Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Bold Innovative Growth (BIG Project for Multiple Modalities—Six Projects)* (3/6)

The BIG project helps address barriers to higher education and training through expanded educational opportunities in multiple modalities that meet student needs for access and flexibility. Depending on the extent of growth, we can generate new revenue opportunities through the expansion of courses and programs delivered online – whether credit or non-credit. This project houses six individual projects, two of which have been completed:

• BIG Innovation and Tech Operations: Establish the executive dean’s office operations that oversee the creation of the new division of innovation and technology in support of achieving AA/SA’s strategic initiatives.
• BIG Project Management Operations: Establish new project management service including staffing, operations practices, department policies, and procedures to support technology project management for AA/SA in completing the strategic goals of the college.
• BIG App Systems Operations: Expand the applications systems and support department with additional staffing, redesign of operational practices, department policies, and procedures, as the foundation for AA/SA technology systems and users to deliver on the strategic goals of the college.

Non-Credit Integration

Now that we have entered a One College for Equitable Student Success model, which includes integrating credit and non-credit programming into our Pathways structure, this project will focus on aligning the institutional infrastructure with the values of an integrated noncredit-credit model. See full project plan »

Pathway Teams

The traditional community college system has been difficult to navigate, with silos that have strengthened the already existing barriers for historically marginalized students. This project focuses on implementing a guided pathways framework and building cross-disciplinary teams focused on creating student and equity-centered processes for students. This model emphasizes the student experience in process building and refinement, and is grounded in a continuous improvement and human-centered design approach. These Pathway Teams will enable us to better understand and serve our students and achieve more equitable outcomes. See full project plan »

Strategic Workplace Transformation

An initiative to fully analyze the long-term impact of how the pandemic has changed the ways we view the workplace and operate at the college. Factoring in national, local, and PCC-specific trends and “lessons learned,” this initiative will define the future workforce operating model at PCC and the impact on current systems (including HR, Payroll, Finance, and IT implications). See full project plan »

Student Belonging, Engagement, and Well-Being*

The Student Belonging, Engagement, and Well-Being was a project that encompassed four different programs, each contributing to the belonging, engagement, and well-being of specific populations at PCC. Smaller, funded objectives for parts of this project have been completed, and the below programs will continue to operate and grow. See full project plan »

Bold Innovative Growth (BIG Project for Multiple Modalities – Six Projects)* (3/6)

The BIG project helps address barriers to higher education and training through expanded educational opportunities in multiple modalities that meet student needs for access and flexibility. Depending on the extent of growth, we can generate new revenue opportunities through the expansion of courses and programs delivered online – whether credit or non-credit. This project houses six individual projects:

• BIG Innovation and Tech Operations: Establish the executive dean’s office operations that oversee the creation of the new division of innovation and technology in support of achieving AA/SA’s strategic initiatives. Project Completed.
• BIG Online Growth and Quality: Add Online Learning staffing resources to increase the quantity and quality of online and hybrid instructional modalities through instructional design, media, faculty development, support, training, mentoring, and course development. Practices and procedures will also be developed where needed in alignment with Academic Affairs leadership and department or operating policies.
• BIG Learning Technology and Innovation: Increase human resources and operational infrastructure, expanding support for learning technologies across all instruction at the college. This includes, but is not limited to, expanded technology management resources, faculty technology training, user support for faculty and students, and emerging technologies.
• BIG Online Student Success: Establish leadership to support Student Affairs leaders as they develop a comprehensive service delivery philosophy and operating model that incorporates multiple, accessible modalities and pilot success coaching for online students.
• BIG Project Management Operations: Establish new project management service including staffing, operations practices, department policies, and procedures to support technology project management for AA/SA in completing the strategic goals of the college. Project Completed.
• BIG App Systems Operations: Expand the applications systems and support department with additional staffing, redesign of operational practices, department policies, and procedures, as the foundation for AA/SA technology systems and users to deliver on the strategic goals of the college. Project Completed.

See full project plan »

Climate-Friendly Fleet and Equipment

PCC’s Climate Action Plan strives to address climate justice as a critical component of addressing the climate crisis. Health impacts from air quality can limit our student’s ability to participate fully in their education. Having a climate-friendly fleet supports our carbon neutrality goals, enhances air quality, and provides on-campus examples of climate action for the community to engage with. This project will develop and/or update policies and standard operating procedures and equipment to support fleet vehicle and diesel equipment emissions reduction targets and establish a roadmap for full fleet electrification at PCC.

College Onboarding Program*

The College Onboarding Program will establish and provide training on key competencies, and align with employee assessment and goal setting to support accountability in our leaders, faculty, and staff, and achieve college initiatives on equity, inclusion, belonging, and excellence. See full project plan »

Develop a Comprehensive Transition Plan*

The purpose of the Development of a Comprehensive Transition Plan is to establish a long-term plan to address deficiencies and areas out of compliance, so student accessibility is consistent across the college. The project will assess and enhance all college spaces, both physical and virtual, to increase the number of welcoming and healthy spaces that are designed as flexible and accessible, prioritize technological and educational systems that are interchangeable, and are easily updated and modified. See full project plan »

Electronic Security Systems*

Leveraging a 2020 commissioned analysis by the Faith Group (a consulting group focused on enterprise security systems) and an internal PCC working group, Phase I will completely restructure the support model for video surveillance, electronic door locks, mass notification, and emergency alert systems at the college. Phase II will see future Bond investments creating an upgraded, holistic, security infrastructure at the college.

Establish a Continuous Improvement Framework

This project establishes a framework for a continuous improvement cycle that centers equitable student success through engagement with the college community. This systematic review and continuous improvement process will analyze administrative procedures, operations, and practice through a racial equity and social justice framework. This framework will be implemented across the college (Academic Affairs; Student Affairs; Finance and Administration; College Relations; Marketing and Communications; People-Strategy, Equity, and Culture; Strategy, Policy, and Integrated Planning; and IT). See full project plan »

Industry Sector Strategies

Given the community college’s role in supporting workforce development, it is critical the college be deeply connected to our partners in business, industry, and community. These connections will help ensure that credit and academic non-credit programming are responsive to the region’s business and community needs. This project will establish PCC industry sector strategies that are grounded in racial and economic justice. Industry sector strategy development and planning will involve regular and active engagement with, and advice from, diverse and representative business and industry partners, community organization and agency partners, K-12 and university partners, and current and alumni students. Strategy implementation may involve convening industry sector councils or task forces, specific industry outreach, job and economic data analysis, consortia engagement, and other targeted and coordinated industry strategies. See full project plan »

Institutional Equity Plan*

The Equity Planning Process will effectively respond to ongoing needs, enhance efforts already in progress, and accelerate transformative change toward a more equitable and socially-just PCC as part of departmental plans throughout the college.

New Student Onboarding Process

National best practices underscore the importance of a contextualized and intentional onboarding experience to set students up for academic and career success. As part of our YESS efforts, in 2019 PCC began offering onboarding sessions to students new to PCC and without prior college experience. This project will build and refine on those existing efforts, expand offerings to every student through various modalities and formats (in-person, asynchronous, synchronous), and provide content that is relevant to the student. College administrators, faculty, and staff have the power to change this process to create a positive impact for students, in which the student benefits from the resources and preparation to ensure a seamless entry to PCC.

Strategic Course Scheduling*

This project will create a strategic course scheduling model that is responsive to the needs of our students and community and takes into account multiple modalities, time, location, and academic program maps. The model will promote cross-location collaboration and coordination, efficiency, space utilization, and resource savings. See full project plan »

Strategic Enrollment Management*

Our Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) project will expand upon and fully develop a strategic enrollment management philosophy, plan, marketing strategy, and associated budget model that recognizes and centers shifting community demographics and the education and training needs of underserved and marginalized community members. See full project plan »

Student Affairs Guiding Philosophy and Operating Model

Many students – especially those from communities or with identities that have been historically marginalized and underserved by higher education and other social structures – struggle to navigate our college. This project is driven by a culmination of multiple, intersecting efforts and recommendations (YESS, the college reorganization, advising redesign, new student onboarding, etc) over the past four years, as well as learning that has come from our current pandemic-driven environment. This project will develop a comprehensive service delivery philosophy and operating model across Student Affairs that incorporates multiple, accessible modalities for consistent and useful information, proactive intervention and support, clear student progress tracking of academic and career goals, and culturally responsive and inclusive interactions. Students will benefit from aligned operations and clear standards for culturally adept and inclusive services and programming that create guidance and support for all students. See full project plan »

Workforce Development and Opportunity Centers New Model Implementation*

With a WorkSource Center and DHS office on site, and Community Workforce Development (CWD) staff situated in workforce partner offices across the Portland metropolitan area, we take PCC’s front door to where the most marginalized and underrepresented populations are in need of a better job, training, and education. With funding from the college and additional funding from contracts and grants, these centers aim to reverse racial and economic disparities. They offer equity-based strategies for the college to become “student-ready” and to create a pipeline of students prepared to succeed in education and connect with career-track employment. See full project plan »

Acknowledge and Support PCC’s Native and Indigenous Communities

The goal of this project is the establishment of regular community engagement and dedicated programming, as well as physical spaces, for Native and Indigenous communities. Our goal is to move away from the models we’ve had in the past and move toward a more specific and culturally responsive way to build community and honor Native treaty rights. We hope to establish an inclusive process that will seek the feedback of these communities that have been excluded in the past. This opportunity will operationalize recommendations that have come from our Native and Indigenous community members, including everything from curricula to community representation. The purpose of this project is to cultivate a culture of belonging, moving beyond land acknowledgment to action.

Business Industry Engagement and Partnerships

Our current state with regard to business and industry engagement is very decentralized, dispersed, and not tied to specific strategic goals. This project will establish an internal functional unit to cultivate and enhance external business and industry engagement and partnerships. This approach will support a proactive sector-based strategy, which serves to strengthen CTE and workforce program nimbleness and foster collaborations that support underserved communities in career-based pathways.

Develop a Common Equity-Framed Narrative for PCC

The college needs stable, sustainable funding in pursuit of broad-based funding sources. This project will develop an equity-framed narrative that engenders greater fiscal support among the community and key stakeholders. Fluctuating funding from the legislature is a driving factor, and this project enables the college to share our financial story to make the case for continuity and support.

Efficient and Sustainable Building Energy

The climate crisis poses threats to our community and additional barriers to opportunity by magnifying pre-existing inequities. The Portland metro region, home to the majority of the PCC community, has already seen and will continue to experience the effects of climate change through changing temperature and precipitation levels, reduced access to green space, and increased exposure to weather events and natural disasters. While the community as a whole experiences these impacts through poor air quality generated by wildfires and power outages, disasters like these create a magnified impact on society’s frontline and most vulnerable communities due to racial and economic inequities. Addressing the climate crisis through decarbonizing our energy systems is crucial.

Establish Anti-racist and Anti-oppression models in Planning

This project infuses social equity and Critical Race Theory into our planning processes. We will seek to align planning across the college with these as the foundation. This project will establish a framework and metrics for anti-racist and anti-oppression models in planning processes at the college, in support of a triple-bottom-line approach to foster economic prosperity, social equity, and environmental stewardship. It also seeks the inclusion of representatives from marginalized populations.

Excellence in Teaching and Learning

This project will define, create, and support capacity building and programming around excellence in teaching and learning, which will center on our values around belonging, justice, equity, and inclusion. It will promote the latest strategies in teaching, learning, and innovation to our college community.

Fostering Students’ Sense of Belonging

The purpose of this project is to ensure all students, employees, and the community feel a sense of belonging at the college. Definition of belonging: After an individual’s basic needs are met, the door is opened to create a sense of belonging. This sense of belonging is foundational to helping an individual self-actualize and thrive within an institution. In the college environment, both the academic and social elements work in tandem to create a sense of belonging. A sense of belonging is relational, reciprocal, and dynamic. It cultivates a feeling that the individual matters to the group, and that their personal identity and contributions are valued. Individuals experience that they are indispensable to the group and feel safe presenting themselves authentically in the group.

Identify and Pursue New Broad-based Funding Sources

This project will identify and pursue new broad-based funding sources to boost institutional viability, including but not limited to local county tax levies and regional tax strategies.

K-12, College, and University Service Models

The purpose of this project is to research and support the development of administrative service models between K-12, colleges, and universities. This project will culminate in a report with recommendations for reduced costs and efficiencies. An internal audit department and process or cybersecurity protocols, for example, may be developed and offered to Oregon’s high schools or post-secondary schools. These service models could potentially impact rural areas and other less-resourced institutions.

New Program Proposal and Sustainability Process

Through the use of diverse data, this project will reimagine and refine the New Program Proposal and Program Sustainability process in order to ensure that academic programming and training are innovative, nimble, and meet the needs of our community. The processes will be informed by alignment with labor market and sector-based trends; broad access to credentialing (credit and non-credit) and pathways that lead to living-wage jobs; optimized opportunities for students to gain critical professional growth and work experiences; collaborations with external partners; and an equity conscious continuous improvement model.

Pathways to Opportunity

Pathways to Opportunity (PTO) is one of the core YESS priorities and teams. PTO, SNAP Employment and Training Program, (STEP), and Career Pathways are all designed to increase college completion, close opportunity gaps and disproportionate outcomes for BIPOC and low-income students, and increase the diversity of students served (especially adults needing opportunities for economic mobility). This work will be a critical through-line between Academic and Student Affairs, between community partners and the college, between employers and career pathways, and most importantly between our students and the college. These areas have been effective on- and off-ramps into and from the college, and are a critical strategy to advance racial equity and economic mobility in our community.

Peer Guidance and Student Employment Philosophy

The rising cost of education, and the need to gain valuable skills and career-relevant experiences before graduation, are among the reasons why many of our students work while in college. Nationally, about 80% of college students participate in some form of paid employment, while working students represent a large portion of the student population on many college campuses. Many challenges exist, which are nationally referred to as the “working student dilemma”. The time, energy, and resources required as an employee and as a student can present working students with tough tradeoffs and decisions on how to handle these competing priorities. This project will develop a comprehensive peer guidance and student employment philosophy and operating model across Student Affairs that elevates student assets and lived experiences, creates personal and professional learning opportunities, positively impacts belonging and wellbeing, and contributes to college workforce needs. As a result, PCC will have a shared understanding of our student employment philosophy and high-impact practices that focus on leadership engagement, equitable hiring processes, growth, professional development opportunities, articulated student learning outcomes, and assessment and evaluation measures to support equitable student learning.

Pre-college and Gateway Course Student Outcomes

This project will fully implement and resource recommendations related to pre-college and gateway course student outcomes and transitions. Many students find themselves in pre-college course sequences longer than anticipated, and some don’t advance to college-level courses. The WR and MTH Gateway courses have been unattainable to some students as a result of not advancing from pre-college courses. With proper advising, multiple measures, and learning support, as indicated in the WR, MTH, ABE, and ESOL recommendations, this project will address these issues and help to further equitable student success.

Strengthen and Structure College Communications*

College communications, both internal and external, have evolved organically over the years, with some oversight provided by district offices and some by campus leadership teams. With the adoption and implementation of a one-college model and college-wide reorganization, we have the opportunity to create a strategic, holistic plan for PCC that includes and unifies internal communications, media relations, public relations, community engagement, and marketing.