initiatives is not the natural tendency for most institutions. Programs and initiatives are typically implemented in silos with different areas often addressing similar issues, but from different perspectives. Integration has to be completed with great intentionality and commitment to reduce duplication, increase efficiency, and ensure cross-functional collaboration. Long-term planning and project prioritization are areas for growth at most institutions of higher education. A major transformation such as implementing Guided Pathways, which includes various pieces, requires this level of planning to minimize change fatigue and employee burnout. It can be challenging to put off certain projects that are likely to benefit students but ultimately, each Essential Practice of Pathways will be implemented more effectively and better serve students if it is launched with adequate support and resources.
Step Four: Implement, Assess, and Reinforce Institutions should not assume administrators, faculty, and other staff assigned to lead projects or initiatives have strong project and change management skills. In meeting individually with Strategy Managers to discuss their strategies, it was clear there was wide variability in the managers’ abilities to define the scope, objectives, and timelines for their respective strategies. There also were great discrepancies in the extent to which Strategy Managers were sensitive to and aware of the implications of their strategies for employees’ job duties as well as in their understanding of which groups needed to be informed about particular pieces of information and in what order. Institutions can help address these gaps proactively by providing professional development in these areas for all project leads prior to implementation, and by ensuring project and change management experts are available to provide ongoing support throughout implementation.
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Measures of Effectiveness To measure the effectiveness of our Guided Pathways program, we rely on a number of Key Performance Indicators. TCC has 29 Key Performance Indicators that are used to evaluate the progress being made on the 20162020 Strategic Plan (see Appendix Q). The changes being implemented as part of our Pathways work will positively affect many of these Key Performance Indicators as well as the metrics tracked by AACC as part of the Pathways Project (see AACC metrics in Appendix R). Of particular note are the Key Performance Indicators below, on which we have seen marked improvements over the past two years: • Retention rates for underrepresented minority students: 54% to 63% • Student-to-advisor ratio: 1,044-to-1 to 530-to-1 • % of Dev Ed Math students taking college-level math in first semester: 1% to 18% • % of Dev Ed English students taking collegelevel English in first semester: 5% to 17% • Percentage of degree-seeking students earning 24 credit hours in first year: 27% to 32% Ultimately, the development and implementation of Guided Pathways at TCC is expected to result in significantly higher retention, graduation, and transfer rates for our students. A holistic evaluation of our Pathways work must also include tracking the qualitative accomplishments of our efforts in this area. Listed below are some of the major achievements from our Pathways work so far: • Reorganization of Academic Affairs into seven academic schools (Pathways/Meta-Majors) and an Engaged Learning division focused on faculty development • All academic majors have program maps with course sequences, transfer and employment info, program learning outcomes, special admission process/criteria, student organizations, and more • Program maps for three high-enrollment majors for concurrent enrollment high school students (Liberal Arts, Biology, Business) • Advising Liaisons, Retention Specialists, and staff from Student Life and the Library assigned to each of the schools
• Mandatory new student orientation and advising (with caseload management launched within schools) • Priority enrollment based on credit hours and on-time enrollment for all students • Co-requisite models in English and Math and Mathways project aligning math courses with particular majors (no longer College Algebra for all!) • New placement process, including multiple measures and a non-cognitive assessment • Degree Works implemented for tracking student progress on pathways • Starfish early alert system implementation • Institutional learning outcomes identified and assessed within each major, along with program learning outcomes and course learning outcomes As we continue to build and implement our Guided Pathways, we will continue to track the progress of all strategies as well as the overall program, making adjustments when and where needed. An undertaking of this size involves all stakeholders and is an exercise in culture change. Because of the dramatic shift in culture taking place, the steps described focus largely on organizational work needed to engage our students, employees, Board, and community in this work. In every single step, the need for awareness is pervasive and ongoing. We exist only to serve students. We can do better, and redesigning the student experience to provide coherent, streamlined academic pathways with just-in-time supports is how we will get there. At TCC, We All Impact Student Success. At TCC, We Are Pathways.