Michael Cox

The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) at Grayson College, titled "Grayson Pathways to Success," aims to enhance student advising through career and pathway exploration and proactive advising. The plan focuses on addressing a significant gap in career advising for first-time college students by launching a career center and integrating career assessments into mandatory orientation. Key initiatives include providing resources, career courses, and personalized support to help students make informed career decisions, complete their degree plans more efficiently, and improve first-term completion rates. The QEP is tied to the college's strategic plan of connect, commit, and complete.

The Grayson College Strategic Plan 2025 focuses on connecting students to college and career pathways, building community by inspiring commitment and momentum towards timely achievement, and inspiring pathway completion for successful career entry, enhancement, or university transfer. Key areas of focus include becoming a college of choice, providing affordable training and education, establishing strong early and community connections, shaping a powerful learning environment, and ensuring stewardship of resources.

The meeting covered several key topics. Discussion included upcoming Pathways dates, readings, data, and a pre-institute survey. The group also discussed proposals for the Achieving the Dream Conference, focusing on potential presentation topics. A significant portion of the meeting addressed methods for informing students about basic needs resources, including potential Canvas requirements, email outreach, and surveys. Finally, the council touched upon the NTCCC Equity Statement and planned future meeting schedules.

The meeting covered various updates and planning for Achieving the Dream (AtD) initiatives. Discussions included updates on the common read program, data summit, assessment surveys, a kick-off event, student panels, AtD scholarships, a student success working group, and a review of "What Excellent Community Colleges Do." The team also worked on a planning document and established next steps for the AtD process, including deadlines for work plans, data submission, and implementation proposals.

The core team meeting involved discussions on core team and data team membership, updates on the common reader initiative including book selection, distribution plans, and associated activities, and planning for a data conference. Other topics included data review for top risk courses, a strategic plan review with a proposal to revise goals to Access, Success, and Engagement, discussions on equity and equality, and scheduling of visits from external individuals. The meeting also included the approval of adding Mark Taylor to the core team.