AQIP 2007 Systems Portfolio - San Juan College

San Juan College – AQIP Systems Portfolio- November 2007and master degree opportunities tied to the needs ofthe community and local industry, also contribute tothe retention of staff and faculty.4P3 SJC work processes and activities contribute tocommunications, cooperation, high performance,innovation, empowerment, organizational learningand skill sharing through the cross-functionalparticipation in committees, quality councils andforums. All units have periodic staff meetingsconveying unit, department and institution prioritiesand provide an avenue for idea generation anddevelopment.SJC faculty is encouraged to support student learningthrough high performance and innovative instruction.The San Juan College Foundation’s DistinguishedTeaching Chair program supporting major facultyprojects; the CTX faculty mini-grant program; andBoard of Trustees policies on intellectual propertyrights all encourage individual initiative andinnovation. Courses, professional reading series, andcollege community sharing of best practice offeredthrough the CTX keep employees current oneducational trends, services and needs.Every year, the Fall and Spring Convocation weekoffer activities for in-service, communication, andacknowledgement of achievement and recognition.The activities include a State of the College addressby the President; facilitated sessions addressingcurrent initiatives and gaps; and required/optionalopportunities for professional learning. Each fall afaculty in-service provides a focused session onstudent learning and assessment, and each spring afocused in-service day for support staff providesopportunities for cross-campus communication, bestpractice sharing, and organizational learning.Employees are encouraged to participate in QualityCouncils and committees, improvement forums andinitiatives, and are surveyed for input into processimprovement.SJC values and promotes ethical practices (BoardPolicies 508 Employee Standards of Ethics and Policy304 Code of Ethics for the San Juan College Board)of all employees. The interview process includesquestions inquiring how a candidate would handleethical dilemmas or confidentiality issues.The college has initiated a more targeted grant writingprocess and a new position that focuses on grantcompliance, guidance, and training for all grantsfunded positions. The position is responsible forregulatory compliance of all college grants by workingcollaboratively with grant project directors,administrators, and staff in the finance.The college has recently created a vice presidentialposition for Institutional Planning and Research. Theposition’s main focus is to improve communications,data collection, cooperation, high performance,innovation, empowerment, organizational learning,and skill sharing through AQIP, quality improvement,and assessment.The college’s deployment of an administrativesoftware conversion (Datatel ©) is supporting bettercommunication and efficiency in the area of businessservices, student services, and HR. The PublicRelations office is also providing frequent andincreased information sharing to the campuscommunity.4P4 In 2003, as a result of a proposal from theQuality Organizational Development Council toprovide a focus for professional learning that met theneed for training and development for all faculty, staff,and administrators, and in response to the college’sgrowing learning needs, the OrganizationalDevelopment Office (OOD) was formed. The ODDcollaborates with all in-house orientation, training andprofessional learning providers in providingtechnology training, risk management, major initiativetraining such as learning college principles,continuous improvement, and leadership, andrecognition/award processes for achievement. ODDalso supports and coordinates the CTX. Majorexternal professional opportunities for employeesinclude participation on CQIN teams and summerinstitutes, New Mexico Higher Education Assessment& Retention Assessment Institute (NMHEAR), AQIPand HLC meetings, and other opportunities supportiveof major initiatives and projects of the college.Partners include Business and Industry TrainingCenter, Community Learning Center (Ed2Go Pro andother offerings), Office of Technology Services andtechnology trainer, Enrollment Management(employee transcript), Human Resources, ExtendedLearning and Office of Learning.In response to the growing technology needs ofstudents, faculty, and staff, SJC hired a full-timetechnology trainer in May 2006. Just in Time SolutionOriented Technology Training Action Project providesa variety of brief (one to two hours), solution basedtrainings. Training topics are generated from facultyand staff requests as well as from calls to the OTSHelp Desk. Office hours are set for walk-inassistance. A technology-based book club that meetsonce a week provides informative discussions on howto effectively use technology in the classroom andwork environment.The CTX and B & I Training provide in-housetraining to support both short and long-termorganizational, faculty, and staff needs. SJC hasprovided faculty with substantial training on studentlearning outcomes and assessment, and isparticipating in the HLC AQIP Assessment Academy.The college supports certification and licensure forfaculty and professional staff, and covers costassociated with membership in discipline-relatedassociations.AQIP Category Four: Valuing People 40