Nearly 60 people spent the greater part of the workday Wednesday sharing their thoughts about a working draft of the Cochise College Strategic Plan for 2009-2014.

About half of the participants were community members from around the county; the other half consisted of college faculty and staff. Working with Brenda Beckman, senior consultant with the League for Innovation in the Community College, the group was charged with reviewing and sharing their thoughts on the content and direction of the strategic plan. A draft of the plan came together over the course of the last year through the work of an internal Strategic Planning Group and community feedback.

During the day-long session, Beckman reminded participants that the college and the community share the responsibility of getting students into and through college. She challenged the group to think about which students succeed, which do not, and what barriers to success they face.

“Think about planting the seeds of ‘yes you can’ and the potential impact that could have,” Beckman said. “Consider what needs to be done, rather than what cannot be done. And then also remember that evaluation must be part of the strategy because it is the only way to truly measure success.”

College President Karen Nicodemus shared an overview of trends and statewide educational needs, and Executive Vice President Joanna Michelich identified the college’s current efforts to meet those needs. Working in small groups, participants discussed the top assumptions in the current draft, commented on the four identified priorities, and ended the day with general discussion about quality and excellence, marketable qualities of Cochise College, barriers to success, and what the college can do about these things.

Beckman noted some common themes of the day were for the college to work effectively through partnerships and to “think globally but act locally.”

Herman Ponder, a community participant from the Sierra Vista area, said he was pleased to see and hear from a diverse cross-section of the county. Douglas community members Jim and Carol Huddleston said they believed the session was a good way to build community ownership of the college. They appreciated hearing about the need Arizona has for more graduates, along with the college’s current efforts.

“The real work is implementing appropriate activities in each community,” they said.

Recommendations from the day, along with community feedback received earlier at meetings held throughout the county, will be incorporated into the final plan to be presented to the Cochise College Governing Board for adoption early this fall. Once adopted, the college will establish operational goals, with budgeting and activities to reflect the new strategic plan. The finalized plan will be available on the college website.

Planning with community members and educating local residents about education is important, Beckman said, because “every student who graduates impacts this community,” as does every student who does not.