WNCC 2010 Self-Study Report - Western Nebraska Community ...

Strengths
Findings for Criterion One
1. WNCC has a long and respected history, and it has a good reputation for integrity and
quality of instruction locally as well as within the state and with other transfer institutions.
2. The Role and Mission of the College is embodied in the attitudes and behaviors of its
employees, and they are made explicit in written documents the College provides.
3. Each WNCC syllabus includes an academic integrity statement.
4. WNCC has created and enhanced student services available online which equalize the
opportunities for all students.
5. The size and number of councils and committees comprising the shared-governance
structure have decreased, and shared governance is a collaborative enterprise.
6. Enrollment numbers of Hispanic origin and international students have increased.
7. The number and scope of online, hybrid, and ITV courses continues to increase, as well as
the number of courses offered in alternative time slots and in alternative modes such as
compressed formats.
8. The numbers of diversity courses has increased.
Challenges/Opportunities for Improvement
1. Minutes of committee and other meetings are not always readily available on the website,
nor is the method to access the minutes well known by all members of the College
community.
2. First-time applicants to the College cannot register for courses through an online
connection. WNCC should ensure that all processes and services available to students
are equivalent, whether the student is on campus or a strictly online enrollee.
3. The College’s instructional staff must continue to be innovative in developing flexibility in
the mode, venue, and format of instruction, while still maintaining instructional and
institutional integrity.
4. The enrollment of self-declared students of Hispanic origin has increased, but the
comparative rate is still lower than the cultural index (17% enrollment compared to 25%
within the local area), so specific programs geared to minority and under-served
populations must be increased in range and scope, in accordance with the new ban on
affirmative action measures.
5. Student retention must remain an institutional priority, both for individual student success
and in order to help stabilize enrollments.
6. A new, sleeker version of the institution’s mission statement, along with more emphatic
and memorable iterations of its philosophy and values, should be created and
disseminated within the College so that they become part of the institutional culture.
7. The College must continue to expand external connections and partnerships in order to
stimulate new ideas, to remain current in curricular offerings and service, and to increase
its financial base.
Western Nebraska Community College Page 63