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A Strategic Initiative for the Future of

Erie Community College

Excels

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Excels

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Erie Community College (ECC) has developed a planning initiative called ECC Excels, informed through goals stated within the SUNY Excels Performance System, and with a specific adherence to ECC’s enduring education-based mission. The initiative is meant to tackle current institutional challenges while, at the same time, capitalize on opportunities available within our college and across the reinvigorated Buffalo Niagara region.

Funding of ECC Excels requires an increase of at least $4 million in operating support and a target of $5 million per year over five (5) years for a total of $25M in capital support. The initiative will address challenges concerning:

– Enrollment– Funding– Infrastructure– Labor– Technology

ECC Excels focuses on five areas of growth, each with a set of goals and with several specific outcomes:

Access Goals• EducatingECCstudentsforthejobsoftomorrow• ContinuesuccessofWNYWorkforceDevelopmentCenter• Increasestudentandstaffdiversity• Developnewofferings• Expandonlinecourseofferings• MaximizeECC’sstudentrecruitmentplan• Accuratelyforecaststudentenrollment

Completion Goals• Improvestudentretention• Decreasetimetograduation/completion• Simplifystudentorientation• Expandonlineorientationprograms• Increasetransferrate• Helpdrop-outs“dropbackin”

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Engagement Goals• GainapprovalofECC’sSTART-UPNewYorkplan• ContinuetobetheregionalleaderinWorkforce Development• EngagethecommunitiesaroundECC• Nurtureandexpandpublic/privatepartnerships• Createahigh-performanceculturecenteredupon student success• IncreasephilanthropytoECC

Operations Goals• Settleoutstandinglaborcontracts• CompleteAcademicMasterPlan• EnhanceFacilitiesMasterPlan• Createandexecutecampusbeautification/enhancementplan• EstablishasignatureECCSchoolofNursingDowntown• Pursuestudenthousingatallcampusestoincrease enrollment and reduce chargebacks • Addressdeferredmaintenanceprojects• Increaseproductivityandefficiencies• ConstructtheSTEMBuilding• Upgradeexistinginfrastructure

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Success Goals• Decreasestudentdefault• ExpandStudentSuccessCenterstoallthreecampuses• LeadNewYorkinNextGenerationjobs• PromoteECC’smanysuccessstoriestosurrounding communities and stakeholders.

Erie Community College’s needs are great, but our financial resourcesareconstrained.WepledgetoworkcollectivelywithallconstituenciestocreateabetterECC.WithExecutiveandLegislativesupport,wewillbepositionedtoeducate the workforce of tomorrow and ensure that ECC truly Excels.

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The mission of Erie Community College has always been singular: provide an affordable, career-focused education for those invested in the opportunity.

The college hosts more than 100 programs to help local students start, restart or redirect their education—and all while benefitting from one of the region’s most affordable tuitions. These programs produce transferrable credits to dozens of four-year colleges and universities. Over 300 Buffalo Niagara business partnerships help ECC students land internships,jobsortraining.ECCboastsmorethan50,000identifiedalumnicurrentlylivingandworkinginWesternNewYork;nationalchampionsinathletics;andfuturelocalleadersnowenrolledatallthreeErie County campuses.

Despitethesepositiveattributes,wecanandwilldomore.Withthe help of our partners in county and state government, we will establish the foundation for the future of Erie County’s community college. Withdecreasedenrollment,risingcostsandincreasedcompetitionforstudents,thecollegewillnavigatethesechallenges.Withareinvigoratedregion and changing local economy, it’s imperative to accommodate the enhanced education and training needs of our students and future workforce.

This is the motivation behind our new initiative, ECC Excels—and we need your help to make it work.

Excels

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The vital tenets of ECC Excels—all of which specifically address our institution’s challenges and opportunities— require an increase of at least $4 million in operating support and a target of $5 million per year over five (5)yearsforatotalof$25 million in capital support.

Inadditiontosponsorsupport,ECCleadershipiscommittedtoseekingadditionalresourcesthroughothermeans(state,privatesupport,public/private partnerships). This burden cannot fall solely on the shoulders of our students.

How will

Excel?

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What is

ECC’s proposed planning initiative is aligned with the college’s strategic plan;informedthroughthemajortenetsoftheSUNYExcelsPerformanceSystem;andadherestoECC’senduringeducation-basedmission.It’sdesignedtotacklecurrentinstitutionalchallengeswhile,atthe same time, capitalize on opportunities available within our college and across the reinvigorated Buffalo Niagara region. SUNY Excels is the state higher education system’s performance measurement process, and is the key driver for the SUNY Strategic Plan. ECC Excels is based upon the following five tenets:

• Access:Enrollmentatallthreecampuses;awidearrayof cutting-edgeprograms;adiversecollegecommunity;spacecapacity; affordability;andaccessibility.• Completion:Studentpersistence;transferopportunitiestofour-year institutions;highergraduationrates;andshortertimefrom enrollment to completion.• Engagement:MaximizingopportunitiesthroughSTART-UPNY; enhancedalumnisupport;andreinvigoratedengagementwithour community partners.• Operations: Settlementoflaborcontracts;implementationofan academicmasterplan;enhancefacilitiesmasterplan;21stcentury technologyupgrades;andinfrastructureimprovementsatall three campuses.• Success: Improvedjobplacementforgraduates;highertransfer ratesforcontinuingstudents;andreducedstudentdebt.

Before providing some of the key deliverables envisioned through ECC Excels,thefollowingisabriefoverviewofsomeofthemajor challenges facing our community college.

ECCExcels?

Excels?

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• Enrollment challenges – Since reaching an all-time enrollment high in2010-2011,ECC’senrollmenthasfollowednationalenrollmenttrends andhasdeclined20%.Thisyear,weanticipateourenrollmenttofall tolevelsnotseensince2002/2003.Becauseenrollmentdrives80%of ECC’srevenue,ourgoalistostabilizeenrollmentin2016/2017.

• Funding challenges–TheNewYorkStateEducationLawstates that SUNY community colleges are to be funded based upon a simple formula:1/3fromstudents,1/3fromthestate,and26.7%fromthe sponsoring county. Neither Erie County nor New York State meets the aforementionedrequirementofNYSEducationLaw.Asaresult,fund balances have been depleted and the bulk of the burden has been unfairly shifted to our students.

ChallengesAhead

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• Infrastructure challenges – ECC’s buildings and grounds are ownedbyErieCounty.TheECCBoardofTrusteeshasthefiduciary responsibility to maintain those facilities and relies on Erie County fundingtodoso.Asaresult,ECChasbeenforcedtouseoperational funds to address deferred maintenance, and the college is currently years behind in this schedule due to lack of funding. Consistent funding from the County needs to be implemented in order to meet maintenance needs.

A 2009 SUNY study showed ECC had a $38.3M deferred maintenance backlog and required, over the next 10 years (with inflation) $80.2M in capital investment to avoid falling further behind. From 2010/11-2014/15 ECC has only received on average $4.56M (combined state/county) pushing the college further behind.

• Labor challenges–98%ofECC’svaluedworkforceisrepresented by one of four collective bargaining agreements. The two largest unions atECC,theFFECCandAAECC,havebeenworkingunderanexpired agreementsinceSeptember1,2009andSeptember1,2011,respectively. Negotiations have been ongoing for many years, but have significantly intensifiedinrecentmonths.A“win/win”contractsettlementispriority one at ECC in order to bring about fiscal stability. • Technological challenges – ECC became autonomous from Erie Countyin2002andtookoverresponsibilityforpayrollandpurchasing. Payroll,HumanResources,FinanceandPurchasingarelargelypaper- based.Asaresult,wecannotextractinformationtofacilitatedata-driven decisionmaking,strategicplanning,orefficientlyutilizehumancapital. The college must be equipped with new data systems to ensure its future as a more efficient institution.

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Access Goals • EducatingECCstudentsforthejobsoftomorrow• ContinuesuccessofWNYWorkforceDevelopmentCenter – Establish an ECC presence at the NYS-funded center, offering degrees and certificates for in-demand programs in advanced manufacturing and technologies. • Increasestudentandstaffdiversity – ECC student and staff enrollments should mirror Erie County’s demographicsandSUNYcommunitycollegesectorstaff/faculty diversity rates. SUNYrateis15.4%;theECCrateiscurrentlyis12.3%; ECC Goal: 15% • Developnewofferings – ECC faculty and staff will continue to explore new program opportunities commensurate with the needs of local industry.• Expandonlinecourseofferings ECC Goal: Grow online sections 3-5% annually.• MaximizeECC’sstudentrecruitmentplan – Significantly increase prospective student communication and develop recruitment analytics to optimize our use of resources.• Accuratelyforecaststudentenrollment – Proper enrollment forecasting is critical for planning, control, andresourceallocation.ECCwillthereforeengagea“blue ribbon”paneltohelpdetermineoptimalenrollmentusingdata driven analytics. ECC Goal: Panel Report due June 30, 2016. Completion Goals• Improvestudentretention – Enhanced interaction between students and faculty, which is the number one indicator of student success and higher graduation rates. – Trackacademicperformanceandincreaseengagement between faculty and students to increase the likelihood of degree completion. – IncreasingECC’sretentionrateswillrequirededicatedresources for case management of students. Current retention rate for full timestudentsis53.5%. SUNY Goal: 61.9% ECC Goal: 62%

OpportunitiesAhead

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• Decreasetimetograduation/completion – CommunityCollegeTimetoCompletion: 2013-14:ECCYearstoDegree: 4.01 SUNYYearstoDegree: 3.75 ECC Goal: 3.75 years• Simplifystudentorientation – Anotherpredictorofstudentsuccessisparticipationin orientation. ECC has increased student attendance at orientationby66%. ECC Goal: Make orientation mandatory.• Expandonlineorientationprograms – Create online orientation modules to serve online students and facilitate ECC’s recently re-engineered orientation program.• Increasetransferrate – Emphasize SUNY transfer paths to both promote opportunities for students and facilitate four-year degree completion. • Helpdrop-outs“dropbackin” – Encourage former students to complete their degrees or seek new ones. ECC Goal: 200 by 2017 -2018; 400 by 2020-2021

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Engagement Goals• GainapprovalofECC’sSTART-UPNewYorkplan ECC Goal: Target one business in the first year• Continuetobetheregionalleaderinworkforcedevelopment – Create degrees and certificates that are responsive to our changing economy (concerning advanced manufacturing, Solar City,BuffaloNiagaraMedicalCampus,andotheropportunities aided by the Buffalo Billion).• EngagethecommunitiesaroundECC – Create a sense of place to support learning by leveraging existing partnerships and entering into new partnerships to enhance the student experience. ECC is engaging its neighbors around all three campuses to enhance the campuses, create partnerships and find creative facility opportunities. • Nurtureandexpandpublic/privatepartnerships – Continue to encourage student engagement in three campus communities. – AddtoECC’smorethan300businesspartnerships.• Createahigh-performanceculturecentereduponstudentsuccess – Inspireenhancedemployeeengagement.• IncreasephilanthropytoECC – Increasescholarships,annualgiving,specialeventrevenue,and donor retention annually. – Implementmajorgiftsinitiativeinconjunctionwithcollege’s master plan. – Developnewengagementstrategiesforalumnirecruitment & retention.

Excels

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Operations Goals• Settleoutstandinglaborcontracts – A“win/win”contractsettlementwillcreatefiscalstability.• CompleteAcademicMasterPlan – Adheretofindingscompiledthroughout2013JMZstudy concerning needs, location and design of specific career-focused programs. • EnhanceFacilitiesMasterPlan – A2009SUNYstudyshowedECChada$38.3Mdeferred maintenance backlog and required over the next 10 years, with inflation,$80.2Mincapitalinvestmenttoavoidfallingfurther behind.From2010/11-2014/15ECChasonlyreceivedonaverage $4.56M(combinedstate/county)pushingthecollegefurther behind. – Addressdeferredmaintenanceprojects,prioritizingsafety and security needs. • Createandexecutecampusbeautification/enhancementplan – Create clear and logical signage and way-finding because appearance is a top issue for students and parents when they visit ECC campuses. • EstablishasignatureECCSchoolofNursingDowntown – Increaseavailablenursingstudentseatsfrom210to240by 2017-2018;270by2020-2021. – ExtendtheBuffaloNiagaraMedicalCampus(BNMC)toinclude ECC training facilities. – ECCloses$1,170,000annuallyinchargebacksbecauseErie County nursing students attend NCCC.

Losses to NCCC

Nursing:FTE’s 117TotalFTE’s 1,377

Losses to NYS

TotalFTE’s 1,964

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Operations Goals (Cont.)• Pursuestudenthousingatallcampusestoincreaseenrollmentand reduce chargebacks – The only SUNY community colleges that increased enrollment over the past several years have added student housing. Toremaincompetitive,studenthousingisessentialforECC.• Increaseproductivityandefficiencies – Statewide, ECC ranks first in lowest dollars spent per FTE for administrative expenses. ECC can achieve far more with the introduction of modern systems. – Investinginupgradestoourexistingsystemspresentsapotential opportunity to reallocate resources to improve student and employee engagement and success. • ConstructSTEMBuilding – ECCandErieCountywillbreakgroundonthisprojectinthe Springof2016. • Upgradeexistinginfrastructure – ProgramsmovingintotheSTEMBuildingwillvacatecurrent space. Opportunities will emerge to enhance student learning with the restructuring and renovation of classroom space. – Continue to invest in smart classrooms. ECC Goal: Add 20 smart classrooms per year

Success Goals• Decreasestudentdefault – Reducestudentindebtednessanddefaultthroughimproved communication and enhanced technology that enables student self-service and promotes financial literacy. NYSAverageDefaultRate 17.4% 2011ECCDefaultRate 23.1% 2012ECCDefaultRate 19% ECC Goal: Default Rate 15%• ExpandStudentSuccessCenters – Build on the effectiveness of the City Campus Student Success Center by expanding to North and South Campuses.• LeadNewYorkinNextGenerationjobs – AccordingtotheNewYorkStateDepartmentofLabor,ECC hasledstatewidecommunitycollegesintheNextGeneration JobLinkageProgramfortwoconsecutiveyears.ECCgraduates securebetterjobswithbetterwages.• PromoteECC’smanysuccessstoriestosurroundingcommunities and stakeholders – ECC is developing and will implement an integrated marketing plan to promote ECC’s success stories.

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ECC requires an increase of at least $4 million in operating support and a target of $5 million per year over five years for a total of $25 million in capital support for all three campuses, to address the critical needs of Erie County’s community college. These funds will be used for the strategic initiatives outlined above. ECC is committed to seeking additional support through other means to ensure that the financial burden does not fall solely on the shoulders of our students. ECC’sneedsaregreat.Financialresourcesareconstrained.WepledgetoworkcollectivelywithallstakeholderstocreateabetterECC.WithExecutiveandLegislativesupport,ECCwillbepositionedtoeducatetheworkforce of tomorrow and ensure that ECC Excels.

TheAsk

S t a r t H e r e . G o A n y w h e r e !