About CSM

2007-2009 Strategic Plan

CSM is positioned to enhance learning and achieve performance excellence by implementing its new Strategic Plan, which identifies five broad college initiatives, as well as strategies for success and measures for performance.

Though the initiatives are varied, they all embrace the mission of CSM – to prepare its students and community to meet the challenges of individual, social, and global changes – and they support the vision of changing lives through active learning!

Goal 1: CSM effectively addresses the life-long educational, workforce development, and cultural needs of Southern Maryland.

In fulfilling the community college mission, CSM has identified service areas that present an opportunity for enrollment growth and for increased participation in
educational, cultural, and workforce development programs and courses offered to the community. Specific areas for growth include:

1. Transitional workers in transfer or workforce development courses/programs (career-changers, retirement-eligible, women over thirty)
2. Traditional-age students who are not college bound (e.g., males, minorities)
3. Early-admission students
4. Personal and cultural enrichment seekers (esp. in arts programs), general population, and seniors
5. Incumbent workers in targeted business segments
6. On-line students
7. Licensing and certifications (periodic upgrading of credentials)

Groups A, B, C, and D above represent areas of substantial potential growth. These are singled out as areas for strategic action, because our current efforts in these areas are not as effective as they could be. The remaining items (E through G) are also significant and are currently being targeted by various departmental and cross-departmental efforts. Objectives and action plans below address items A through D.

Objectives

• Increase the number of transitional workers in transfer and workforce development programs and courses by ten percent over next three years.
• Develop and administer workforce preparation programs and courses that meet the employment needs of the Southern Maryland/Washington Metropolitan area, by increasing the number of enrollments and programs by ten percent over the next three years.
• The percentage of recent high school graduates from the tri-county area enrolled at CSM will increase by three percent during the next three years.
• Students enrolled in dual enrollment/concurrent enrollment programs (formerly early-admissions programs) will increase by ten percent in three years.
• The percentage of traditional-age students who are not typically college-bound (e.g. males, minorities) will increase by ten percent over the next three years.
• CSM will provide at least one cultural affairs program on each campus every six weeks.
• Enrollments in continuing education and other life-long learning courses, exclusive of workforce development courses, will increase by five percent over the
  next three years.

Goal 2: CSM promotes student success by providing outstanding education and related support services that help students achieve their goals.

Rates of transfer, graduation, persistence, and goal attainment of CSM students must increase, and the college can more effectively insure that students are able to take full advantage of opportunities available to them. The current rates present the college with an opportunity to assess and improve its programs and services. The following objectives and action plans will have a positive impact on these rates and will increase overall student success.

Objectives

• Increase the percentage of students whose goal is to attain a CSM degree or certificate by five percent over the next three years.
• Increase the number of students using the college’s student services (e.g., financial aid, tutoring, skills lab) by ten percent over the next three years.
• Increase the selection of sections offered in nontraditional formats by ten percent each year over the next two years.
• Decrease the percentage of recent high school graduates who place into developmental education courses by two percent a year, within three years of implementation.
• Increase the number of students enrolled in college honors, study abroad, and service learning courses and activities by ten percent over the next three years.
• The number of part-time faculty participating in training will increase by ten percent over the next three years and their level of satisfaction with the training will increase.
• Number of students involved in extracurricular and co-curricular activities will increase by ten percent over the next three years.

Goal 3: CSM is an employer of choice.

CSM must prepare and position itself for labor market challenges and shortages in order to fulfill its mission.

Objectives

• The non-retiree turnover rate, excluding childcare center employees, will not exceed ten percent per year within three years of implementation.
• Offers of employment will be accepted by CSM’s first-choice applicants in at least 75 percent of competitive recruitments.
• Participation in employee training will increase by five percent within three years of implementation.
• The percentage of minority employees will reflect the demographics of the region
• Employee satisfaction with supervisors, as measured by the average climate score, will exceed the national norm as measured on the PACE survey.
• The college’s average time to hire in a competitive recruitment, from the start of the requisition process to the offer, will not exceed twelve weeks within three years of implementation.
• The retention rate of part-time faculty will increase by five percent within three years of implementation.

Goal 4: CSM employs effective management tools to insure that the college provides outstanding services in an efficient and proactive manner at all campuses.

Background: An organization that is recognized as “best in class” understands its mission, the customers it seeks and serves and the core processes that must be continuously monitored and improved for efficiency and effectiveness. The Baldrige National Quality Program provides institutions of higher education with self-assessment criteria; however, the program is not prescriptive. CSM will develop and implement a Quality Improvement Program (QIP) so that employees fully understand the college’s markets, customers, and culture, as well as work processes essential to achieving performance excellence among institutions of higher education in the United States.

Objectives

• The percentage of students/customers who rate their educational/service experience at CSM as good or excellent will be one percent above our peers within three years of implementation.
• The College will develop a culture of quality improvement to insure that it continually strives for excellence. Within three years, fifty percent of CSM employees will be involved in these efforts and thirty percent of CSM’s core business processes will be reengineered.
• Seventy five percent of CSM’s employees will indicate that improvements have been made in integrating the campuses into a cohesive whole.

Goal 5: CSM has the resources to provide outstanding educational services, compensate faculty and staff fairly, and provide modern facilities and technology.

CSM is a public community college that serves Southern Maryland and derives almost half of its annual operational funding from student tuition; the remainder is derived from state and county governments. In Maryland, students traditionally realize most of the cost burden for higher education. CSM tuition has increased by nearly 45 percent over the past ten years. In order to avoid future tuition increases while continuing to deliver high-quality educational and community services, the college must position itself to increase both public assistance and private funding.

Objectives

• Increase the inflation-adjusted funding per FTE without increasing tuition.
• Increase the CSM endowment funds and funds transferred to the college by ten percent each fiscal year.
• Increase total grant and noncompetitive contract revenue each year by ten percent.
• Net revenue from continuing education activities will increase by ten percent within three years of implementation.
• Net revenue from credit offerings will increase by ten percent within three years of implementation.
• Net revenue from auxiliary services will increase by ten percent within three years of implementation.
• Explore operational efficiencies that result in reducing operational expenses without adversely affecting educational quality, services, or morale.