This content was published: October 14, 2019. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Strategic Planning Listening & Engagement sessions coming to PCC
Photos and Story by Kate Chester
The fall term marks the launch of PCC’s Strategic Planning process, one that will offer a future forecast on both needs and opportunities for the college and produce a comprehensive strategic plan in mid-to-late summer 2020. The plan will have a five-year scope — to 2025 — yet offer a 10- to 20-year vision for the college, to assist PCC with making informed choices related to short- and long-term organizational direction.
For this process to be as effective as possible, PCC wants to hear from you!
Strategic Planning Listening & Engagement sessions will be hosted throughout the college, beginning this month and continuing through early December. Mark your calendars and plan to attend one, to lend your voice to the conversation about how PCC can stay competitive and relevant for the students and communities it serves, long into the future.
Feel free to attend any of the sessions tagged to the category you’re part of that are most convenient with your schedule:
Friday, Oct. 18 — Rock Creek Campus, Event Center C
Thursday, Oct. 24 — Cascade Campus, NEW LOCATION: Student Union, Rms. 203-204
Friday, Oct. 25 — Sylvania Campus, Performing Arts Lobby
Thursday, Oct. 31 — Southeast Campus, Community Hall
- 8-8:45 AM……..Faculty
- 9-9:45………….Staff
- 10-10:45.………Open Forum (all internal audiences)
- 11-11:45……….Staff
- 12-12:45 PM….Students
- 2-2:45………….Faculty
- 3-3:45………….Students
- 4-4:45………….Community Forum (external community partners)
Additionally, listening sessions will be hosted at the following centers, with specific times/targeted audiences to be determined:
Monday, Nov. 18 — CLIMB Center, Auditorium
Tuesday, Dec. 3 — Downtown Center, Rose Room
While I’m glad to see the college finally making an effort to listen, I can’t help but notice that this article doesn’t provide any info about WHO will be “listening.” This makes me wonder if it will just be some person with no influence who takes down suggestions in a sort of “customer service” event and then files them all in a closet while the people in the ivory tower continue to ignore us.
It would be really novel if the PCC administration held “meetings” where administrators provided honest answers about what’s happening in the organization. A “listening session” is at least honest in the sense that administrators will provide no answers and employees can expect none. But make no mistake: PCC is the most hierarchical of hierarchical organizations. Don’t be fooled into thinking that your comments have inherent value. They will be valuable only insofar as they prop up the schemes of the most powerful administrators.
In response to the first post: Thank you for your comments. The listening and engagement sessions will be led by Ian Symmonds, an external strategic planning consultant, with assistance from members of PCC’s strategic planning core “planning to plan” team. All participants will be asked to engage and listen, so that creative ideas come forth, concerns are shared, and trends are noted. Only with this input can PCC build a durable and dynamic strategic plan that keeps the college relevant and pertinent for our community and future students, for years to come. Hoping you’ll be able to attend one of the sessions, and thank you again for your input.
Thank you, Phil. Your definition of a listening session is accurate, in that PCC won’t be prescribing a solution or remedy, or offering answers as part of these forums. Rather, the listening and engagement sessions will create an opportunity for ideas, thoughts, suggestions and concerns to be shared among participants. Only with such feedback can PCC create a strategic plan to fit the college’s needs and best serve students, both now and in the future. Hoping you can make one of the sessions, Phil, and thank you again.
My son recently graduated from PCC in information technology. PCC needs to work on more activities where students have a chance to make friends or do things together.
PSU and MHCC offer far more extracurriculars, so I wasn’t expecting this possibility when he enrolled.
My son worked out at the gym and did drop in sports. But there was little else encouraging human interaction with other students. And nothing related to his major except video game clubs. Or there would be a club in your list that looked intriguing, for example, the hiking club, whose last event was two years ago on March 8. (This is true of many entries). Nor were there even one-and-done service projects, like a SOLV day.
I just didn’t expect quite how cold the experience would be for him.
PSU and MHCC offer far more extracurriculars, so I wasn’t expecting this possibility when he enrolled.