PENN STATE ALTOONA
Penn State Altoona Continuing Education Strategic Plan 2008/2009 through 2012/2013 Draft #1 11/30/2007
Penn State Altoona Continuing Education Strategic Plan 2008/2009 through 2012/2013
5-10 Year Vision: Continuing Education and Training at Penn State Altoona will concentrate on becoming the leading regional educational provider in four specific categories: Recruiting Adult Learners into Credit Programming; Workforce Development and Public Programming; Youth Programming; and Community Engagement. To accomplish those goals, we will need to systematically transform our current program mix and delivery philosophies to keep current with the changing needs, demographics, and wants of our five county service area. For our credit offerings we will focus on new certificates, degrees, and services to engage new adult learners. For Workforce Development and Public Programming we will concentrate on on-site contract training with our clients, and will work with various state agencies to secure training funds whenever possible. Our Youth Program enrollments will be tracked to monitor the number of those enrolled in our youth offerings who then attend Penn State Altoona as undergraduate students. The level of Community Engagement achieved at the Devorris Downtown Center should serve as a statewide model of Community Engagement for the university. Goal 1: Adult Learners in Credit Programming - Support the University-wide efforts to attract more adult student credit enrollments to all campuses by serving as an advocate for adult learners, providing student services that support returning adults, and increasing access to courses and degree programs. Increase CE delivery of credit courses and programs and promote resident instruction activities. PRIORITY ACTIONS: Adult Focused Programs, Service to Adult Learners, Collaboration with Chief Academic Officers, Partnership Development
Strategies for achieving goal: 1. Expand our recruitment of Adult Learners by targeting and meeting with area businesses, particularly those who offer tuition reimbursement.
Action Steps Establish on-site contacts and target businesses, hospitals, and offices to market credit degree and certificate programs. Work with Outreach Market Research to gather data to identify new programs and credit courses during the evening to accommodate the adult learner’s needs.
Expected Outcomes/ Performance Indicators On-site credit and an increase in the number of new credit adult learners.
Data driven course selection geared towards the adult learner.
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Related Penn State Altoona Goals 3,4,5,6
3,4,5,6
Penn State Altoona Continuing Education Strategic Plan 2008/2009 through 2012/2013
Utilize the new “It Shows” advertising campaign to expand our marketing of credit certificate programs to Adult Learners. 2.
Increased enrollment counts in the credit certificates.
5,6
Establish our office as a visible advocate for the returning adult learner.
Action Steps Continue to provide a CoChair for the Adult Retention and Recruitment Committee within Penn State Altoona to assess and monitor the needs of the returning adult learner, and use that committee to assist in the recruitment and retention of adult learners. Continue to provide representation on the subcommittees that are part of the Adult Retention and Recruitment Committee meetings. Continue to work closely with the Adult Center and the Admissions Office to become more actively involved with the Adult Open Houses, Information Sessions and other efforts to recruit Adult Learners.
Expected Outcomes/ Performance Indicators Better retention and recruitment of adult learners driven by a deeper understanding of their needs.
Same as above
Related Penn State Altoona Goals 3,4,5,6
3,6
To become more visible to 3,5,6 the adult learner.
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Penn State Altoona Continuing Education Strategic Plan 2008/2009 through 2012/2013
Work closely with Admissions, DUS, and the Academic Divisions to increase our involvement in non-credit support courses for returning credit students i.e. No Pressure Math Refresher, etc.
2,3,4,6
3. Identify, gather, and track necessary data in order to justify and guide how we offer programs, and what programs will be offered in out new expanded facility.
Action Steps Continue to follow through on the general survey given to all students attending credit courses at the Devorris Downtown Center during the fall semester 2005 and the survey that was distributed through the Adult Retention and Recruitment Committee fall semester 2006. Develop additional surveys as needed. Continue to analyze the data that was gathered from existing Penn State Altoona Adult Learners, input from Adult Learners from the community, and input from the Adult Centers at Altoona and University Park – and use that information to make changes as to how we offer our credit courses at the Devorris Downtown Center, paying particular attention to program
Expected Outcomes/ Performance Indicators Data driven actions to make our facility accommodating to the adult learner.
Data driven actions to make our facility accommodating to the adult learner.
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Related Penn State Altoona Goals 2,5
2,5
Penn State Altoona Continuing Education Strategic Plan 2008/2009 through 2012/2013
delivery methods. Scenario A: No New Resources Available: With no new resources, growth in this area will still occur, but at a much slower rate than it could or should. We are in the position where any investment would return significant returns to the campus, staying stagnant would lessen those returns significantly. Staying stagnant with a newly expanded facility would lead to improper staffing, delays in offering new programs, and a diminishing net return to the campus. Scenario B: Fewer Resources Available: Shrinking available resources in this area would halt, and then most likely reverse, the documented growth that has occurred over the past four years. This would not only lessen the financial contributions the CE could return to the campus, but put at risk the primary funding stream for the payoff of the Devorris Center expansion project. Scenario C: Additional Resources Available: With additional resources growth within this highly visible and critically important area could happen quickly. Currently we are years behind our local competitors in this market. Additional funding could support staff members hired to recruit and retain adult learners at our Devorris Downtown Center, and also coordinate off-site credit courses within businesses. Additional funding would also support technology that would make distance learning at the center possible, and keep our classrooms as technologically advanced as the classrooms on campus. Additional funding would also allow increased advertising and marketing of certificates and degrees.
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Penn State Altoona Continuing Education Strategic Plan 2008/2009 through 2012/2013
Goal 2: Workforce Development and Public Programming – Provide organizations and individuals with high quality non-credit programs and services. Align business professional development needs with Penn State resources to meet income target. Increase net revenue generated by non-credit public enrollment and contract training programs. Obtain external funding to underwrite these efforts. PRIORITY ACTIONS: Data Driven Decisions, External Connections, Sales and Marketing Capabilities, Relationship Development Strategies for achieving goal: 1. Expand the breadth of Workforce Development programming we provide.
Action Steps Identify 2-3 specific management development program areas that we would like to promote each fiscal year. Offer public programs to feed into contract training. Develop a process to track company enrollments in the public programs and follow up with company call to discuss contract training. Work with statewide programming to identify selected training programs to offer within our service area. Expand our programming with healthcare providers in the region to offer more programs that address their workforce needs.
Expected Outcomes/ Performance Indicators Increased awareness and enrollments in our public programs, and then new clientele for on-site contracted programs.
Related Penn State Altoona Goals 5,6
A more diverse portfolio of training programs. Enrollments from new programs.
5,6
Offer at least one training in the upcoming year that addresses the needs of this population, and possibly encourage the companies to form state funded partnerships.
5,6
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Penn State Altoona Continuing Education Strategic Plan 2008/2009 through 2012/2013
2. Systematically reach out to a greater number of clientele within our service area.
Action Steps Identify a list of service area companies to be contacted each fiscal year, splitting the group into two different target areas – less than 200 employees and more than 200 employees. Develop a plan to promote Continuing Education and Training as a complete package to these identified companies to promote new business for our contract and public programs.
Expected Outcomes/ Performance Indicators Expanded clientele base.
Related Penn State Altoona Goals 5,6
Increased number of contract programs sold, and increased enrollments in public workshops.
Continue to build on established partnerships with key economic development organizations. Remain active in grant proposals and consortia.
Maintenance of a very critical part of our Workforce Development training budget income stream.
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Build upon contacts and collaborations with educational providers and others who assist with various training consortia.
Increased communication and trust between local educational providers. Possible collaborative efforts on providing new training programs. Create greater program awareness among new and existing clients.
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Utilize additional methods of marketing to businesses such as email, electronic newsletter and website enhancements.
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5,6
Penn State Altoona Continuing Education Strategic Plan 2008/2009 through 2012/2013
Scenario A: No New Resources Available: We have been very successful in this area for several years. However, if invested resources stay the same and the level of state funding for company training programs tapers off, growth in this area will taper off and significant drops in gross revenue would be expected. Continued reinvestment, with incremental increases, is necessary to stay competitive in this field. Scenario B: Fewer Resources Available: Fewer resources would necessitate a reduction of promotional venues such as trade shows and Chamber events, which are vital networking opportunities. Reduced resources would also reduce risk-taking tolerance for going after harder to achieve, higher pay-off long term contracts and staying with safer, less profitable programming. Scenario C: Additional Resources Available: An increase in resources would allow our office to expand our efforts in this area. We would have the resources to better promote our services locally, and become the premier provider in our service area. We would also gain the opportunity of have at least partial access to a grant writer to secure additional funding for program delivery.
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Penn State Altoona Continuing Education Strategic Plan 2008/2009 through 2012/2013
Goal 3: Youth Programming - Expand and strengthen the connections among Penn State Altoona’s academic programs, research, and services for youth and families residing in Pennsylvania. Build relationships with K-12 education partners to increase enrollments in noncredit and credit youth activities. Collaborate with other units offering CE programs to develop a strategy for serving this audience. Obtain external funding to underwrite these efforts. PRIORITY ACTIONS: Youth Programming Strategy, Impact Communities, Undergraduate Recruitment Strategies for achieving goal: 1. Evaluate the current youth programming portfolio and make the necessary additions or changes to increase youth enrollments each fiscal year.
Action Steps Conduct a formal internal debriefing meeting following the end of each summer season. Follow through on the information gathered during that session when preparing for the future programs. Assembly a focus group of Kids College parents to review the current programs and to brainstorm for new programs. Solicit feedback from instructors and other key campus units as to what would make our programs even more attractive to area youth and their parents.
Expected Outcomes/ Performance Indicators Increases in efficiencies.
Related Penn state Altoona Goals 5,6
Increased enrollments.
Current awareness of the needs and expectations of local parents.
5,6
Increased feedback on our programs from a nonadministrative, non-client perspective.
5,6
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Penn State Altoona Continuing Education Strategic Plan 2008/2009 through 2012/2013
2. Make the youth programs more attractive and accessible to both older and financially disadvantaged youth.
Action Steps Research and identify at least two programs per year for high school juniors and seniors, and collaborate with Admission and Academic Affairs to promote, conduct and track credit activity. Continue to work with the Development office to obtain more dollars to allow additional students attend youth programs at a reasonable cost.
Expected Outcomes/ Performance Indicators Higher enrollments from an under-represented age group, targeting future college enrollments.
Increased revenue available to fund youth scholarships for financially challenged families.
Related Penn State Altoona Goals 2,5,6
5,6
Scenario A: No New Resources Available: We have reached the saturation point where we are doing the most we possibly can with available resources. If available resources stay the same, growth within this area is doubtful. Scenario B: Fewer Resources Available: Since this is a very price sensitive market and our registration fees currently are as high as and usually higher than our competitors, fewer resources would result in charges that could not be transferred into program budgets and many youth educational programs would have to be cancelled. Programming decisions would then tend to be made based on the profitability of the program alone, and not the impact of the program, or what the program contributes back to the campus in other ways. The number of students attending on full or partial scholarships would be greatly reduced. Scenario C: Additional Resources Available: Additional resources would allow for increased scholarship opportunities for disadvantaged youth within out service area, expansion of youth programming in rural districts, and an opportunity for new program development in implementation.
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Penn State Altoona Continuing Education Strategic Plan 2008/2009 through 2012/2013
Goal 4: Community Engagement - Expand and strengthen the connections among Penn State Altoona’s academic programs, research, and services to our surrounding citizens, communities, and other stakeholders to create mutually beneficial relationships that address key strategic societal challenges that impact the quality of life in our service area and beyond. Obtain external funding to underwrite these efforts. PRIORITY ACTIONS: Proactive Solutions Provider, Penn State Visibility, Strategic Partnerships Strategies for achieving goal: 1. Provide information and increase local awareness of the expansion of the Devorris Downtown Center.
Action Steps Clearly communicate with existing clients and students what will be happening, and when it will occur. Make sure that updated information is quickly shared with concerned community and business members
Expected Outcomes/ Performance Indicators A clearer understand and support of the facility by those who will be served by the expanded facility. Remove speculation and misinformation from the project.
Related Penn State Altoona Goals 2,5
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2. Increase connectivity between our programs and the needs of the communities we serve.
Expected Outcomes/ Action Steps Performance Indicators Update existing website: Increase exposure and changing the look of the enhance reputation among site, adding more professionals and interactive features such as individuals who are regular listserve seeking education and newsletters designed to training. educate and inform business leaders and individuals about the programs offered through CE 11
Related Penn State Altoona Goals 5
Penn State Altoona Continuing Education Strategic Plan 2008/2009 through 2012/2013
Participate in Chamber of Commerce programs in each county on a consistent basis.
Increased awareness, particularly in outlying areas.
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Scenario A: No New Resources Available: Very limited resources are currently in place for activities such as these. Current funding would not provide for any of these increased activities. Scenario B: Fewer Resources Available: Fewer resources would greatly reduce or eliminate any efforts in this important area. Scenario C: Additional Resources Available: Additional funding would greatly enhance the increased downtown presence of the campus, and would continue to build long term relationships with the downtown area and within our service area.
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