Matthew Nerdin

Walla Walla Community College's Mid-Cycle Report details progress on its strategic plan, which focuses on enhancing institutional effectiveness and student success. Key priorities include promoting student access and achievement, closing equity gaps, and strengthening programmatic assessment through a faculty-led, course-embedded GRAPL framework. The report emphasizes data-informed decision-making, transparent reporting of student achievement indicators, and continuous quality improvement through processes like STEPS, all aimed at cultivating thriving rural communities and ensuring institutional stability.

The meeting agenda includes discussions on the President's Report, AHE and WPEA reports, and public comments. Key action items involve the second read and approval of 2026-27 tuition schedules and student program fees, a 2026-2027 sabbatical request, and tenure recommendations following an executive session. Additionally, the board will address new and unscheduled business.

This document outlines Walla Walla Community College's commitment to continuous institutional improvement, leveraging systematic evaluation and data-informed decision-making. It details progress across key strategic priorities: student access and success, closing equity gaps, fostering a strong workforce, institutional stability and sustainability, and cultivating thriving communities. The plan integrates robust assessment frameworks, including the GRAPL cycle and STEPS process, to enhance student learning outcomes and ensure transparent, equitable resource allocation, with priorities extending through 2026-2027 and beyond.

The board meeting focused on critical financial planning and institutional sustainability. Discussions centered on addressing structural budget deficits, the impact of rising personnel and utility costs, and changes to the state funding allocation model. The board reviewed operational budget components, including goods and services expenses, and addressed the need for infrastructure investments, specifically in IT and facility maintenance. The meeting also outlined the strategic timeline for future budget decision-making, including upcoming town halls and board review sessions for the budget implementation plan.

The Board of Trustees met to discuss the college's budget process, specifically reviewing budget council recommendations and various budget reduction scenarios for both the Clarkston and Walla Walla campuses. The discussion included a review of operational dashboards for non-instructional and instructional areas, the financial state of college programs such as the Bistro and athletics, and the analysis of enrollment trends. Additionally, the board requested and reviewed supplemental financial and student demographic information, including detailed breakdowns of restricted funds for the Clarkston campus, nursing program costs, student locations, and enrollment history for specific academic programs.