League for Innovation - Employee

JACKSON COLLEGE

DUAL ENROLLMENT

BY THE NUMBERS ENROLLMENT STATUS

503

1,292 STUDENTS (2018-2019)

ENROLLMENT

41% 59% FULL - TIME

ETHNICITY

PART - TIME

7,372

1%

CREDIT STUDENTS

17%

ASIAN

3%

UNKNOWN

MORE THAN ONE RACE

FINANCIAL AID

89% Of the 89%,

46%

4%

HISPANIC

10%

AFRICAN AMERICAN

63% WHITE

of students receive aid.

55%

receive Pell Grants, and

34%

2% is unidentified.

receive scholarships,

receive student loans.

CORRECTIONS EDUCATION PROGRAM

720 STUDENTS

CONTENTS Our Beginnings.................................................. 4 About Jackson College...................................... 6 Academic Degrees............................................. 8 OUR STORY Where We’ve Come From................................ 11 Early Culture Shift............................................. 14 Putting Students First....................................... 17 Discovering Our Why....................................... 18 RECOGNITION We Are Proud................................................... 21 Phi Theta Kappa............................................... 22 Military Friendly................................................ 24 Heritage Center................................................ 25 INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES Focusing on Students....................................... 27 Men of Merit, Sisters of Strength..................... 30 Foundation Studies.......................................... 32 Blended Courses.............................................. 34 Supplemental Instruction................................. 37 Baccalaureate Degrees..................................... 38 First-Year Experience........................................ 40 Guided Pathways.............................................. 42 Student Success Navigators............................. 44 Text Book Zero................................................. 47 Seven-Week Classes......................................... 48 Competency-Based Education......................... 49 Ready. Set. Jet!................................................. 50 Learning is Learning......................................... 53 Extending Our Reach....................................... 54 Corrections Education Program....................... 58

Toward the Future............................................ 60 Choosing the Right People.............................. 62 Professional Development............................... 64 Performance Reviews & Pay............................. 65 Negotiating Success......................................... 65 Leadership Academy........................................ 66 Awards Recognition.......................................... 66 Boosting Morale............................................... 67 Collaborating with the Community.................. 68 Community Service.......................................... 69 Our Carbon Footprint...................................... 71 LEADERSHIP Meet the President........................................... 73 College Governance & Leadership.................. 74 Leadership Council........................................... 75 Administrative Council..................................... 75 Faculty Leadership........................................... 76 Academic Council............................................ 76 Strategic Agenda.............................................. 77 Retention & Completion Goals........................ 78 Innovation Fund............................................... 80 Financial Stability.............................................. 82 Business Office Innovation............................... 83 Taxpayer Support............................................. 83 Jackson College Foundation............................ 84 Grants & Funding............................................. 87 Infrastructure Stability....................................... 88 Academic Stability............................................ 90 LOOKING AHEAD Continuing Growth........................................... 93

INTRODUCTION Jackson, Michigan looked quite different in the late 1920s. The Ford Model T was new on the market, and mass production in manufacturing was on the rise. A changing workplace called for workers that were more skilled. Into this fast-changing world, community leaders took a step forward and in 1928 established Jackson Junior College (JJC).

Fast-forward 90 years. Much has changed. Today’s factories are automated, utilizing computers, robots, and new operational practices, now a necessity for modern business. People carry more computing power in mobile phones than was needed to take Neil Armstrong to the moon in 1969. While the world is metaphorically smaller, interconnected and increasingly diverse, one thing has not changed – the need for an educated citizenry.

We must reimagine our horizons, looking for ways to anticipate change, innovate and adapt our educational institutions to better serve our changing communities.

WELCOME! On behalf of Jackson College, we welcome you to our community!

Allow me to share with you about our important work.

This is a vital time for community colleges across the country. The face of education is changing, while the demand for an educated populace has never been greater.

Public scrutiny has expanded to explore value and efficacy in higher education. Community colleges are on the front line in this changing educational landscape. As educators and leaders, we must reimagine our horizons, looking for ways to anticipate change, innovate and adapt our educational institutions to better serve our changing communities. Through cooperative efforts and sharing resources with organizations such as the League, all can improve.

In this self-study, you will see that Jackson College continues on a journey toward the success of all of our students.

We call it our Total Commitment to Student Success, TCS2, and it is the focus, the very bedrock of all that we do.

Our college students come to us with a range of gifts and a variety of challenges; we are committed to helping each one be successful and reach their unique goals. To this end, we have and continue to implement changes and priorities institutionwide.

Innovation is the intentional and continuous discipline of experimenting, learning, and executing new approaches to create inclusive, world-class experiences at Jackson College. Learn more about all that is happening at Jackson College!

Sincerely, Daniel J. Phelan President & Chief Executive Officer

OUR BEGINNINGS JACKSON JUNIOR COLLEGE Jackson Junior College (JJC) began as part of the Union School District, operating near the downtown high school. The administration at the time patterned the early curriculum after the University of Michigan, with the belief that many students would transfer there after two years. So successful was this new higher education institution that even the difficulties of the Depression years could not halt its growth. Administration and faculty of the day were committed to helping the junior college students reach their goals. In the mid-1930s, the first two-year terminal degree program, a secretarial program, began.

Demand continued to grow for higher education in these early decades, especially following World War II and the return of veterans with the G.I. Bill of Rights. As veterans eventually began to disappear from campus, even larger numbers of aspiring young people would replace them. Born during the war years, they were now growing up in a technically complex world that necessitated education beyond high school. This pattern was being duplicated on every college campus across the country.

As enrollment continued to climb and growing pains were felt by the junior college, a dream began of building a new campus. Officials studied project feasibility and possible locations for a new campus, and by 1959, a new site had been identified. In 1962, Jackson County voters created Jackson Community College (JCC) as a distinct entity, apart from the school, and elected trustees to govern the College. In 1964, on the third attempt, voters passed a charter property tax millage to fund the College.

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The new Jackson Community College moved from downtown to its current site in Summit Township, and the first building opened in 1967.

In 2013, the Board of Trustees voted to change the name to Jackson College (JC). This was in response to an opportunity to offer applied baccalaureate degrees, made possible by the state legislature, combined with an intentional effort to build international student enrollment.

Growth in new instructional programs and services, as well as the Central Campus’ physical plant, has continued. Additionally, the College has expanded its footprint to include attendance centers in two other communities, as well as two additional sites in Jackson County, including the airport.

TODAY Jackson College continues to educate and to serve its communities. Throughout its history, the College has been responsive to the current and emerging needs of our communities, developing innovative educational programming, incorporating technology toward learning and building additional supports for the unique, whole student. Change and innovation continue faster than ever, as students not only need education beyond high school, they need continuing education throughout their work careers to keep pace.

Jackson College provides necessary, highquality education for our students and our communities. In so doing, we seek each day to fulfill our mission: Together we inspire and transform lives.

DEAR FRIENDS, On behalf of the Board of Trustees at Jackson College permit me to welcome you to Jackson College.

Jackson College has been on an exciting and important journey. The board of trustees, working with our president, has actively guided the institution toward our goal of student success. Our board represents the residents of the community college district and are responsible for maintaining a healthy, forward-thinking college that continues to educate students today just as it did 90-plus years ago when it began. We see the importance of Jackson College to our workplaces. Providing talented, skilled workers is essential for our local business and economic success. We see how quickly the workplace is changing, and education must keep pace. Providing top-quality, innovative educational offerings and services help to create an educated workforce and an informed, thoughtful, community. Involvement with the League Board can help us to best prepare our students for success.

Thank you for this opportunity to help Jackson College continue to cultivate innovation in all of our programs and offerings. We look forward to the realm of opportunities available ahead.

Sincerely, Sam R. Barnes Chair, Jackson College Board of Trustees

Jackson College has been on an exciting and important journey.

The board of trustees, working with our president, has actively guided the institution toward our goal of student success.

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ABOUT

JACKSON COLLEGE Jackson College is a mid-size, diverse community college located in south central Michigan that serves Jackson, Lenawee and Hillsdale counties and surrounding areas. The College offers a comprehensive selection of academic programs, including associate and bachelor’s degrees (A.A., A.S., A.A.S., A.G.S., and B.S., B.A.S.), certificates, shorter-term credentials, continuing education and workforce training.

Central Campus, Jackson

Maher Campus, Jackson

Flight Center, Jackson

Jackson College @ LISD TECH, Adrian Lansing

Battle Creek

Detroit

LeTarte Center, Hillsdale

Today, the College owns more than 500 acres, with the Central Campus located on a park-lilke, rural setting six miles south of the city of Jackson. The College also operates the Jackson College @ LISD TECH in Adrian, the Clyde E. LeTarte Center, Hillsdale; the Jackson College Flight Center; and a second Jackson County location, the W.J. Maher Campus.

Jackson College continues to operate as prescribed by the Michigan Community College Act of 1966.

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ACADEMIC DEGREES, CERTIFICATES, CREDENTIALS, & TRANSFER OPTIONS 3D Design & Animation – Associate in Aviation Flight Technology –

Corrections – Associate in Applied

Applied Science

Concentration, Skill Set

Science, Certificate, Skill Set

Accounting – Associate in

Behavioral Sciences – Certificate

Cybersecurity – Associate in

Applied Science

Biology – Transfer Program

Applied Science

Accounting – Transfer Options

Business Administration – Associate

Cybersecurity – Transfer Options

Advanced Manufacturing – Associate

in Applied Science, Certificate

Dental Hygiene – Associate in

in Applied Science

Business Administration –

Applied Science

Agriculture Technology – Associate

Transfer Options

Digital Photography – Certificate

in Applied Science

Cardiac Sonography – Associate

eCommerce – Consultant – Certificate

Allied Health General Studies –

in Applied Science

eCommerce – Designer – Skill Set

Associate in Applied Science

Cloud Networking – Associate

eCommerce – Entrepreneur –

Art – Transfer Program

in Applied Science

Concentration

Associate in Applied Science

Computer Programming Specialist

eCommerce – Manager – Skill Set

Degree

– Associate in Applied Science,

eCommerce – Specialist –

Associate in Arts

Certificate

Concentration

Associate in General Studies

Computer Service Technician –

EKG Technician – Skill Set

Associate in Science

Skill Set

Electrical Basics – Concentration

Aviation Flight Technology –

Computer Support Specialist –

Electrician – Associate in Applied

Associate in Applied Science

Associate in Applied Science,

Science, Certificate

Certificate

Electronic Health Records Specialist – Skill Set Electronic Technology ELT – Associate in Applied Science, Certificate Electronic Technology Microcomputer – Associate in Applied Science, Certificate Emergency Medical Technology – Associate in Applied Science, Concentration, Skill Set Energy Systems – Bachelor of Science, Associate in Applied Science Engineering – Certificate Engineering – Transfer Options English – Transfer Program

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Jackson College supports faculty pursuing professional development at a level that is pretty much unheard of at other colleges and universities in the state.

STEVEN TUCKEY Raven Endowed Chair for Mathematics, Professor

Entrepreneurship – Associate in

Medical Assistant – Certificate

Applied Science, Certificate,

Medical Insurance Coder/Biller –

Skill Set

Certificate

Environmental Science – Associate in

Medical Office Support –

Applied Science, Certificate

Concentration

Executive Assistant – Associate in

Medical Sciences – Transfer Program

Applied Science

Microsoft Networking – Concentration

General Sonography – Associate in

Microsoft Office Specialist –

Applied Science

Certificate, Concentration

Graphic Design – Associate in

Music – Transfer Program

Applied Science, Certificate,

Networking Specialist – Associate

Psychology – Transfer Program

Skill Set

in Applied Science, Certificate,

Radiography – Associate in

Health Administration/Insurance

Concentration

Applied Science

Specialist – Associate in

Nursing – Associate in Applied

Respiratory Care – Associate in

Applied Science

Science – LPN to AAS-N

Applied Science

Health Sciences – Certificate

(Bridge Transition)

Social Work – Transfer Options

History – Transfer Program

Nursing – Associate in Applied

Sports Management – Associate in

Industrial Systems – Certificate,

Science (AAS-N)

Applied Science

Skill Set

Nursing – Transfer Options

Studio Art – Certificate

Law Enforcement – Associate in

Occupational Studies – Associate in

Therapy – Transfer Program

Applied Science, Certificate

Applied Science

Unmanned Aerial Systems – Skill Set

Law Enforcement – Transfer Options

Phlebotomy Technician – Skill Set

Vascular Sonography – Associate in

Management – Certificate

Practical Nursing – Certificate (PN-C)

Applied Science, Certificate,

Manufacturing Design – Certificate,

Pre-Law – Transfer Program

Skill Set

Skill Set

Pre-Professional Science – Certificate

Welding – Certificate, Skill Set

Marketing – Certificate

Pre-Veterinary – Transfer Program

Mathematics – Transfer Program

Project Management – Certificate

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OUR STORY

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TOTAL COMMITMENT TO STUDENT SUCCESS (TCS 2)

WHERE WE’VE

COME FROM The late 1980s saw principles of Total Quality Management (TQM) expand from business and manufacturing to the public sector. Jackson Community College leadership, always seeking ways to improve, recognized the value in these quality principles. In 1991, President Clyde LeTarte became one of the original presidents involved in the new Community College Continuous Quality Improvement Network or CQIN (renamed in 2018 to Association for Innovation & Transformation – AFIT). The purpose would be to create a community wherein open and honest communication would be shared among presidents who had committed to the implementation of total quality management principles. LeTarte was selected as interim chair of the first network.

College personnel had the opportunity to learn about continuous quality improvement from W. Edwards Deming at a speaking engagement in Dearborn. Consultants worked with our faculty and administration to learn continuous

improvement practices, introducing statistical analysis and use of statistics in making datainformed decisions. Jackson College remains very active with AFIT, engaging with companies from the Fortune Magazine’s Top 100 Best Companies to Work For, the Inc. Magazine Top 500 companies, and Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award winners. Each year, the College’s team seeks to understand new, entrepreneurial and innovative practices that could be applied to higher education. Most recently, the team explored and integrated design thinking practices, studied during AFIT Summer Institutes over the past two years, in partnership with Saul Kaplan and the Business Innovation Factory.

On campus in the 1990s, trustees, administration and faculty joined in discussions about the ‘Learning College,’ a concept introduced by Dr. Terry O’Banion. As college leaders discovered, a Learning College is one that places learning first and provides

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OUR STORY

educational experiences for learners anyway, anywhere, and anytime. The principles of Total Quality Management provided a foundation for building a Learning College. Subsequently, the College began a series of workshops and planning sessions that precipitated an avalanche of change. Under the direction of President Lee Howser, experts were brought in to facilitate this ‘paradigm shift.’

One outcome of this work is a chapter in Terry O’Banion’s book, “A Learning College for the 21st Century,” written by President Howser, with the help of others. In this chapter, some of the College’s efforts are detailed. Additionally, the work of Dr. Peter Senge in his book, “The Fifth Discipline,” combined with our Learning College work to greatly influence the direction of teaching and learning. This continues to be felt in the daily work of the College. From its beginning, Jackson College has sought the best quality and practices in teaching.

This early work in the College’s quality journey influenced the collegewide decision to participate in the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) accreditation

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pathway of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Led by President Daniel J. Phelan, multiple meetings were held with faculty and staff to consider transitioning to this innovative, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awardbased accreditation process. Ultimately, with the support of College employees and the Board of Trustees, JCC became an early adopter of the AQIP process in 2003 and completed its first Systems Portfolio in 2006.

AQIP allowed the College to further focus on continuous improvement through action

projects that address institutional challenges or emerging needs. These projects were selected by employees from all segments of the College.

Building on the mission and vision statements approved by its Board of Trustees, the College’s strategic plan focused on mission-critical areas: superior delivery of customer service and everimproving instructional excellence. President Phelan provided leadership for implementation of many of Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award principles throughout the College, including the use of numerous quality tools.

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OUR STORY

EARLY

CULTURE SHIFT With the move to AQIP and submission of the first Systems Portfolio, many positive cultural changes began. A quality focus precipitated moves toward improving processes in all areas, and with all employees.

The College became more data-driven and process-oriented, investing in Institutional Research and Information Technology operations, equipment and services.

Focusing on the needs of the learner, Jackson College had long provided access to affordable, quality education. However, it became apparent that providing access and opportunity was not enough.

Without adequate support, not enough students were succeeding. More work was needed to collaborate with others, as well as with students in their own success, and to help them meet their goals.

In 2007, Jackson College was one of seven Michigan community colleges selected to join Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, a national initiative to help more community college students succeed. Achieving the Dream provided the College with support to implement strategies designed to help more students (particularly students of color and low-income students) earn degrees, complete certificates or transfer to other institutions to continue their studies.

Achieving the Dream emphasized building a culture of evidence, in which our college could use data to identify effective practices and success rates and to improve achievement.

In 2014, and again in 2017, Jackson was named an Achieving the Dream Leader College. After an extensive review of specified practice and performance activities, Jackson College exemplified how data can inform policy and practice to help community college students achieve their goals, resulting in improved skills, better employability, and economic growth for families, communities, and the nation as a whole.

The College’s work with Achieving the Dream was a transformational experience, bringing many academic and non-academic departments together and breaking down silos for a common goal – what is called A Total Commitment to Student Success (TCS2).

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OUR STORY

PUTTING

STUDENTS FIRST As the first decade of the new millennia brought a changing landscape to higher education, college leaders recognized the need to put student success first in all things. TCS2 quickly became the College’s North Star for all that was undertaken to help students to succeed. The College set out on a journey to remake itself into one that is redesigned, recommitted and redoubled in focus and action toward student success, and one that is given to the service of others. It is the College’s way of saying that, in all that we do, we are unswerving in our focus on assisting students to complete their program of study and succeed, whether through obtaining a credential of market value or transferring to a baccalaureategranting institution.

This is accomplished with superior instruction from dedicated faculty and with comprehensive customer support services. TCS2 was clarified further in 2018 to ensure that the College worked to serve the unique, whole student.

This refinement seeks to ensure that we see the student as a complete person with a very complex life. To that end, we are not limited to serving only their educational needs, but in fact are responsible to identify and help reduce or eliminate barriers that preclude them from pursuing higher education. Indeed, TCS2 has become an emblem of this commitment and guides everything we do.

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OUR STORY

DISCOVERING

OUR WHY

Jackson College has been on an innovative journey for nearly two decades. When the College failed in several attempts to leverage additional local support to update our buildings, equipment and programs, President Phelan began lobbying in Lansing and brought back more capital outlay support than ever received in the history of this College.

But searching for the College’s niche and what was the differential between this amazing college and our competitors had to go beyond facilities and equipment. Watching Simon Sinek’s video on “WHY,” and “How Great Leaders Inspire Action,” and reading the book, “Start with WHY,” helped piece together our message to the community. Sinek offers wise advice: “People don’t buy WHAT you do; they buy WHY you do it.” Sinek explains that while people may understand facts, facts do not drive behavior. Behavior is driven by cause and emotion. Our “WHY” (ie. our purpose, cause or belief) is that we work in service to others, to improve their lives, and in so doing, give greater meaning and purpose to our own. This helped

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us tell the story of why we believe Jackson College is such a gem in this community and why it is needed.

The “WHY” was our reason for being. It helped our leadership explain to our employees the rationale for their decisions. The College’s Marketing and Communications office took the “WHY” idea further with a billboard campaign that answered several questions on why students attend Jackson College: • Because education is vital to employment.

• Because you want to be a role model.

• Because your time is valuable.

• Because you want a better life.

• Because you want a career.

• Because education is an investment in you.

Demonstrating these messages took the focus from the what and the how of our work at the College, its programs and services, and personalized them to those reasons of why students pursue higher education and why we do our work. The WHY started with our Total Commitment to Student Success.

Training, reading and retreats led us to even more learnings, great speakers, and trips to Malcolm Baldrige Award-winning colleges and businesses to benchmark their best practices.

Building on understanding the College’s “WHY,” college leadership went to work on a new “HOW.” So while the Leadership Council was working on initiatives to support the whole employee, members also went to Rhode Island to visit with Saul Kaplan and the Business Innovation Factory to explore Business Design Thinking and leverage the voice of the customer.

The result, a new, innovative business design model was pursued. This BIF-inspired design methodology focuses on shifting an organization’s lens to see from the customer’s, or student’s, perspective and experience. The customer experience is used as a foundation for design – What is the job to be done? And, what is the customer hiring us to do? We needed to go further than what we believed would help the student, and directly ask the student what their barriers looked like. To start peeling back the onion, leadership set up focus groups and talked to students.

After hearing about the needs of our students directly, a new business model was taken from concept to practice. New ideas were and are prototyped and tested. If new prototypes prove successful, they are scaled and implemented as part of the new business plan. All efforts utilize a customer-centric focus. Many college initiatives continue to come from this new design and business process model, which has created a sustainable basis for innovation.

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RECOGNITION

RECOGNITION

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WE ARE PROUD Jackson College focuses on student success through the optimum services of others in all things. We are proud of our programs that have been recognized: Governor’s Service Award for Education to the Heritage Center, 2018 Acknowledges the contributions made by volunteers. Jackson College Heritage Center was an Education Service Leader.

Michigan State Historical Society State Award for Education to the Heritage Center, 2018 Recognizes institutions that demonstrate “outstanding contributions to the appreciation, collection, preservation and/or promotion of state and local history.”

Achieving the Dream Leader College, 2014, 2017 Colleges that have identified and implemented strategies that have proven to help students be successful are recognized as Leader Colleges.

On Course Ambassadors of Year, 2014 Faculty and staff have demonstrated they’re committed to helping students develop traits to do well in college and life, based on the Skip Downing textbook.

ACCT Regional Equity Award, 2015 Recognizes exemplary commitment by community college governing board and its chief executive to achieve equity in education programs and services and in the administration of those programs and services.

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RECOGNITION

PHI THETA KAPPA Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, Alpha Rho Lambda chapter at Jackson College has garnered numerous awards at the state and national levels. In 2018 and 2019, their research was among 16 colleges chosen for the national journal Civic Scholar: Phi Theta Kappa Journal of Undergraduate Research.

In 2019, the chapter was recognized for the eighth consecutive year as a Five Star Level Chapter, the highest recognition possible. The College’s chapter has grown significantly in recent years, with 231 members in 2017, up from 118 in 2015. PTK is available at all campuses, and now, in the Corrections Education Program for incarcerated students (Jackson College was the first nationally). Members meet regularly and have the opportunity to work on research projects, Honors in Action, which have both local and global impact.

• President Phelan has served on the national Board of Directors for Phi Theta Kappa since 2015. His leadership helped make membership and recognition possible for incarcerated students across the nation.

• Using the Phi Theta Kappa as a basis for design, we are currently developing an Honors College curriculum for deployment in Fiscal Year 2021.

Most Distinguished Chapter Award Jackson College was 4th out of 1,400 chapters.

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Together we inspire and transform lives.

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RECOGNITION

MILITARY FRIENDLY Thankful for the commitment of our military veterans and their families, Jackson College has committed resources to help veterans, active military and their family members. The College is recognized as a Military FriendlyÂŽ School by VIQTORY and recognized as a Veteran-Friendly School, Gold Level, by the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency.

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The College’s Veterans Resource Center helps student veterans and their families enroll in their education and find success in their courses.

Veterans may receive guidance with their GI Bill education benefits and academic advising, all while enjoying space where they can connect with others.

Jackson College recently joined forces in collaboration with the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS) to help student veterans further. This collaboration offers enhanced opportunities for the militaryconnected segment of our population through scholarships, additional benefit offerings, a legislative platform responsive to the needs of service-members and veterans, and a bestpractices approach for advancing student and service-member success. Through this innovative plan, EANGUS will promote Jackson College as an institution that works well with veterans, and in turn, Jackson College will promote the benefits available through EANGUS.

A Student Veterans of America group welcomes all student and family members. The College enrolls about 140 military-connected students each year.

Further work is underway to better recognize and award credits for the skills that student veterans bring from their years in the service.

RECOGNITION

HERITAGE CENTER Created in 2016 by the Jackson College Foundation, the Jackson College Heritage Center collects and shares the stories of Jacksonians who have helped shape American history. Our students have contributed more than 20,000 service hours over the past 12 years in a variety of projects from our tri-county service area. They pore over original documents and interview community members to learn our history. Students collect stories and photographs and share them with the community.

In the past year, the Heritage Center has received two statewide awards, 2018 Governor’s Service Award for Education and the 2018 Michigan State Historical Society State Award for Education.

Associate Professor Diana Agy received a 2019 Susan B. Anthony Award from the Jackson Women’s History Council for her efforts guiding the Jackson College Heritage Center. She is the Peggy Maher Endowed Chair for Regional History and director of the Jackson College Writing Fellows program. Four students received essay scholarship awards, and two receive emerging leader awards.

Agy was also the 2018 J. Ward Preston Outstanding Faculty Award winner for the College, an honor given to one faculty member per year.

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RECOGNITION

INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

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FOCUSING ON

STUDENTS

Changing times reinforce the need to connect with students and understand their wants and needs. In 2001-02, Jackson College worked with the Clarus Corporation on a comprehensive marketing study to understand students and their needs. This study revealed that our students wanted a “total college experience.” Students felt they came to campus, went to class, and then went home again. They wanted experiences similar to those of their university-going friends.

From this understanding, several new efforts were undertaken: • Creation of a Student Life Department to plan more activities and events; • The return of intercollegiate athletics, which had been discontinued in the 1980s due to budget constraints; • Creation of on-campus student housing, something unique among community colleges.

With the creation of a Student Life Department came a Student Government, offering students a chance to lead. The Student Government created a system to charter new clubs on campus. Clubs and organizations have formed and meet regularly, such as Jackson Live Drama Club, Christian Student Club, Student Veterans of America, Global Student Organization and more. These innovations provide students the opportunity to get involved outside the classroom, connect with other students and staff, explore an interest and work on leadership and teamwork skills. Today a student life director plans numerous activities throughout the school year to involve students beyond the classroom, such as art nights, trivia nights, movies, dances, co-curricular learning opportunities and more.

ATHLETICS In 2006, after a 25-year hiatus, intercollegiate sports returned to campus. The loss of sports in 1981 had been a painful time for the College

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INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

and the community, who had long cheered for their Golden Jets. After examining the budget and considering the desires of students for a full college experience, the Board of Trustees approved the president’s recommendation for the re-launch of the Jets athletics program.

Sports offers students the chance to continue their sport beyond high school as well as develop teamwork, time management and other “soft” skills. Teams compete in: men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s baseball and women’s softball.

The College has since added men’s golf and men’s and women’s bowling. Jackson College is a member of the Michigan Community College Athletic Association and the National Junior College Athletic Association. Esports will begin in Fiscal Year 2020.

HOUSING In 2007, Jackson College opened its first student housing facility, Campus View. A second facility opened in 2009, and a third in 2015.

At present, Jackson College is exploring the addition of family housing, utilizing smaller, individualized residences, with a planned opening in 2020.

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Living on campus offers students the opportunity to experience life on their own, in a controlled, secure setting. Students who want a “full college experience” have all the opportunities available – getting to know roommates, enjoying one’s own space, participating in campus activities and more.

Campus View is open to any full-time student.

Jackson College is one of only a handful of community colleges in Michigan offering on-campus housing.

AFFINITY GROUPS In 2019, the Office of Multicultural Affairs began meeting with diverse segments of the community, or affinity groups. Chief Diversity Officer Lee Hampton, President Phelan and the Multicultural Center staff have met with four groups and reached about 100-plus community leaders: African-Americans, Latinx, Asian – Pacific Islander, and Indian-Pakistani residents.

We hope to strengthen relationships with different minority groups in our community and learn how to serve their individual communities better.

Jackson College is a world-class institution of higher education where learners succeed and community needs are met.

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INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

MEN OF MERIT, SISTERS OF STRENGTH Statistics show that completing college is a greater challenge for African-American men than for other racial and ethnic groups. To help reverse this trend, in 2008, Jackson College launched a new student group, the Men of Merit (MOM).

Designed to help African-American males find success, student members connect and regularly interact with one another, holding themselves accountable for their collective success. Members also connect with the broader community by reaching out and serving numerous organizations.

They gain insights from community leaders, many of whom are African-American men who may serve as role models and mentors. MOM staff works closely with students to help them remain on a pathway toward personal and academic success.

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With the success of MOM, a women’s group, the Sisters of Strength (SOS), was formed in 2010. Both groups meet regularly and are involved in many events throughout the year, such as speaking at an annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration and, for the last three years, participating in an end-of-year, graduation Kente Ceremony.

Men of Merit and Sisters of Strength have fall-to-winter retention rates of 84 percent for men and 85 percent for women in 2017/18; in comparison to African-American students in general, the range is 65 percent.

Collegewide retention rates currently range around 72 percent from fall to winter, on average.

MOM students have been involved in a new assessment instrument developed by Chief Diversity Officer Lee Hampton. To better inform College leaders and provide for a more personalized support system for students, a Student Success Assessment Survey tool was created in 2016 to help connect African-American males to proper resources available on campus. The College works in partnership with Qualtrics, a data analytics and survey reporting organization that translates key student survey information into actionable student retention initiatives for colleges.

In 2017, a new Men of Merit initiative was launched to serve the state’s prison population, to increase student engagement, retention and leadership skills in the College’s Corrections Education Program. Additionally, the College has also collaborated with Jackson Public Schools (JPS) to build a pipeline designed to increase enrolling academically prepared, underrepresented populations. In 2017, the College launched a new Men of Merit/Sisters of Strength leadership initiative at JPS’ Parkside Middle School with 30 eighth-grade students in attendance.

I’m able to give back. Because people invested in me when I was here, as an alum, giving back is what you want to do to help students be successful.

In 2018, the College scaled up the Men of Merit and Sisters of Strength programs on Central Campus by adding a student leader in each of the three Campus View student-housing units.

Students continue to support each other in striving to meet their goals.

KELLY CRUM Director, Multicultural Affairs, Jackson College

84% MEN

85% WOMEN

Fall to Winter retention compared to the 65% national average.

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INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

FOUNDATION STUDIES Developmental education has a long history at Jackson College and continues to evolve to this day.

In the 1980s, the College formed a Developmental Education (DE) Department as DE grew among community colleges. This consisted of faculty in reading, writing, and a collaboration with the math department, two counselors, as well as tutoring and placement staff. Much of this was made possible by a special populations grant.

In 1996, the DE department merged into Student Services to create Student Development – handling all things the DE department had done plus student services tasks – admissions, registration, records and more. DE faculty merged with the reading and writing instructors in our Language, Literature and Arts department.

To keep some focus on DE students, a crossdepartmental committee formed, the Student Success & Readiness Committee. Later, this became an academic integrity committee.

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In 2002, President Phelan split off parts of DE from Student Development and formed Foundation Studies. The term Foundation Studies represented building on a foundation.

Then in 2006, in another reorganization, Student Services and Foundation Studies came back together. This was about the time the College applied for and received the Achieving the Dream grant. That grant called for a data team and a core team. Toward the end of that grant, the College merged the core team and the Student Success & Readiness group into a Foundation Studies workgroup. All language was changed from DE to Foundation Studies.

In 2010, Foundation Studies split off again, this time into an academic department. Tutoring special needs and placement all stayed with Student Services. Today the Foundation Studies Department consists of dedicated faculty who support students through the instruction, design and delivery of courses across all disciplines.

Many innovative efforts have come from the Foundation Studies department and our Achieving the Dream initiatives.

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INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

BLENDED COURSES Historically, data showed that more than 80 percent of incoming Jackson College students needed developmental education to be ready for college coursework. College staff noticed that persistence for developmental education students who go on and complete college courses continued to lag. Increasing the success of students in developmental education and helping them to go on and complete “gateway� college courses were imperative.

Reimagining the standard of stand-alone developmental education courses, Jackson College faculty utilized an idea learned through the Achieving the Dream initiative, the Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) model that initially started at Community College of Baltimore County. The ALP co-requisite model blends developmental writing with collegelevel writing, meaning that students who place in developmental writing are also able to take college-level writing in the same semester. We adopted the ALP approach and called it our

Blended Course (BC) model. Our BC writing courses are designed to accelerate student progress through college-level writing, and data show that they support student learning and student success.

Starting in 2016, the College eliminated standalone developmental math classes and implemented the option of quantitative reasoning math classes to support the right math for the right pathway for students. After years of dissatisfactory percentages of students completing college-level gateway courses their first year the College saw a 24.3 percent increase of students completing college-level math, a 16.1 percent increase of students completing college-level English, and 20.7 percent increase of students completing both college-level math and English their first year.

+24.3%

+20.7% COMPLETED BOTH COLLEGE MATH AND ENGLISH IN YEAR ONE

COMPLETED COLLEGE MATH IN YEAR ONE

+16.1% COMPLETED COLLEGE ENGLISH IN YEAR ONE

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Completion of gateway math and English courses in the first year

In April 2018, a team of math faculty and administrators visited San Jacinto College in Texas to learn how they have boosted student success rates in math by implementing a blended co-requisite model. Our team came back ready to pilot MAT 040 Foundations of Mathematical Literacy/130 Quantitative Reasoning in fall 2018. (Students who do not place in MAT 130 enroll in developmental math, MAT 040, and college-level math, MAT 130, concurrently). In a 15-week term, students meet Monday through Thursday for two hours — one hour with just the MAT 040 instructor and the next hour with the MAT 130 instructor as well.

Until this innovative design, less than half of MAT 030 students would go on to enroll in college-level math. About 11 percent of those students would pass college-level math in the second semester and 20 percent total would pass within two years. In fall 2018, we offered six sections of MAT 040/130. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of students passed MAT 130. MAT 130/040 students performed better in MAT 130 on average than students deemed “collegeready” for MAT 130.

Inspired by these results, the College plans to eliminate nearly all standalone developmental education. The College has since had another team of employees travel to San Jacinto to study their experience further.

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INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION For many college students, particularly those who are underprepared, mathematics is a difficult subject. Helping students find success in mathematics continues to be a focus and area for innovation.

Supplemental Instruction (SI) is an intervention designed to support all developmental math students, in particular, underrepresented and underserved students. Launched in FY ‘09, this learning enhancement program provides extra support and tutoring to students right in the classroom. It involves the selection of top students who are trained to become SI leaders.

SI leaders participate in the math class, assist instructors with group work and other in-class activities, and hold two group study sessions outside of class every week.

Data has shown that students attending SI sessions have higher pass rates in five of the six SI-support math courses. From fall 2016 to winter 2018 semester there was a 46.8 percent increase in the number of students utilizing SI study sessions, with more than 1,200 student contacts.

We have offered SI in math classes for several years and recently began to expand to offer SI in sciences classes as well.

With the growth of the SI program, the College has hosted statewide supplemental instruction and tutoring conferences for eight years.

Students and faculty from across the State gather on campus to share best practices, listen to speakers, offer success stories, tips and more at these events.

Pass rate for SI students Winter 2018

+12%

59.7%

DIFFERENCE IN PASS RATES

STUDENTS WHO DID NOT UTILIZE SI

71.8% STUDENTS WHO UTILIZED SI

71.8% PERCENT OF STUDENTS WHO UTILIZED SI SUPPORT

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INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

BACCALAUREATE DEGREES As a community college, sharing the importance of higher education is a normal part of our communication with the public. Preparing students for transfer to a university to complete a four-year degree has been part of our mission since the College began. However, as a community college, we have not traditionally offered the four-year, baccalaureate degrees ourselves, though we do have both a private institution, Siena Heights University, and a public four-year institution, Wayne State University, on our Central Campus as part of our University Center. The College took a bold and innovative step in 2014, following 10 years of working with the state legislature to receive authorization, when it launched its first-ever bachelor’s degree program.

In December 2012, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed a bill allowing community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees in certain applied and technical programs. Local legislators were sponsors of the bill, now known as Public Act 495 of 2012. These career-based baccalaureate programs are designed to help those who are limited by geographic and/or financial boundaries to further their education. It provides an increased level of higher education access to students, for whom a baccalaureate degree might otherwise be out of reach.

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With authorization from the Higher Learning Commission in 2014, the Bachelor of Science in Energy Systems Management began. It prepares students for careers in the growing energy industry. Jackson County is home to a large public utility headquarters, CMS Energy, a Fortune 500 company and the second-largest employer in the county, with 2,400 employees.

College faculty and administration have worked with and gained input from local utilities in designing the program.

In 2017, the College gained approval for its second bachelor’s degree, a Bachelor of Applied Science in Culinary Management and Hospitality. Today, people are dining out more than ever. With this increased demand, the need for skilled foodservice and hospitality workers increases.

Additionally, President Phelan continues his work with the state legislative leaders to increase the number of applied baccalaureate degrees, most notably with a pursuit of the Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing (BSN).

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INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE Helping students, particularly first-generation students, understand higher education and its processes, as well as helping them to develop “life skills” necessary for success in college, is an ongoing area of focus at Jackson College.

Our employees recognize the challenges our students face. About a third to a half of our students are first-generation in college (ranges from 36 to 57 percent). They may come from lower-income backgrounds (on average, nearly 60 percent are Pell Grant-eligible) or have little success in prior educational experiences. We are driven to help them gain all the skills necessary for success, academic skills and “soft” skills.

Jackson College first piloted a one-credit, FirstYear Seminar (FYS) course, Life Maps, in 2004 as a suggested, experimental course. This later turned into a two-credit course, Navigating College and Life. In 2013, based upon student outcomes data, it was scaled and made a requirement for all students new to the College and who were enrolled in a developmental course.

(The table below shows course success rates of those students in FYS courses and in DE and FYS courses combined.)

First-Year Experience Success Rates FY 2014

79%

65%

FIRST YEAR SEMINAR COURSES

DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION & FIRST YEAR SEMINAR

77% ARTS & SCIENCE

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80% OCCUPATIONAL EDUCATION

Our faculty received training in the “On Course” principles from Skip Downing, an international consultant in the field of faculty development and student success strategies. Based upon this knowledge, we revised curriculum and constructed an associated course pack for students. Developmental students were required to enroll in the Navigating College and Life (FYS) class, but each fall up to 200 were waived based on conversations with advisors.

Data showed that fall-to-winter persistence of FYS students exceeded the comparison group (those who did not take FYS were the comparison group) by 12% (77% compared to 65%); fall-to-fall persistence for FYS students was 46% versus 38% for the comparison group.

Additionally, about 68% of FYS students have a passing GPA, versus 52% for the comparison group. Based on GPA and persistence data of new students taking or not taking FYS, our Academic Council approved making this a requirement of all new students. It became SEM 140, Seminar in Life Pathways, and a three-credit course with an expanded career exploration emphasis launched in 2016.

Today, sections of SEM 140 are attached to each of six Guided Pathways and support student understanding of career options and educational requirements.

•

Faculty and administration were recognized in 2014 as ‘On Course Ambassadors of the Year’ by the On Course organization.

Faculty and administration have been committed to the principles of the On Course program, helping students develop traits to do well in college and life. Any college personnel have the opportunity to participate in an On Course workshop, helping faculty and administration better engage and empower college students for success and completion.

INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

GUIDED

PATHWAYS For too many students, the route to a college degree can feel like a confusing maze of prerequisites, general education requirements, electives and required courses. To help make the road to a college degree smoother for students, the College decided to apply to the AACC/Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Guided Pathways Initiative. After interviews and additional research, the College was selected as one of 30 community colleges nationwide to launch the guided pathways initiative, which it did in 2013. This innovative effort revamped how we align our curriculum and offer education. Ultimately, what resulted was a collegewide effort to make the educational journey far less daunting for students. ‘Pathways’ provided clearer sequences of courses, a coherent curriculum, and a connection to careers/transfer to support

degree completion. Students now take just the courses they need, following an education plan that maps out their choices all the way to earning a degree. Each student is assigned a navigator to help stay on track, review their progress and make changes as needed.

Pathway Showcase events were created and offered routinely to help inform students about career and program options available within a pathway.

Today, students who decide to begin their studies at Jackson College receive much more support in making important life decisions, thanks to all of the efforts involved in developing and implementing guided pathways. Rather than having to decide right away on a career or major, they are invited to choose from six broad career pathways.

Through career exploration in SEM 140

The four pillars of guided pathways ensure our processes, structures, and systems support TCS2.

3.

HELP STUDENTS STAY ON THEIR PATH

1.

CLARIFY THE PATH

2.

HELP STUDENTS ENTER THE PATH

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4.

ENSURE LEARNING IS HAPPENING WITH INTENTIONAL OUTCOMES

and Pathway Showcases, they can begin to understand their options and narrow down their choices, empowered to find a career that best fits their desires and personality.

Jackson College was later selected as part of the Guided Pathways Cohort 1 of the Michigan Guided Pathways Institute by the Michigan Center for Student Success. The College continues to be sought out for its innovative work by community colleges within the state and beyond Michigan. In fact, the demand has been so great, that the College plans to offer its own campus-based conference in 2020 for any institution that wants to study our success further.

In October 2018, researchers from the Community College Research Center (CCRC) at Teachers College, Columbia University

visited Jackson College to conduct a range of interviews and focus groups with students, staff, faculty, and administrators on our guided pathways efforts. The College continues to be quite active with CCRC in sharing data and information on student success. Indeed, the College’s experience has been featured in CCRC publications.

PATHWAYS: Business & Computer Technology Health Sciences Human Services Liberal Arts Science, Engineering & Mathematics Skilled Trades & Agriculture

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INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

STUDENT

SUCCESS NAVIGATORS Offering a freshman-year experience and clear pathways to a degree are two of a three-pronged approach to student success that Jackson College has embarked upon. To come alongside students on their academic journey, the College, after reviewing the data, and with the leadership and support of the Board of Trustees, decided to redefine the student services model.

More specifically, staff studied the available research from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), and others, and found that a student’s personal connection to college employees helps with persistence and satisfaction. The College studied several models and found an expanded advisor model – called success coaches or student coaches elsewhere – to have some helpful elements for a new Jackson College model. Ultimately, the College’s Leadership Council decided in 2014 to create a new job borne of elements of advisors, other models, and the unique needs of Jackson College students, to create Student Success Navigators. These ‘Navs’ not only serve as a student’s academic, financial and total resource advocate or coach but have evolved into a “case

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manager” role as needed. Previous staffing levels required advisors to work with an average responsibility of 1,468 students, making it difficult to offer much more than a ‘transactional’ model of service. With the trustees support, the College hired additional navigators, which reduced the ratio down to 300 to 1, allowing for a more relational/client-based, interactive approach. Navigators and students regularly meet with students, with a plan for at least three meaningful contacts each semester.

In the years since its launch, the navigator role has expanded to build relationships not only with students but also with faculty, high school counselors, principals and others as necessary to best serve the student. The College continues to update its model as needed.

Today, Jackson College has far more high school dual enrolled students than just a couple of years ago, and these students bring unique needs. Navigators are assigned by Pathway and by specific groups, such as early college or dual-enrolled students. Navigators get to know the faculty in a particular department and build

relationships with them to understand classes, degree programs and more, which in turn helps in advising students. Jackson College now has navigators at Jackson High School, with offices on-site, to reach students. This case management approach builds a whole support system with all key stakeholders for the student, facilitated by the navigator. This collegiality between faculty and advisors didn’t happen before, and though it is just evolving, has already proven beneficial to students who enjoy “wraparound support.”

This new navigator model and relational approach have also led to a new orientation process. Gone are large group orientations; instead, students meet one-on-one with their assigned navigator for an hour. They can ask specific questions, learn about financial aid and registration, complete any necessary steps remaining, and not feel “lost in a crowd.”

Jackson College has shared this navigator model with numerous other colleges, including Monroe Community College, Mott Community College, Mid Michigan Community College, Lansing Community

College, Kellogg Community College, Oakland Community College, Washtenaw Community College, Schoolcraft College, Laramie County Community College, Front Range Community College and many more.

These three interventions – first-year experience/SEM 140, pathways and student success navigators – have already shown significant success results. For First-time Ever in College (FTEIC) students, the percentage completing both English and mathematics in year one jumped from 17 percent in 2015 to 36 percent in 2016 and 2017. The percentage of students completing 15-plus credits in year one jumped from 25 percent in 2015 to 39 percent in 2016 and 50 percent in 2017.

The percentage of African-American students completing both English and math in year one went from 6 percent in 2015 to 28 percent in 2016 to 31 percent in 2017 – a more than 500 percent increase in two years! White students improved during those years as well, from 25 percent in 2015 to 40 percent in 2016 and 2017.

The performance variance between AfricanAmerican and white students narrowed from 19 percent in 2015 to 9 percent in 2017.

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INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

TEXT BOOK ZERO Increasing access and opportunity, improving guidance and planning are just a part of our success strategies for students. Learning success requires motivated students, great instructors, quality courses and access to learning materials like text books. Reducing the rising costs of textbooks helps all students. The costs of textbooks have been rising exponentially. While the Pell Grant does allow monies left over after tuition to be available for supplies, a few $300 texts can quickly consume those resources.

Jackson College sought to do what it could to help lower text book costs as one way to ensure that all students had the materials they needed on the first day of class.

Studies have found that students sometimes avoid buying texts or delay buying texts until later in the academic term because of high prices.

That sets students behind in their course from the beginning. College officials studied the different efforts of other colleges to offer alternatives to high-priced texts, including Z degrees (zero textbook cost degrees) and open educational resources (OER).

Ebooks tend to be more economical, which was a driving force behind what has become the Text

Book Zero (TBZ) initiative. TBZ makes course materials available digitally to students, at a much lower cost or even free. Now, except for a very select few courses where only a printed text is offered, all have a digital text available. Faculty have been active in contacting publishers in these areas to make a digital option available. Buying traditional textbooks, if available, is still an option.

With TBZ, not only do students save money, they improve their digital literacy. Digitally literate people use technology to access information, work with that information and develop new ways of understanding and sharing ideas with technology. TBZ helps students access more academic information with technology and use technology more effectively to process, sort, store, represent and visualize information.

The College is currently in discussions with Follett’s and Cengage about ways to further expand this effort. The goal is to provide students with a digital text book on the first day of class, by offering a one-time, low-cost, flat fee each semester. The College plans to launch this new strategy in January 2020.

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INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

SEVEN-WEEK CLASSES Part of the work of innovation involves questioning one’s basic assumptions. In college planning, one of the basic assumptions in higher education is that a “semester” is typically 15 or 16 weeks. In considering student success and focusing on the needs of the learner, college officials started questioning that basic assumption: why 15 or 16 weeks? In considering the research and visiting of other community colleges, we decided to try another option – classes that last for a shorter term but meet more hours each week during that term.

Using design-thinking principles, the College undertook consideration of seven-week terms.

With students juggling busy lifestyles with college, sometimes managing four or five classes can be a challenge. In the seven-week classes, students manage just two or three classes (fewer for part-time students), with more time to focus on each. Should a personal emergency arise at some point in the semester, persisting to complete in seven weeks should be much more manageable.

Other colleges have found success with this new format. Colleges that have moved to shorter terms, such as Odessa College in Texas and Trident Technical College in South Carolina, have seen significant jumps in retention and student completion rates for all students as well (Jackson College sent teams to both of these campuses to learn more about their success).

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Jackson College began with a pilot in our computer networking specialist associate degree program. Students liked and did well with the reduced time period and more focused classes. This seven-week class initiative has been scaled and will be fully implemented by fall 2019.

Students participating in seven-week terms have completed their courses at higher success rates, and students say they sometimes feel as though they are getting through their program faster. A surprising result has been the positive response from dual-enrolled high school students. At first, superintendents didn’t think the seven-week format would work well for high school students, but it turns out they prefer the new schedule.

“What worked well for me was having to focus a lot of my attention to this class at one time. It allowed me to retain the information better, and things are more fresh on my mind when I go to take a test.” – comment from a student in a seven-week economics class The only area that is not on a seven-week schedule is our Corrections Education Program because of constraints inside prison walls, but the College continues to work with Corrections officials to make it available in the future.

INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

COMPETENCY-BASED

EDUCATION

What can be more flexible than education at one’s own pace, with the opportunity to progress to the next level when you can demonstrate competency? This is the heart of what’s called competency-based education (CBE). Students work at their own pace through a course, taking pre-tests to see where they begin. They progress by demonstrating mastery or competency, assessed by a faculty member.

CBE is another strategy that supports the College’s Guided Pathways transformational change efforts. In considering this work, a cross-functional team visited Sinclair College in Ohio to learn more about their competencybased education efforts. Jackson College has also worked with CBE expert Kurt Linberg, higher education consultant, to assist in the application to the Higher Learning Commission.

A CBE faculty workgroup has been identifying course competencies, determining and building valid and reliable assessments to measure competencies identified and helping to chart out what this will look like at Jackson College.

Competency-based education removes time requirements from learning, or “seat time.”

This method is a result of requests from the workplace and employers who say they aren’t sure what an “A” or “B” in a certain class represents, but being able to see measurable competencies assessed helps them understand what a job candidate may be able to achieve.

It also helps students who have some work experience and bring some skills with them, transferrable skills they may not be able to recognize.

Competency-based education has been piloted on a course level in several advanced manufacturing courses. We have found that while there is no maximum speed for students to work, there is a minimum speed. An instructor does check in with students at least weekly to be sure they are making progress, and if they are not, consider other success strategies.

Jackson College’s efforts are cutting-edge, as competency-based education is not yet ubiquitous in higher education. Efforts also coincide with discussions on higher education at the federal level in Washington, D.C., on how we can think about higher education differently and offer more flexible completion for students.

The College had its first application to the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) for its inaugural CBE program, medical insurance – coder biller approved. Plans are for the second application to be the business program later this year. After these initial approvals, the College will move ahead with the implementation of more competency-based programming.

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INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

READY. SET. JET! Jackson College offers on-campus student housing.

When academic requirements for living in campus housing were established, the College saw an opportunity for a summer bridge program to help students. The first cohort of Ready, Set, Jet students participated in the fall semester. Now in its second year, the Multicultural Affairs Office is leading the initiative for a six-week summer program, Ready, Set, Jet! This program has been established to offer greater support as students are transitioning from high school to college and may be just below the academic requirements necessary to live in student housing.

The goal of Ready, Set, Jet is to increase the academic performance, retention, and graduation rates of students who could benefit from additional support. Scholarships are available to students

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in need. Students enroll as a cohort group in 12 credit hours. They learn from faculty who have been selected for their relational approach in teaching. While living on campus, they also receive peer mentoring, participate in leadership and cocurricular activities, and take off-campus field trips.

Students who successfully complete the Ready. Set. Jet program will be eligible to continue living in housing.

As of fall 2019, Ready, Set, Jet is available to students each semester.

As employees of Jackson College, an innovative institution, we are totally committed to student success (TCS²).

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INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

LEARNING IS

LEARNING Relating to several of the College’s initiatives is the idea that, learning is learning.

Jackson College is building policies and protocols to better assess and recognize prior learning by all those who come to us. Whether it’s a previous college class, military training, continuing education, work experience, all learning is learning.

As the College can better assess and recognize those skills and abilities that students come with, and award college credits, they will be that much closer to completing their college degree or credential.

Learning is learning, ultimately, is the belief that there is no purpose in sustaining the false dichotomy of credit and noncredit programming, but rather provide an accessible, verifiable, assessable approach to higher education that meets the needs of the student. Our observations of business, industries and competitors validate the importance of this work. CBE is the first step in undertaking this goal.

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INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

EXTENDING OUR REACH

EARLY/MIDDLE COLLEGE OPTIONS To help more students pursue higher education, Jackson College has worked with K-12 districts in the tri-county area to establish early/middle college programs. With a few different forms, early/middle colleges allow students to earn college credits, and perhaps a college degree, while completing high school and then a year beyond high school. This helps students save money and gives them a big jump-start toward a college education. It also provides an alternative option for capable students who are either struggling or do not feel connected to their local high school. And finally, the approach challenges students in schools that may not have honors programming.

JACKSON COLLEGE/LISD ACADEMY Jackson College/LISD Academy in Lenawee County was launched by Jackson College in 2010. Students may attend a “fifth year” beyond the 12th grade and earn both their high school diploma and an associate degree and/or up to 60 college credits.

With this new venture, the mission of the early college came into focus for us. From their beginning, the premise of early colleges has been to bring more students into college, in particular, more at-risk populations, giving them essential supports to be successful.

Without a focus on helping all these students to be successful, early colleges can become a vehicle for only the best and brightest, a kind of advanced dual enrollment. Building success for all begins before enrollment by being deliberate and intentional about reaching students and parents, getting them to come to meetings and presentations that they probably wouldn’t normally attend. At-risk students need more than just access; they need success skills. To that end, throughout their enrollment, at both the JC/LISD Academy and the Hillsdale County

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Early/Middle College, students complete a credentialing process that offers regular guidance and practice in success and “soft” skills that students will need – study skills, time management, persistence, and more. Most students don’t possess these skills, so they are expressly taught with a rubric design, for level 1, 2 and 3 coinciding with 11th, 12th and 13th years. These skills help the students find success in their college courses and persist to completion. Ultimately, these skills help students not only in college but throughout life, skills that many employers today say their new employees are lacking.

Since the inception of the JC/LISD Academy middle college, five local districts — Onsted, Tecumseh, Morenci, Madison and Hudson — have started their own branch campus design.

The JC/LISD Academy has been one of the top 10 high schools for SAT scores in Michigan for two years. Students have completed 93 percent of the college credits attempted since the inception; 4,734 attempted, with 4,404 completed.

INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

HILLSDALE COUNTY EARLY/MIDDLE COLLEGE The Hillsdale County Early Middle College is a combined high school and college program for capable and self-motivated students, located on the Jackson College LeTarte Center campus in Hillsdale. HCEMC exists in partnership with the nine school districts in Hillsdale County, the Hillsdale County Intermediate School District and Jackson College, and is funded by students’ State of Michigan per-pupil foundation allowance. This alleviates the cost to students or their families for attending. Students start taking college classes their junior year of high school and complete the fifth year after 12th grade.

Students will earn at least 15 college credits.

In its first year in 2017-18, HCEMC enrolled 20 students. Students attempted – and completed – 89 college credits. In its second year, it grew with over 60 new students, for more than 83 students enrolled. Students attempted and completed 105 college credits.

JACKSON PREPARATORY AND EARLY COLLEGE In 2013-14, Jackson College responded to requests from community members, a group known as the 100 Families, who expressed concern about the quality of education available to students in the area. The Board of Trustees issued a charter (it’s first and only in the College’s history) for a new educational opportunity authorizing a public school academy that encompasses a preparatory school and early college, representing grades 6-13.

Following the research and subsequent recommendations of President Phelan, the College’s Board of Trustees directed him to investigate the possibility of starting an early college. With a vision for the preparatory and early college differing from what was happening elsewhere, Phelan hoped to create an educational model of excellence for Michigan and the nation. The Board of Trustees approved the new concept, with Jackson Preparatory and Early College (JPEC) to be located on the College’s Central Campus. A Board of Governors appointed by the Jackson College Board of Trustees serves as the governing body for the school.

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INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

JPEC offers grades 6-13 – an innovative middle and high school with one additional year. Grades 6-8 are college preparatory, while grades 9-13 are early college. Students may earn up to 60-plus college credits toward completion of a college associate degree free of charge. Students and faculty create a personalized learning plan, and students may excel at their own pace.

JPEC is a competency-based program, meaning students must show mastery of required skills before advancing in their program. It is open to any student, depending on seat availability.

JPEC opened in 2014 with 173 students, and current enrollment is 385. Students who are able may begin taking college courses in ninthgrade and can earn at least 15 college credits or more. The current average for a student is roughly 52 credits. JPEC today offers three core pathways that align with Jackson College’s career pathways.

Since its beginning, JPEC has used Jackson College buildings and facilities. The College recently purchased another building located on the Central Campus, previously operated by another charter school, the DaVinci Institute, which has moved to another Jackson location.

Grades 6-8 of JPEC will begin the fall semester in the former DaVinci building, now called the Education Innovation Center, while grades 9 and up will continue to utilize other College buildings.

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JACKSON COUNTY EARLY COLLEGE Jackson County Early College (JCEC), a joint effort of the county’s 13 public school districts and Jackson College, started in fall 2018. This represented a transformational shift for the public K-12 districts in Jackson County, moving from the traditional K-12 approach to a more robust K-14 pathway.

JCEC operates with a Universal Entry/Universal Exit model whereby students can begin their college education as early as their first year and stay all the way through year 13. This offers a maximum of 60 credits and an associate degree and/or certificate at a small fraction of the cost.

The concept of Universal Exit allows students the flexibility to leave the program at any time up to or before the end of their 13th year, provided they are meeting State of Michigan high school graduation requirements. Students can choose how intensive their pathway will be, as some will begin with just a few exploratory courses, while others can choose a more robust pathway that can yield a completed associate degree by the end of year 13. Participation in sports and extracurricular activities is possible at students’ high schools through 12th grade.

All public school students may apply for JCEC. After one year, 300 were enrolled, far exceeding preliminary expectations. A JCEC administrator is located right on Jackson College’s campus, regularly interfacing between students, college faculty and navigators.

INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

JACKSON AREA COLLEGE AND CAREER CONNECTION EARLY/MIDDLE COLLEGE Job training, work experience and a free college credential – all are benefits of Jackson Area College and Career Connection Early/Middle College Program (JAC3E/MC). Conversation for the program began with the local Academy for Manufacturing Careers needing some additional space to train employees. The Jackson County Intermediate School District worked with manufacturers to see what could be done, and from that conversation sprang the idea of a middle college. Jobs are available in the manufacturing sector, where there is a shortage in certain trades areas.

The JAC3E/MC is a unique, three-year learning experience creating a pathway to college and career success for its participants. Students may enroll in JAC3 in partnership with their Jackson Area Career Center area of study. Beginning with the students’ junior year, participants may earn their high school diploma, college credit, and a technical/career credential within three years. All this comes with no out-of-

pocket tuition costs for the student. Students complete an apprenticeship experience. They also have the opportunity for employment upon graduation. Organizers say this is an effort to fast-track or accelerate career opportunities in real life, getting much of the groundwork for a career done by the time one is 19 or 20.

The Jackson Area Manufacturers Association and The Enterprise Group collaborated with the Jackson Area Career Center, Jackson County Intermediate School District, Baker College and Jackson College on the manufacturing-focused education program, which began in 2014.

What sets the JAC3E/MC apart from similar middle college programs is the addition of a sponsoring local business organization; students are “triple-enrolled,” continuing courses at their local high school, earning college credit toward an associate degree at Jackson College, and placed in school-to-registered apprenticeship with JAMA’s Academy for Manufacturing Careers – all while completing their high school diploma.

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INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

CORRECTIONS EDUCATION PROGRAM Jackson County, Michigan, is home to four Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) facilities, housing thousands of inmates. The MDOC is the third-largest employer in Jackson County, with 2,040 employees. Helping incarcerated individuals change their lives with higher education is a natural fit. Individuals, families, and whole communities benefit from this life-changing opportunity, as higher education in prison has been shown to reduce recidivism rates.

As an educational institution, Jackson College has a history of providing college courses to incarcerated individuals since the 1970s. In 1994, the Violent Crime and Law Enforcement Act removed Pell Grant support from incarcerated students, and the State of Michigan withdrew aid as well. Jackson College concluded its work inside the walls at the time.

In 2008, Jackson College hosted an AfricanAmerican Male Summit, a gathering of college and community leaders with the express focus of finding ways to help African-American males better succeed in higher education. From that came a recommendation for the College reach out and try to enroll more inmates from the county jail, recognizing the statistics that show that African-American men are incarcerated at a much higher rate than whites or Hispanics. In the county jail, most inmates are in for a year or less.

Lee Hampton, director of multicultural relations at the time, collaborated with then local sheriff, Dan Heyns, to give a monthly presentation on higher education to inmates. Hampton asked them to come to speak with him when they were released to learn more about college. Many of them did, and with the success of that program, then Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder tapped Heyns to be head of the Michigan Department of Corrections.

Heyns took the state post, bringing with him the importance of higher education for incarcerated individuals. He recommended college courses be made available to inmates, as well as training for corrections officers through an academy program.

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From these beginnings, corrections education by Jackson College experienced a rebirth in 2012 with a successful family-pay program at one of Jackson County’s facilities, the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility.

In 2013, Jackson was among three Michigan community colleges chosen as part of the Vera Institute of Justice’s Pathways from Prison to Postsecondary Education Project, allowing more prisoners to become students. Michigan received $1 million through the Vera Institute project, designed for incarcerated individuals within two years of release.

In 2015, Jackson College was among 67 college and universities across the U.S. selected by the Department of Education to participate in the Second Chance Pell Program. This Second Chance program was launched in July 2015 as an experiment to determine if inmate participation in high-quality higher education improves with access to federal grant aid. The pilot program will allow eligible incarcerated Americans to receive Pell Grants and pursue postsecondary education with the goal of helping them get jobs and support their families when they are released.

College instructors teach in facilities across the state, using curricula and assessments that align with those taught at any other Jackson College location. Instructors have had to use innovation in their teaching techniques, as incarcerated individuals are given no access to the Internet and limited research materials.

A first for prisoner education in Michigan, in 2016-17, Jackson College received a Second Chance Act Technology Based Career Training Program grant to offer a computer service technician program in two correctional facilities.

The $749,167 grant allowed incarcerated students the opportunity to complete a 15-credit skillset program. Students could walk out with a credential and two computer certification,

marketable in today’s business world. In preparing for the program, a college professor outfitted two mobile computer labs. He worked with MDOC personnel to create a networked computer environment that simulated real-world problems and applications.

Jackson College’s student Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society chapter, Alpha Rho Lambda, completed a research project examining the rights and responsibilities of prisoners and the institutions that serve them.

In 2017, following a review of the PTK board, our Alpha Rho Lambda became the first chapter nationally to extend PTK membership to incarcerated students. Today 213 PTK Alpha Rho Lambda members are incarcerated, about 40 percent of the 564 total members.

A full 93 percent of Corrections Education Program (CEP) students pass their courses and 75 percent make the part-time Dean’s List. The first class of graduates celebrated their college degrees in July 2016. Recent 2019 graduation ceremonies at various facilities saw 189 graduates, with all but 5 having grade point averages of at least 3.0.

Currently, about 720 are taking classes through the program. CEP educates students at seven facilities; six state and one federal prison.

Jackson College provides full degrees to incarcerated students in partnership with the MDOC and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. In addition, Hampton continues to make periodic trips to the County Jail to urge them to enroll in college upon release.

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INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

TOWARD THE FUTURE FOCUSING ON THE UNIQUE, WHOLE STUDENT Today’s students bring various needs and life challenges with them to college. As we started asking our students what they needed to be successful, we uncovered the view of the unique, whole student. Serving the needs of the unique, whole student so they may succeed became a further clarification of TCS2 and our responsibility to students. College staff continues to examine the unique needs and barriers faced by all of our students to help resolve them.

No innovative teaching techniques alone will help a student who is uncertain where their next meal is coming from, one who is struggling with crippling anxiety, or one who is wondering whether they have enough money to go to the doctor when they are feeling poorly.

OASIS CENTER The Oasis Center was created to assist our students, and employees, with mental health challenges. The College contracts with Family Services and Children’s Aid to provide licensed mental health and substance abuse clinicians. Cost is $5 for students and $10 for employees, though no student is ever turned away for inability to pay. Efforts to break the stigma about going and talking to a counselor are working. More and more students are visiting the Center (some faculty bring their whole class down so they know where it is) Because our employees are using it, so much more than an Employee Assistance Program, we were able to discontinue that expense.

HEALTH CLINIC A Health Clinic was added on Central Campus to help meet physical health needs. At the clinic, students can go see a nurse practitioner for $5 (and employees for $10), with consumables such as vaccines costing extra. Acute care services are offered, such as care for minor injuries and illnesses, immunizations & flu vaccines, blood pressure monitoring, physical exams, referrals and more.

DENTAL HYGIENE CLINIC The College offers a dental hygiene clinic to help address unmet needs for a student’s dental health.

Students studying dental hygiene gain clinical practice for their studies. College and community members may schedule a time for a cleaning and other preventive services. A cleaning is just $5 for a college student.

JACKETS FOR JETS Gently used professional clothing necessary for interviews and jobs are available through a clothing pantry, Jackets for Jets. Students may take one full outfit that will be theirs to keep.

DIGITAL INCLUSION A computer refurbishment program, Digital Inclusion, offers reduced priced computers and equipment available for purchase. Digital Inclusion is a non-profit, 501c3 organization that trains youth to refurbish donated computers that can be distributed back to the community. These refurbished computers are sold at affordable prices to the college and community.

HARRIET MYER STUDENT EMERGENCY FUND

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The Jackson College Foundation administers the Harriet Myer Student Emergency Fund, which offers one-time grants for unforeseen emergencies that may otherwise prevent students from continuing their education.

A professor/instructor, counselor or student success navigator must refer a student, who then must apply.

FOOD PANTRY In 2015, TRIO Program Director Melissa Merkel, with help from Institutional Research, assessed students on campus for needs, and two insecurities were frequently mentioned – food and transportation. To help meet the need for food, the College opened a food pantry on Central Campus. The pantry stocks non-perishable food items and some personal hygiene supplies. A student in need can go to the pantry and ask for a meal card that will buy them one meal in the cafeteria. The food pantry will see anywhere from 35-50 visitors in a semester, with about half of those visiting three to five times.

For some of our students, the cost of a meal plan in our cafeteria is prohibitive – $8 for a cafeteria-style, all-you-can-eat meal – so the College has launched a new Jet Pack meal deal, “3 for $3,” at WAva Joe’s coffee bar (named for William Atkinson Hall, WAva). All housing residents are required to purchase a meal plan, consisting of two meals per day, seven days a week. This year, commuter students

will also have the option of purchasing a meal plan, offering four meals per week. Because the cafeteria is only open for lunch and dinner, free cereal and milk are available in student housing.

TRANSPORTATION SUPPORT For students needing transportation, the College contracts with the Jackson Transportation Authority for bus service and reduced bus fares to Central Campus. As financial donations began coming in to support the Food Pantry, organizers found that they could fund some transportation assistance as well. The College offers daily bus passes for students who may be out of money for that day but otherwise, have transportation. Also, 30-day bus passes are available for those students who face personal or economic hardship and need transportation support for more than a day.

A college employee will work with the student to help identify a solution. On average, for a semester, the College distributes 150 to 200 daily bus passes, and 30 to 60 30-day bus passes.

CONTINUING OUTREACH College officials are considering other partnerships with countywide resources to help our students in additional ways. Our work is ongoing as we focus on the needs of the unique, whole student.

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INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

OUR FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT JOB

CHOOSING THE RIGHT PEOPLE With a bold, institutionwide culture and promise in the Total Commitment to Student Success, focus on the student and on continuous improvement, finding the right employees is crucial. We want employees who are committed to working in the service of the customer/student, not just looking for a decent job with benefits.

New hiring processes and a detailed onboarding system help the College find employees who are best suited for the organization.

Pogo’s recognition that, “We have met the enemy, and it is us,” resonated with us as we considered how we could better serve others. We needed to be more selective in our hiring process and redefine what it meant to be a Jackson College employee. Therefore, the journey began.

Our Human Resources staff spent significant time benchmarking against top companies to put together a process that helped us select not only a more knowledgeable person, but also a more culturally connected person. The Leadership Council made the commitment to shape the culture we wanted at this institution; to do this, we would take the time to host final interviews for every full-time and part-time position at the College. While this was a major commitment, we knew it was necessary to create the cultural change we sought.

Beliefs were developed with employee input, shared with all and framed in conference rooms, printed on mouse pads, in our newsletters so our employees lived it every day. We also shared our beliefs with our contractors on campus to make sure they understood how serious we were about how we treated each other and our students.

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The College has long used hiring committees in the interview process to multiple perspectives on job candidates. Now, after an interview committee has selected a possible candidate, the Leadership Council interviews each top candidate and gives a final hiring decision. They utilize S2TAR Behavioral Interview method and questions: •

Specific - Provide sufficient detail, in all cases, so as to create understanding with the examples provided.

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Situation - Describe a situation/event that you were in and what you did related to the question.

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Task - Provide an understanding of a specific task and the nature of the related goal you were given.

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Action - Describe the action you took, even if it was in a team-based setting. Define what you did, not what you might do.

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Results - What happened? What did you achieve? What did you learn? What would you have done differently?

That S2TAR Behavioral Interview is on the table as an individual comes in for the interview.

Leadership Council congratulates the applicant on being the finalist as they have already been vetted for the knowledge, skills and abilities.

Predetermined questions should consider the

2017 RECOGNIZED BY LEAGUE FOR INNOVATION FOR CREATING A POSITIVE CULTURE WITH INTENTIONAL HIRING OF NEW EMPLOYES AND ENGAGING CURRENT EMPLOYEES

skill sets required for a particular position, as well as correlate to the College’s beliefs. This method allows the Leadership Council to get an understanding of a candidate’s “fit” with the College’s preferred culture and helps them get to know the candidate better. Candidates receive copies of the College’s mission, vision, values and beliefs so they know what is expected in determining the candidate’s “fit” with the College’s preferred culture.

After receiving recommendation for hiring, the candidate participates in the orientation process for New Employee Onboarders, NEOs, a 40-hour program for all new employees. The new cohort is brought together to learn about every department in the College, learn about our history and culture, meet with leaders and members of the Board of Trustees, tour all campuses, and find their office or workspace.

When we began this process five years ago, it was difficult to put together 40 hours of engaging tours, meetings, luncheons and presentations by several departments, as not all of our employees demonstrated the culture we promoted to the new employees. Over the years, some employees retired, transferred to another organization, or concluded employment with us. Within a year, more employees were reaching out and asking if their area could be included, as they wanted to be part of this interactive welcome to our new employees. Not only does this help the new employee make a great start, but helps the College as a whole by creating employees with a broad knowledge who can answer questions and be “brand representatives” in the community.

A side benefit of the weeklong onboarding is that new employees enjoy their first week with employees that they may not have ever had the opportunity to work with (as faculty, administrators and support staff are on-boarded as a heterogenous cohort). Weeks and months later, we see them still connected, in the dining room, eating lunch together. As a result, they are immediately connected and do not feel like a new employee. The Leadership Council also invites hourly employees back to visit after six months and the administrators and faculty after a year to check in and make sure they have the tools they need to be successful. We also confirm that they are experiencing the culture that we promote. Their feedback allows us the opportunity to improve the experience.

Even today, when talent and human resources takes the NEOs out to lunch on Friday of NEO week, we ask them if there were things we could do to improve the process. For the first year, we did receive several great ideas and make some improvements. Not that we are ever done improving, but it’s working so well that we have presented on our weeklong onboarding process at the AACC and other conferences, as well as hosted many HR directors from around the nation who came and immersed themselves into our onboarding experience.

In 2017, Jackson College was recognized by the League for Innovation in the Community College with an innovation of the year award for the hiring and onboarding process, “Creating a Positive Culture with Intentional Hiring of New Employees and Engaging Current Employees.”

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INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Ongoing professional development helps employees stay up to date in their jobs and in matters pertaining to the College as a whole. To help employees contribute fully and effectively, Jackson College has made professional development a priority. Three days each year are set aside for institutionwide professional development, called convocations. Faculty members participate in seven additional days for learning activities, typically before the start of each semester. These investments in time and in people all go to serve our focus on support student success.

Faculty members are annually allocated $2,000 each for professional development. Additionally, another $40,000 is earmarked for the vice president of instruction to bring in consultants and other professional development opportunities for faculty. There is also a small amount set aside for department chairs, as well as dean’s office

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funds for specific initiatives. Committee members examined professional development spending at other community colleges across the state and found that Jackson College’s was one of the highest in the state. The College recognizes the importance to faculty of staying abreast of the latest developments in their field and in education, as well as participating in professional associations.

Some occupational faculty have stringent requirements for continuing education needs to maintain their licensure. For areas where there are only one or two faculty members to a field, sometimes teaching can be a lonely job.

Professional development dollars allow these faculty the opportunities to work with others in their broader community. Also, because faculty have traveled and participated in professional groups and conferences, many have become recognized leaders in their discipline.

The College allocated $437,000 in 2019 for professional development for administration and staff for state and national conferences, workshops, and on-site training programs.

INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

PERFORMANCE

REVIEWS & PAY The College, in partnership with the two employee unions, instituted performance pay standards for administration, faculty and staff. These standards are designed to encourage employees to excel in their jobs. Performance pay is awarded annually, based on the supervisor’s judgment of the employee and completion of annual goals. Faculty members have an Annual Professional Responsibilities Plan (APRP) that lists all performance pay criteria. All employees go through a quarterly review with their supervisor, and a year ago, Personal Management Interviews or PMIs were implemented so as to encourage more regular communication as opposed to conducting performance evaluations at the end of the year. It was clear that if performance-based pay was going to work, we needed to make sure our administrators met regularly with their employees to check on their progress on goals, modify any as necessary and not have any disagreements at the time to deploy the increases.

Beneficial Outcomes of PMIs • Institutionalizes continuous improvement • Improves and sustains unit effectiveness • Improves the quality of communication • Maintains accountability for commitments Copyright: Professor Kim Cameron, University of Michigan.

NEGOTIATING

SUCCESS

Jackson College negotiates with two employee unions, one for faculty and another for support staff. As the College’s culture began to change, the relationship between administration and union leaders also improved. Human Resources was able to focus on additional ways to recognize our employees, have fun at work and provide opportunities for more professional development and career opportunities, instead of wasting valuable resources arguing grievances.

Contract negotiations since the change in culture have been congenial with the understanding we are at the table, all part of the same team. Trust is present, which makes the process easier. The support staff contract and faculty contract both demonstrate some of the most exemplary teamwork to date.

Old language has been removed or updated. We approved and ratified the faculty contract prior to the current contract expiring and prior to the start of fall semester, which has never happened in the history of the College.

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INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

LEADERSHIP ACADEMY Recognizing the importance of investing in and developing employees, the College introduced the president’s annual Leadership Academy in 2016. Individuals interested in advancing their careers and moving into future leadership positions are invited to apply. Individuals must be nominated and accepted to participate.

Meeting one afternoon a week, this 10-week program focuses on leadership and team activities, personal development, college operations, completion of a “stretch project,” and book readings.

After its third year, 36 employees have graduated from the internal leadership academy. Graduates have offered ideas for two projects to assist with student success. A concept like an “Uber tutoring system” would make student tutors available whenever needed, even if it’s after hours. Another creates an internal database warehouse that allows employees access to all types of information on students and success, broken down in several layers.

The College also sends a select group of employees annually to the Michigan Community College Association’s (MCCA) leadership academy to hear presentations from presidents from around the State of Michigan and other relevant speakers.

AWARDS RECOGNITION Jackson College honors outstanding employees annually. Recognition is given for outstanding faculty member, outstanding adjunct faculty, outstanding administrator and outstanding staff person. Employees are nominated and judged by a committee of their peers. These awards carry honor, recognition, and a cash award. The College hosts a parade across campus to announce the winners, with administration, faculty and staff donning academic garb and carrying noisemakers. Parade members go right into the honoree’s office or classroom and surprise them with the recognition! Recipients are later recognized at the annual All College Celebration.

One year ago, the College started a Total Commitment to Student Success Award, recognizing employees who go above and beyond in their service to our students and make a positive impact.

Nominations are accepted from anyone, and honorees are chosen by an employee committee. TCS2 Awards are presented three times a year at employee convocation professional development days.

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BOOSTING MORALE Happy, satisfied employees are better employees for the institution. To help with employee morale and to build connection, the College launched Hot Dog Wednesdays throughout the summer between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Employees can get free lunch in a fun, cookout environment on the patio outside the Dining Commons. They are encouraged to sit and visit with other co-workers, helping to break down “silos” that exist on the campus. The whole idea is to have lunch and talk to individuals you may not normally see on a regular basis. The only caveat that you can’t get the food to go.

Employees love it.

Employees can also buy a sticker to wear blue jeans on select Fridays, with proceeds going to benefit the student emergency fund or college food pantry. Employees wanted the privilege of wearing jeans as they felt it made them more productive and comfortable. Trying to convey a professional image was also important to us. The compromise, between Memorial Day and the start of Fall semester, we allow employees to wear jeans if they pay $3 for a sticker that says “Ask Me Why I’m Wearing Jeans” so visitors would understand it was special.

A Christmas gathering held at a local restaurant, an academic year-end banquet and three collegewide convocations encourage employees to enjoy each other’s company in more relaxed settings. New employees are introduced to the college community as a whole at convocations.

Coffee & Conversation offers President Phelan an opportunity to speak directly to college employees, with sessions held each semester. The president brings forward the latest happenings at the College so employees know what is going on, and they may ask questions. President Phelan has also started one-on-one meetings with employees to talk about the job and their ideas for the College.

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INNOVATION AND INITIATIVES

COLLABORATING WITH THE COMMUNITY Jackson College doesn’t accomplish its tasks on its own. It works with hundreds of businesses, agencies, offices and organizations throughout our tri-county region, the state and the nation.

These collaborations are vital for the health of any organization. A strong network builds possibilities, benefitting everyone.

Just a few of the many connections include: • ABC Academy – childcare center located on campus • American Red Cross – site for blood drives throughout year • Center Stage Jackson – community theater group utilizes Potter Center theaters • Family Services and Children’s Aid – staffs the College’s Oasis Center • Henry Ford Allegiance Health – staffs an on-campus health clinic • Jackson Business Roundtable – sponsored by the College and Jackson’s Enterprise Group, this is a forum for area business and community leaders • Jackson Chamber of Commerce – college is a member • Jackson County Intermediate School District – numerous educational efforts • Jackson Symphony Orchestra – local orchestra performs at Potter Center • Michigan Shakespeare Festival – annual festival with performances at Potter Center • Siena Heights University – university partner with on-campus office, offers many 2+2 and 3+1 programs for students pursuing a bachelor’s degree.

In addition, nearly 200 hospitals, clinics and doctor’s offices partner with Jackson College for nursing and allied health program clinical sites.

The College’s work-based learning office collaborates with 35 local employers to offer internship opportunities to local students.

It is looking for even more.

Jackson College is an integral partner in developing Jackson’s local economy. We’re very grateful to have them in our back yard and very proud of the work they do.

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MINDY BRADISH-ORTA President & CEO, Jackson County Chamber of Commerce

LOCAL SPONSORSHIPS Jackson College makes every effort to be a good corporate citizen.

The list below contains some of the organizations the College sponsors on an annual basis.

COMMUNITY

SERVICE

Helping to make their communities great places to live, work and learn is a core value that Jackson College employees embrace each day. That caring for our communities is exemplified through service.

Twice each year, employees, wearing a special College T-shirt, head out of their offices and classrooms en masse and offer hands-on service to better our communities. It can be reading books to second graders, helping with art or library projects, field days, park clean-up and beautification or providing music to older citizens who can’t get out on their own. Volunteers give about 600 hours per year through these convocation events. Also, College employees give back individually to the groups and causes that are close to their hearts.

College employees from all levels serve on various elected and volunteer boards, from local school boards to church and religious boards to civic groups. The College is active in the Chambers of Commerce and other business and economic organizations. We sponsor or donate to communitywide efforts such as the NAACP Annual Banquet. This year, the College has launched the Jackson Business Roundtable, inviting speakers to campus to discuss pertinent marketplace issues with local business and manufacturing leaders.

Connecting with our community, in 2014-15 the College launched two family events, a Halloween Spooktacular Trick-or-Treat event and an Easter Egg Hunt. These events bring thousands of community members to campus to trick or treat through our campus buildings, or to hunt for over 25,000 Easter eggs on our central Campus Mall. For Halloween, employees plan and decorate the buildings so the young people have something fun to look at and walk through. For Easter, in addition to the egg hunt, activities such as bounce houses and a petting zoo are offered. Inviting the community to campus is both a thank-you and a means to familiarize more people with the college environment.

• Amazing Race Jackson • Aware Shelter • Boy Scouts of America • Bright Walls Mural Project • Cascades Humane Society • Center for Women • Columbia-Central Schools • Dahlem Center • Friends of the Animals • Girl Scouts • Grass Lake Schools • Gus Macker Basketball Tournament • Hanover-Horton High School • Henry Ford Allegiance • Henry Ford Allegiance Hospice • Jackson Catholic Schools • Jackson Chamber of Commerce • Jackson County Rose Festival • Jackson Community Foundation • Jackson High School • Jackson Host Lions Club • Jackson School of the Arts • Jackson Symphony Orchestra Guild • JAXPO • Junior Achievement • Kiwanis Club • Ladies Legacy Scholarship • Meals on Wheels • MIS Cares • MSP Developing Young Leaders of America Academy • NAACP • Northwest School’s Wrestling • Officer Bonneau Memorial Child Advocacy Fund • Power of the Purse/United Way of Jackson • Salvation Army • Western School District Band Boosters

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BEING GOOD NEIGHBORS

OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT Another area where Jackson College strives to be innovative is in reducing the size of its carbon footprint (ie., the impact of greenhouse gases, usually carbon dioxide, produced). An increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere could lead to the overall warming of our climate. To help lessen this, the College introduced new, smart building systems for lighting and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) controls, and utilizes efficient plumbing fixtures. Sustainable or “green” products are used in building projects. Computers power down to “sleep” when not in use. Green spaces break up large parking lots. Three electrical charging stations for cars are available outside Bert Walker Hall.

In the Potter Center’s Robert Snyder Dining Commons, food services have switched from disposable utensils, plates, silverware and glassware in the cafeteria to reduce waste going to the landfill. All disposable products for catering and coffee shop are green and compostable, even straws. Also, food services are working with a compost

company for all compost trash from the kitchen and have cut down trash by 25 percent.

With much new construction on campus, efforts have been made to use sustainable materials and methods in their construction. The student housing Campus View 2 facility is a recognized LEED Gold certified building by the U.S. Green Building Council. Two other buildings, the Whiting Hall renovation and the Health Laboratory Center are currently in the LEED certification process.

This year, the College is revamping its recycling efforts on campus, working with new vendors to improve recycling efforts and putting single-stream recycling containers in three campus buildings.

These accept plastics, paper, metals, and styrofoam in a single bin.

Study is also being done on more wind generation and a photovoltaic array. The College has a goal to be carbon neutral by 2028.

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RECOGNITION

LEADERSHIP

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Dr. Daniel J. Phelan has guided Jackson College as president since 2001. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. He earned a Master of Business Administration from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and an Associate in Arts degree in Liberal Arts from Mount St. Clare College (now Ashford University) in Clinton, Iowa.

Dr. Phelan brings long-term leadership to the College, serving as its executive now for nearly 19 years. He has built strong relationships with the trustees, alumni, and is active nationally among community colleges. He is the past chairman of the Board of Directors for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and also serves on the AACC Advocacy Advisory Group (AAG), as well as AACC’s Commission on Institutional Infrastructure and Transformation.

He is Chairman of the Board of the Higher Education Research and Development Institute (HERDI) and Chairman of the Board of the Jackson County Enterprise Group (the community economic development organization). Additionally, Phelan serves on the Board of Directors for the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE), the

Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society (PTK), and is a founding Board member for the international organization, US-Brasil Connect (USBC). Phelan is Past-Chair of the Alliance for Innovation and Transformation (formerly CQIN) Board of Directors, and Past-Chair of the Michigan Community College Association (MCCA) Board of Directors. He also served on the American Association of Community College’s (AACC) 21st-Century Commission on the Future of Community Colleges, co-chairing a team charged with redefining the community college role and mission.

•

President Phelan is a graduate of the League Executive Leadership Institute (ELI), completed before he became a community college president. While he was at Johnson County Community College (KS), a League board member, and serving as Executive Director of the Business & Industry Institute, he participated in national meetings of peers and attended League conferences as well. Over the past few years, he has been a presenter at the Executive Leadership Institute on public policy issues. He and others from the College have attended League Innovations Conferences and other seminars held over the years.

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LEADERSHIP

COLLEGE

GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIP A board of seven trustees elected at large from the community college district governs Jackson College. Any qualified elector residing within the district is eligible. Trustees attend all board meetings, perform special responsibilities to support the best interests of the College, and represent the district in all matters before the public.

The board operates under a Policy Governance model, also known as the Carver Model, allowing trustees to focus on creating and sustaining a vision of what the organization contributes to the community. The Jackson College board is primarily concerned with the ENDS of the organization (what good is produced for what people). It delegates the MEANS (the delivery of programs, services and operations) used to achieve the ENDS to the president. This frees them from timeconsuming details.

Evaluation, with such carefully stated expectations, is nothing more than seeking an answer to the question, “Have our expectations been met?” The board, having clarified its expectations, can monitor and assess performance in that light. The performance

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of the president is synonymous with the performance of the College. The Jackson College board governs on behalf of identifiable ownership and are externally and future-oriented.

Trustees are currently learning more about the Policy Governance model and working with a consultant and the president’s office to further refine its ENDS. The Board of Trustees typically meets monthly, 10 times each year. The public is invited to attend, per the Michigan Open Meetings Act, with opportunity for public comment. Trustees also attend typically two planning sessions each year and a board retreat annually. Trustees also attend the MCCA Summer Institute and ACCT Annual Congress.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Sam R. Barnes, Chairperson John M. Crist, Vice Chairperson Sheila A. Patterson, Secretary Donna L. Lake, Treasurer Matthew R. Heins, Trustee Philip E. Hoffman, Trustee Dr. Edward A. Mathein, Trustee

LEADERSHIP

COUNCIL

The Leadership Council serves as the internal governance body of the College focusing on strategy and operations. Nine members make up the Council, including the president, six vice presidents, the chief diversity officer and the chief of staff, representing all departments within the College. Leadership Council is considered the president’s internal operations team whose job is to carry out the College’s strategic agenda and assist the president in meeting the ends required by the Board of Trustees. The team comes together weekly to meet and focus on the College’s initiatives, culture, current and future directions. Their contributions guide the operations and innovations of the College. With visionary leadership and a commitment to servant leadership, they have guided the College through successful and challenging times, fueled by the desire to find the best ways to serve our students, our community and each other.

The College’s changing business model and focus on innovation through the work with Saul Kaplan and the Business Innovation Factory has led to the Leadership Council guiding new initiatives at the College. With a laser like focus on the “voice of the customer,” the Leadership Council guides the strategies, ideas and tactics that lead to improvement. The Leadership Council has also implemented a strategic focus on protype testing concepts before widespread implementation. Utilizing a prototype model, the College has been able to incubate new innovation and then operationalize these learnings to scale across the enterprise.

ADMINISTRATIVE

COUNCIL

The Administrative Council provides a forum for the exchange of information among members, departments and with other College constituencies. Administrators gather once each fiscal quarter to receive updates on College initiatives, news from board meetings and state and national matters. Meetings offer a structure that encourages communication across the College. Professional development components are also included to provide an opportunity to grow and learn, fostering growth and initiative.

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LEADERSHIP

FACULTY

LEADERSHIP

Faculty are guided by six administrative leads: vice president of instruction; dean, business and human services; dean, arts and sciences; dean, career and technical education; and, assistant dean of health professions. They offer direction over the faculty and programs available. Faculty leadership participates in instructional policy formulation, with the responsibility of determining the means to accomplished assigned institutional ends. They oversee planning and budgeting for their areas and provide support of the faculty in the ongoing development, implementation and outcomes assessment of program curriculums.

ACADEMIC

COUNCIL

Faculty, administrators and staff come together to coordinate planning for academic affairs, to monitor implementation of the academic plan, and to make high-level decisions regarding learning and teaching. The Academic Council exists to assure the integrity of the College’s instructional system. Council members establish and administer the College’s academic plan, provide oversight on designated areas of the College’s Strategic Agenda, implement and provide periodic review of academic policies, and provide leadership and recommendation on the academic direction of the College. It is comprised of the chief academic officer (chairperson), academic deans, vice president for student services or designee, academic integrity committee chairs, academic department chairs, registrar, administrative support (recorder), term-limited members and ex-officio/ad-hoc members (appointed to fill a specific function, e.g. institutional research, information technology, students, etc.).

Ongoing goals include ensuring that all degrees align with industry-recognized credentials or are fully and directly transferable to four-year institutions, and elimination of the equity gap. In addition, Jackson College has nearly two dozen committees that employees may serve on, such as curriculum committee, data governance, judicial and more. This fits with the College’s emphasis on gathering input from many people in decision-making. Innovation can come from anyone.

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LEADERSHIP

STRATEGIC

AGENDA

While the Jackson College Board of Trustees operates under the Policy Governance model, overseeing ENDS rather than the MEANS, the College leadership and administration, with input from committees and boards and the community, create goals as part of the strategic plan. This document was reconstituted in 2017 as a strategic agenda, grounded in assumptions, that is more dynamic and responsive to a changing landscape, while concomitantly capable of responding to unanticipated opportunities.

For the past 15-plus years, the College has taken a comprehensive approach to strategic planning. Key performance areas relate to the Higher Learning Commission Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) accreditation categories:

Members of the Leadership Council act as lead advocates for each of the key performance areas. The plan is reviewed regularly for progress on initiatives.

Strategic plans in the past covered a span of years, with strategies and goals for each year. In recent years, leadership has adopted a more flexible, innovative approach to planning and created the Strategic Agenda.

The strategic agenda provides for a continuous and evolutionary framework in moving forward toward the future. Increasingly, technology, competition, politics and financial realities suggest that a traditional three- to five-year plan is viable, but rather agility amid a changing context of opportunity and threat is preferred for Jackson College.

• Student Learning • Customer/Stakeholder • Valuing Employees • Leadership • Organizational Sustainability • Continuous Quality Improvement

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LEADERSHIP

RETENTION AND COMPLETION GOALS With the focus on the Total Commitment to Student Success, (TCS2), President Phelan established a foundation for all goals and initiatives, now called the 90/80/70 retention and completion goals. The College’s goal is to retain 90 percent of students between fall and winter and 80 percent of students from fall to fall. The overall goal is a 70 percent completion rate. These metrics focus not only on enrollment numbers but on how well the College is supporting student success.

We have not yet reached these goals.

Institutional Research creates a monthly TCS2 report that tracks college progress toward these goals. Progress is communicated across our campuses.

90% FALL TO WINTER RETENTION GOAL

80% FALL TO FALL RETENTION GOAL

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70%

COMPLETION RATE GOAL

Integrity Caring Collaboration Quality Inclusion Service Leadership

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LEADERSHIP

ENCOURAGING CREATIVITY INNOVATION FUND The College and the Jackson College Foundation have partnered for nearly four decades to provide funding for innovation and transformational opportunities. For many years the Foundation funded campus grants to support programs and innovation. However, that model began to age, and its impact waned.

It was time to reimagine the process and create a program that encouraged innovation to percolate from the frontlines of the organization.

To that end, in 2017, a formal Innovation Fund was created to encourage all employees to bring forward ideas for funding consideration.

We believe each person has valuable insights to bring forward to help advance the College.

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With the Innovation Fund, all employees are encouraged to bring forth ideas they feel will positively impact students, the College and ultimately enhance overall student success goals for retention and completion.

Employees who have ideas implemented will receive a monetary award. These are ideas that will have a significant impact on the College and support TCS2. Employees may complete an online application, with ideas reviewed by the Leadership Council. Employees whose ideas are implemented are awarded $1,000 and are recognized in publications as well as at an employee Convocation.

Jackson College is about the whole student ...

Being a parent doesn’t have to stop you from coming to college here.

JENNIFER DOBBS Administrative Services Coordinator, Human Resources Innovation Fund Recipient

As an example of the Innovation Fund impact, a new Family Zone was created in Student Services in Bert Walker Hall. Students who are waiting to speak with a staff member and bring their child or grandchild with them now have an area to help occupy the child. A college staff member and alumnus who is a young parent put this idea forth. This was submitted by Jennifer Dobbs, core technologies services coordinator, who also received the League’s John & Suanne Roueche Excellence Award.

Given the myriad of needs of our diverse student population, and through the direct input of our students and employees, the Innovation Fund also initiated a Mothers Nursing Station to provide a clean, private and dignified space for mothers to pump or nurse. This model is being considered for implementation on the College’s satellite campuses.

Additionally, in January 2019, the Jackson College Foundation Board of Directors created an additional fund, the Strategic Development Fund, with a $200,000 grant to fund organizational innovation on a macro level.

To date grants from this fund have provided funding to pilot Pearson’s Smart Thinking 24/7 Online Tutoring platform for the Jackson County Early College. In April 2019, the Foundation Board approved a $125,000 grant to fund the revitalization of the Jackson College Performing Arts program by providing seed funding for a faculty position.

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LEADERSHIP

STABILITY Jackson College maintains a commitment to student success, but our responsibility extends beyond our students to the communities that support us.

The College operates with a balanced budget as required by law, and maintains its academic programs to rigorous accreditation standards.

FINANCIAL STABILITY Jackson College demonstrates strong financial stewardship (or fiscal management). During the last two audit cycles (FY 2017 and FY 2018) Jackson College has received clean, unqualified opinions of their financial and federal award statements.

Fiscal Year 2020 Budget $47,786,962

REVENUES

$47,786,176

EXPENSES

Receive scholarships

Receive Pell Grants

$785

INCOME OVER (UNDER) EXPENSES

82 Students receive aid

LEADERSHIP

BUSINESS OFFICE

INNOVATION

The Business Office strives to provide high-quality financial services to students, employees and other stakeholders in a friendly and professional manner while upholding the fiscal integrity of the institution.

To ensure that all systems of the College are working according to regulations, Jackson College took an innovative step and appointed an in-house auditor.

With the myriad of compliance standards and laws that the College deals with, having a once-a-year audit by an external firm was not enough. This internal auditor, a full-time position, reviews business processes year-round, ensures compliance with relevant laws and regulations, and if necessary, makes recommendations on ways to improve processes.

TAXPAYER

For student housing facility Campus View 3, the College formed a separate not-for-profit entity to solicit debt to build under Revenue Ruling 63-20 financing. A separate non-profit entity was created with its own board of governors, its sole mission being to own and maintain that housing facility.

This is a unique move among community colleges and more typically found in four-year institutions.

Beginning in the fiscal year 2017, the College restructured its debt service in plans to retire all debt by 2028, the 100th anniversary of the College.

Refinancing debt has lowered interest paid and shortened payment schedules.

SUPPORT

Jackson County voters pay approximately 1.14 mills in their property tax bills each year to support Jackson College ($1 for every $1,000 of taxable value). For 2020, this generates $5.24 million, about 11 percent of the College’s overall revenues.

The College receives the smallest property tax millage of the 28 community colleges in Michigan and has the second-lowest percentage of budget funded by local property taxes. This is why Jackson College has a higher than average tuition rate. Net tuition and fees make up the bulk of the College’s revenues, 57.8 percent, bringing in $27.65 million.

Because of the lack of local support for additional property tax millages (additional requests beyond the charter millage have failed more than a dozen times), College officials have had to be creative in how they finance new developments. Three College buildings have been renovated or built thanks to the State of Michigan’s Capital Outlay Fund 50 percent matches: Lenawee County Center in 2005, Health Laboratory Center in 2008, and renovation of Bert Walker Hall in 2016. To provide a laboratory for a new dental hygiene program, State of Michigan funds were attained through Michigan’s Community College Skilled Trades Equipment Program (CCSTEP).

General Fund Revenue Net Tuition and Fees – 57.8% Other Revenues – 2.4 % State Appropriations – 26.9% Property Taxes – 11% Housing – 1.9%

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LEADERSHIP

JACKSON COLLEGE FOUNDATION At the direction of the Board of Trustees in 1983, an organizational meeting for the creation of a Foundation commenced. Sensing future trends in the areas of fund development and community support, the Board determined that an institutional foundation, whose role was to assist the College, would be beneficial throughout the future. The Foundation maintains a tax-exempt status, under the federal code 501 (c)(3), and is viewed as an independent corporation.

college development and the need for succession planning, training an influx of new presidents from various industries and background, and enhanced efforts around philanthropy in the community college, The Foundation partnered with the Michigan Community College Association to develop an advancement academy for community college trustees, presidents and development officers in Michigan.

Since its inception, the Foundation has offered millions of dollars in support to Jackson College, primarily in grants, programs and scholarships but also in building and infrastructure development.

The Foundation manages more than $17 million in assets, three endowed faculty chairs, and awards 300 students on average scholarships from more than 90 funds.

Not satisfied to rest on past performance, the Foundation, using the tools from the Business Innovation Factory, has begun a yearlong journey to chart the course of the community college foundation of the future. By turning age-old assumptions upside down and focusing on the “voice of the customer,� the Foundation seeks to transform itself to increase its impact and relevance in an ever-changing environment.

Over the past 10 years, the Foundation has taken an aggressive and proactive approach to increasing its impact on the College. During that time the Foundation’s assets more than doubled while concurrently awarding more money in scholarships, grants and facility funding than the previous twenty-five years combined.

The Foundation serves as an innovation and venture capital arm for implementing and testing change. In 2012, the Foundation purchased the former international headquarters of the Photo Marketing Association. This 50,000-square-foot facility was completely renovated and repurposed into a satellite campus by the College. This campus located off Interstate 94 is readily visible to more than 60,000 cars a day that pass by the campus.

The Foundation has become one of the preeminent community college Foundations in the state of Michigan and is benchmarked frequently by others. Seeing trends in community

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With a belief that education will be funded in new ways in the future, the foundation seeks to reimagine the traditional roles of scholarships and aid and instead focus on a model that supports the unique, whole student, works to ensure completion and retention and meets students basic life needs. Addressing the issues of food, housing and medical insecurity are crucial in ensuring students are able to persist and succeed.

The Foundation is poised to continue and increase its impact now and in the future as it partners with the College in our Total Commitment to Student Success.

FOUNDATION MISSION STATEMENT The Jackson College Foundation was established to support the comprehensive mission of the College by providing the additional resources necessary to ensure success. The Foundation will enhance the College’s image within the community, broaden its base of support, communicate to the public its responsiveness to local needs and provide the College with a measure of excellence for its educational programs and services.

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LEADERSHIP

GRANTS & FUNDING Jackson College has acquired a variety of grants to facilitate programs. Recent grant activity is listed here: Michigan Capital Outlay – Capital outlay dollars fund building projects at public community colleges and universities.

Bert Walker Hall............................ $7,599,800 William Atkinson Hall.................... $7,499,800 Justin Whiting Hall/Health Laboratory Center....................... $10,949,800 Jackson College @ LISD TECH..... $1,499,900 Total received.............................. $27,549,300

Hillsdale County Career Access Planning (HCCAP) – $80,000 Granted by Hillsdale County Community Foundation, September 2017 – August 2019 A two-year grant to support the HCCAP Program. Funds to be used for staffing of an HCCAP coordinator and expenses of the program.

Perkins – Vocational Education – Basic Grants to States – $401,790 annual grant Federal Grant awarded through the State of Michigan – Workforce Development Agency

TRIO Student Support Services – annual award, $232,265 TRIO Student Support Services provides opportunities for academic development, assists students with basic college requirements, and serves to motivate students toward the successful completion of their postsecondary education. The goal is to increase the retention and graduation rates of its participants and to help students make the transition from one level of higher education to the next. The College has offered TRIO since 2010.

Community College Skilled Trades Equipment Program (CCSTEP) – Grant Funds Requested................ $2,881,203 Match Funds.................................. $1,043,335 Total Project Costs........................ $3,924,538

Michigan New Jobs Training Program (MNJTP) – $415,709 so far this year; $8.66 million to date This grant, which began in 2010, allows eligible employers to divert State of Michigan withholding taxes of employees in new positions for use in training. President Phelan introduced the plan to the Michigan Community College Association, who assisted in its development and sent it to the leadership of the Legislature. It became law in 2009.

Second Chance Act Technology Based Career Training Program (technology certification for prisoners) – $455,963 Grant provided through the Michigan Department of Corrections. Winter 2016 through Winter 2017 Covered tuition, fees, personnel, computers and classroom supplies.

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LEADERSHIP

INFRASTRUCTURE

STABILITY

The success of students depends in large part on the facilities and resources available to them.

Jackson College has created a facilities plan for 2018-2023, continuing to build upon facility improvements and growth that have continued for nearly 16 years. The College has entered into a vast remodeling and expansion of the buildings to significantly reduce the deferred maintenance.

2007 William Atkinson Hall built. Houses the library, information technology offices, classrooms and cafĂŠ. The library had previously been part of the Bert Walker Hall.

RECENT PROJECTS 2003 Jackson College @ LISD TECH, Adrian, Mich., built next door to the Lenawee Vo-Tech Center. Center offers classroom, office and science laboratory and study spaces. Classes were previously offered in old elementary school.

2007 Hillsdale LeTarte Center renovated.

Classrooms were updated, science laboratory space added and office spaces improved. The building was previous car dealership showroom.

2005 James McDivitt Hall renovated. Classrooms, lecture halls and science laboratories updated for today’s students.

With the renovation of James McDivitt Hall in 2005, the College added a new human specimen laboratory with a plastinated cadaver in 2006.

Human biology and anatomy and physiology classes use the specimen for study, adding a new dimension to learning. It is a valuable tool for many students enrolled in nursing and allied health programs. Students learn to treat the specimen with respect and anonymity, as one would treat a patient. Three college faculty members spent more than 300 hours dissecting the specimen at U-M before it was brought to the College. In 2008, Hillsdale and Lenawee campuses also received human specimens for their students to study.

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2007 & 2009 Campus View 1 & 2 student housing built, offers students the opportunity to live on campus.

2007 Victor Cuiss Fieldhouse renovated.

With sports returning to campus after having been discontinued in the 1980s, facilities were improved and a parquet wood floor put down in the gym.

2008 Rawal Center for Health Professions completed, Justin Whiting Hall.

Providing top-quality educational experiences for nursing and allied health career students, the College opened the Rawal Center for Health Professions in 2008. Students experience realistic situations through simulations with high-fidelity manikins, which are operated by a faculty member in a control booth. There is closed-circuit television so all students may view interaction with the manikins, either in the labs or in a connecting classroom. Currently, students have access to two Istan manikins, a METIman simulator, a NOELLE maternal patient simulator

with full-term newborn, and a MegaCode Kid child simulator. While students do get hands-on experience during clinical activities, simulation introduces them even earlier, but in a controlled environment. Students share that they learn best by doing, so the simulation labs offer more space for hands-on “doing.”

2011 Health Laboratory Center built. This facility offers laboratory spaces for nursing and allied health students, as well as classrooms, breakout study rooms and student lounges.

2012 The Jackson College Foundation purchased the former Photo Marketing Association International building in Jackson, on Blake Road near I-94, then leased it to the College to use as another site.

JETS HANGAR 2015 To provide a recreation and meeting space for students, Jackson College renovated what had been a space and science center into the Jets Hangar. The Hangar carries an aviation theme throughout, fitting with the Jets nickname. It includes recreation tables and games, computers, common area with fireplace, stage area with projection screen, a classroom, mailbox area, student life and security personnel offices, two patio areas, basketball and volleyball courts. There is also a Subway Restaurant on site. Yet this year, the College will add eSports as both a varsity sport and a club sport, with gaming facilities available in the hangar. This innovative center offers recreation with a message: the sky is the limit for your education.

2019 Further renovations planned to Hillsdale LeTarte Center to upgrade curb appeal and collegial feel, as well as roof repair.

In the coming year, the College will focus on roadway improvements, roof repairs and a Jets Fitness Trail. The Jets Fitness Trail will include approximately 4,100 lineal feet of concrete pathway, installation of concrete pads for fitness stations, infrastructure work and more.

It is designed to encourage healthy habits among both employees and students. The College’s rural location offers ample space for a fitness/walking trail, an idea that encourages wellness, offers recreational opportunities and also welcomes community use. Plans are for dedication this fall.

Also in the planning stages is the College’s first entre into family housing. Capitalizing on the popularity of tiny homes today, this will offer oncampus housing to non-traditional students not served by the current residence halls. Plans for this pilot are to help low-income, single parents with comprehensive support and assistance to obtain a college degree and become productively employed. Details are still under development, with plans to roll it out in January 2020.

2015 Campus View 3, a third student-housing unit, built. The campus has a capacity for nearly 500 students on campus, a unique opportunity among community colleges.

2016 Bert Walker Hall renovated and opened.

All student services brought together in one building. Part of the Walker project included the creation of “The Sandbox,” an open meeting and workspace with computers and wall-sized dry erase boards designed to encourage innovative and creative thinking.

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LEADERSHIP

ACADEMIC STABILITY ACCREDITATION Jackson College (previous names Jackson Community College; Jackson Junior College) has been continually accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org) since it was first eligible, Jan. 1, 1933.

Cardiac Sonography, Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Educational Programs

The Higher Learning Commission is an independent corporation founded in 1895 as one of six regional institutional accreditors in the U.S. The North Central region includes 19 states: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management, Accreditation Council for Business Schools & Programs (ACBSP)

As of Sept. 1, 2018, Jackson College is accredited by the HLC under the Open Pathway.

Higher Learning Commission 230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500 Chicago, IL 60604-1411 In addition to institutional accreditation, several occupational programs are accredited, licensed or regulated by the association, agency or governmental agency identified.

Accounting (Associate Degree), Accreditation Council for Business Schools & Programs (ACBSP) Aviation, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Part 61 Business Administration (Associate Degree), Accreditation Council for Business Schools & Programs (ACBSP)

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Corrections, Michigan Corrections Officers’ Training Council, Michigan Department of Corrections

Dental Hygiene, American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation Emergency Medical Technology, State of Michigan, Department of Community Health General Sonography, Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Educational Programs Medical Assistant (Certificate) Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB) Practical Nursing Michigan Board of Nursing Respiratory Care Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) Radiography Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCRET) Registered Nurse (A.D.N.) Michigan Board of Nursing Vascular Sonography Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Educational Programs Registered Nurse program is currently in candidacy for accreditation by the National League for Nursing. A site visit is planned in October, 2019.

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RECOGNITION

LOOKING AHEAD

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We are driven toward the future by a set of beliefs that create a sense of urgency to identify our students’ needs and find new ways to meet those needs. Innovation at our institution has become integrated as part of our work culture.

We have developed essential skill sets around the discipline of innovation. Our approach to experimentation, piloting, execution and full implementation follows our new business model. Through our human-centric practices of listening to students, the communities that we serve, and the ideation of our employees, we create a new picture of higher education in our region.

INDUSTRY 4.0/SMART MANUFACTURING A new industrial revolution is underway, and Jackson College is working to prepare students for tomorrow’s jobs. The transformation in manufacturing is being called “Industry 4.0,” involving a transition from traditional manufacturing techniques to technologies with smart and autonomous systems. It involves an extension of Internet connectivity into physical devices and everyday objects. Interacting and communicating with the Internet, things can be remotely monitored and controlled. These jobs are a combination of manufacturing with computer technology and cybersecurity.

To prepare for this emerging world, the College is welcoming new faculty to join existing

instructors for these efforts. A new curriculum is under development for the future in smart manufacturing.

CAMPUS VIEW 4 – FAMILY HOUSING Currently, the College offers on-campus housing for traditional students, but there have been no options available to students with children.

Beginning this fall, the College will build four of the first tiny homes on our Central Campus, (about 500 square feet each). These cottages will be earmarked for non-traditional students who can benefit from being on campus in an intensively supportive design. As part of the selection process, we will enter into a learning commitment with each student wherein they will agree to full-time instruction, access support from our Center for Student Success, maintain an acceptable GPA, place their child in our child learning/care center, and have regular meetings with their navigator. In working with our community and our Martin Luther King Jr. Center, we believe that by undertaking this new approach, we may be able to reduce the cycle of poverty in our community, and at the very least, provide an opportunity for single parent/ married couples with a child or children to chart a new pathway for their life. Our longer-term plan is to eventual establish 20 homes on camps.

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LOOKING AHEAD

OPTICAL OPPORTUNITY To continue to serve the needs of the unique, whole student, the College is considering offering an optical program in the near future.

This academic program would educate students to work in optical clinics and, similar to the dental hygiene program, offer some services to students and the community.

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. CENTER – OUTREACH TO UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY Beginning this fall, Jackson College will offer some classes at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center, a recreation center in downtown Jackson. These courses will lead towards an associate degree or a certificate and the initial courses will be taught in the evenings by certified faculty. The College is in the process of canvassing the 1,700 residential homes in the MLK neighborhood to ask residents to complete a brief survey identifying preferred future courses, times and potential program offerings.

The courses slated for this fall are Seminar in Life Pathway (SEM 140), and Interpersonal Communication (COM 240). In addition to credit courses, the Michigan Works! South East will offer GED courses at the MLK Center.

CARBON NEUTRAL BY 2028 Continuing our work toward long-term sustainability, the College plans to be carbon neutral by 2028. Conversations continue with local utilities about wind power and solar power, while energy-saving and recycling efforts continue.

VIRTUAL REALITY/AUGMENTED REALITY Inspired by growth in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) going on across the country, College faculty and staff are exploring and evaluating opportunities to bring enhanced reality learning situations to the classroom.

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“TRUITION” To simplify payment for students, the College is moving forward to combine tuition, fees and books into one cost, or “truition.” This truth in advertising approach represents the true cost of going to school, with no unexpected “add-ons.”

PUBLIC POLICY ADVOCACY President Phelan continues to work on state and federal public policy matters. Most recently in Michigan, he is currently pursuing authority to offer the Registered Nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, a credential required by our local Magnet hospitals. He is also pursuing additional funding for campus modernization. At the federal level, he continues to advocate for the reauthorization of the HEA and the inclusion of Second Chance Pell for inmates as a permanent aspect of the renewed legislation. As an example of the level of his engagement, our Board of Trustees supported his involvement in the 2019 U.S. Department of Education negotiated rulemaking process in Washington, D.C., as one of only two community college non-federal negotiators.

COLLEGE AS CREDENTIALER Our belief is that the nature of learning acquisition and documentation is changing.

Building our work with competency-based education, the College is working toward the recognition of all learning obtained by an individual, regardless of where it was obtained. Additionally, acknowledging that the notion of ‘residency’ at a single college is increasingly outmoded for degree awarding, Jackson College is working, in partnership with our accreditor and the U.S. Department of Education, toward recognizing learning through direct observation, assessment, validation and recognition. Ultimately, the College will become a comprehensive credentialer of prior learning.

www.jccmi.edu CENTRAL CAMPUS • 2111 Emmons Road • Jackson, MI 49201 • 517.787.0800 CLYDE LETARTE CENTER • 3120 W. Carleton • Hillsdale, MI 49242 • 517.437.3343 JACKSON COLLEGE @ LISD TECH • 1376 N. Main Street • Adrian, MI 49221 • 517.265.5515 W.J. MAHER CAMPUS • 3000 Blake Road • Jackson, MI 49201 • 517.768.7097 FLIGHT CENTER, REYNOLDS MUNICIPAL AIRPORT • 3610 Wildwood Avenue • Jackson, MI 49201 • 517.787.7012 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Sam R. Barnes, Chairperson • John M. Crist, Vice Chairperson • Sheila A. Patterson, Secretary Donna L. Lake, Treasurer • Matthew R. Heins, Trustee • Philip E. Hoffman, Trustee Dr. Edward A. Mathein, Trustee • Dr. Daniel J. Phelan, President & CEO

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