Criterion 5

5 Institutional Effectiveness, Resources and Planning

5.A.1 Shared governance at the institution engages its internal constituencies—including its governing board, administration, faculty, staff and students—through planning, policies and procedures.  (Planning, policies and procedures engagement)   Narrative Western has numerous structures designed to ensure that stakeholders are actively engaged in the governance of the College. These include policies and committees tasked with ensuring collaboration, communication, and transparency. A Shared Governance Handbook was developed in 2019 to help clarify and assess the efficacy of these structures and adjust efforts to best meet the goals of shared governance. Western defines shared governance as, "engaged participation that maximizes inclusivity and transparency in decision-making, where appropriate." Western also acknowledges that clear accountability, regular communication, defined roles & responsibilities, and consistent application of policies are necessary elements for shared governance. The College has determined that the necessary elements of shared governance are evidenced by: Defining each Committee's roles and responsibilities, providing guidance for accountability through their respective policies, constitutions, and by-laws (22-0501). Providing regular communications through meetings agendas (22-0502) and minutes (25-0503). Referring to and consistently applying the policies and/or procedures that govern decision-making (see 2.A.2, 2.C.3, and 2.C.5). Ensuring representation from various stakeholders within the College. Policy 2410 (22-0504) allows for the College President to establish committees or other working groups to provide recommendations on delegated matters. The Committee Membership (22-0505) provides information on the structure of committees, councils, teams, and boards.  The most impactful actions within the College are guided by Western's policies and procedures. The process of creating and revising policies is a collaborative effort that includes employees, students, administration, and the Board. The Policy and Procedures Committee (22-0506) is organized under Policy 7510B (22-0507), which stipulates the composition of the Committee as well as the specific rules that guide the actions of new or revised policies. Western uses the Great Colleges to Work For survey biennially as a metric to demonstrate efficacy of its shared governance structures. While the 2020 survey results (22-0508) indicate improved perceptions about shared governance compared to 2018 results, they also indicate opportunities for improvement. For example, although scores have improved in the Respect and Appreciation section, Western is striving for more significant improvement in this area.  Each monthly Board meeting features a Western Celebrations agenda item which provides for formal recognition of department or employee contributions. Although this event historically includes an in-person luncheon and formal program (22-0603), it was a virtual celebration in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns and virtual again in 2021 as the request of surveyed employees due to social distancing preferences. The virtual celebrations immediately followed a virtual Town Hall with the College President and Cabinet. The President created the Atlas Award (22-0509) in May 2020, given to an individual and/or department that "holds up Western's world." In its first year the award was awarded to the Director of Information Technology, the Information Technology Services Department, and the Director of Outreach and the Outreach Department. These two leaders and their teams carried the weight of Western's world through an unprecedented situation during spring 2020 with COVID and campus closure; the efforts of these employees and departments ensured students' educational continuity and Western's business continuity. Using survey data to inform institutional decision-making and providing feedback to measure the efficacy of those decisions, Western's most recent Strategic Plan, adopted in 2021, includes KPIs that focus on three questions from the Great Colleges to Work For survey (22-0510). When faced with significant budget shortfall, Western relied upon its shared governance structure to inform decision-making. The President called for creation of two new task forces, one newly created and the other leveraging an existing committee to determine criteria for analyzing how and where Western could best realize fiscal efficiencies and make budget cuts without hindering effectiveness. The Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs led the new task force which included The Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, the five academic school chairs, and a faculty representative from each academic school (selected by the Senate). This group developed an academic program efficiency rubric. The Vice President for Administrative Services led the existing committee, which was derived from Western Leadership Council, to create a non-academic department efficiency rubric. The two rubrics, created through shared governance structures (22-0511), were provided to the President's Cabinet as one of several tools to use in analyzing operations and cost reductions. Utilizing the data derived for the efficiency rubrics, the Board approved a budget reduction plan that included the elimination of ten vacant positions (22-0512), avoided layoffs of currently filled positions during the contract year and recommended changes to new and existing degree programs (22-0513). On January 21, 2021 Western's President presented budget reduction recommendations (22-0514) to the Board which included eliminating or discontinuing fifteen full-time positions at the end of each employee's 2020-2021 contract. It was also determined to eliminate the vacant Dean of Academics position. On January 28, 2021 the Board approved the budget reduction recommendations.

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5.A.2 The institution’s administration uses data to reach informed decisions in the best interests of the institution and its constituents.  (Use of Data)

Narrative Western has increased its use of data to inform decisions and ensure that decisions are in the best interests of the College and its stakeholders. Institutional Effectiveness (IE) is the primary department responsible for the collection and reporting of campus-wide data. IE works closely with administration to ensure accurate and timely data is available in the decision-making process. A recent example of IE's efforts and the utilization of institutional data can be seen in the College's 2020 process to reduce staffing (see 5.C.1). Qualitative and quantitative data comes from a variety of sources. The focus is ensuring accurate data is readily available for decision-making. Western has two categories of constituents: internal constituents are those who gain immediate benefit from a project within the institution; external constituents are those who share the benefits of a project when a valued partnership is created within the College. Development of Western's current Strategic Plan (22-0515) included a thorough evaluation of multiple data sources to develop a plan that represented the needs of its internal and external stakeholders and provided a road map for the College's future (see 5.B.2).  Other data, such as formal reports (22-0516) are used in institutional decision-making, particularly for the development of institutional key performance indicators (22-0517). The College continually seeks to better integrate program reviews and annual assessment data (see 4.A.1) into its decision-making process, which includes the use of project management software to approve, prioritize and fund projects (22-0518). Examples of these process include: Funding request for the Health Sciences Facility: The Health Sciences Facility task force use data from the following sources to help render its final recommendation. Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) Accreditation Self-Study, pages 109-113 (22-0519) Enrollment Projections (22-0520) Specialized Space Requirements (22-0520) Facilities Master Plan (22-0521) Creation and approval of Bachelors of Applied Science (BAS) degree: The BAS degree Steering Committee (22-0522) used data from the following sources: Academic Advisory Council Recommendations (22-0523, pg. 8) Enrollment Projections (22-0523, pg. 11) Economic Projections (22-0523, pg. 10) Student Surveys (22-0610)

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5.A.3 The institution’s administration ensures that faculty and, when appropriate, staff and students are involved in setting academic requirements, policy and processes through effective collaborative structures.  (Academic requirements, policy and processes)

Narrative Western's administration ensures that faculty and, when appropriate, staff and students are involved in setting academic requirements, policy, and processes through effective collaborative structures.  Across all areas of the campus, Western employs a wide range of groups tasked with gathering information, communicating, recommending and decision-making as these relate to academic requirements, policies, and processes (22-0501)(22-0505). Institution level groups: Curriculum Committee (22-0526): Composed of seven faculty members representing all academic divisions, the Committee is chaired by the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs and includes the Registrar. The Committee approves all modifications to existing programs and courses as well as approving new programs and courses (22-0527). Policy & Procedure Committee (P&P) (22-0506): Per Policy 7510B (22-0507), this committee is responsible for reviewing all new or proposed changes to existing policies and procedures, except those exclusively under the Board purview. P&P consists of nine voting members representing faculty, staff, and students. P&P solicits input from all employees for all changes and submits its recommendations to the President and then the Board for final approval (22-0528). Western Leadership Council (WLC) (22-0529): Composed of administrative leaders from all areas of the campus as well as the leadership of the Senate and the Para-Professional Alliance. WLC is responsible for establishing strategic priorities for Western and for evaluating ongoing efforts to achieve those priorities (22-0530). Employee level groups: Faculty/Professional Senate (Senate) (22-0531): Represents Western's faculty and professional employees as a recommending body within the decision-making process. Para-Professional Alliance (22-0532): Represents Western's non-exempt (hourly) employees and facilitates communication between the College's decision-making bodies and their constituents. The ten-member group has representatives from all functional areas of the campus. Para-Alliance leadership also sits on WLC. Student level groups: Student Government Association (SGA) (22-0533): Represents students and is composed of a leadership group elected by the student body. SGA appoints members to serve on both the P&P Committee as well as meeting with Student Services leadership to provide input and feedback on college decisions. Phi Theta Kapp (PTK) Honor Society (22-0534): Recognizes the academic achievement of college students and provides opportunities for its members to grow as scholars and leaders. Division & Department level groups: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) (22-0535) Western Accessibility Council (22-0536) Technology Advisory Council (TAC) (22-0537)

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5.B.1 The institution has qualified and trained operational staff and infrastructure sufficient to support its operations wherever and however programs are delivered.  (Qualified and trained operational staff and infrastructure)

Narrative Western is committed to providing the necessary resources to support its operations through qualified and appropriately trained staff. Prioritizing this commitment is evident in the College's most recent Strategic Plan (22-0515) which states, "Through the responsible and sustainable management of its resources, Western will be able to meet the needs of students, employees and the community now and into the future." Evident of this commitment is abundant as the following list demonstrates: Western's Human Resources (HR) office is responsible for the recruitment of qualified employees for campus positions. HR has developed employee recruiting strategies to promote diverse and highly qualified applicant pools for positions. There are some positions, particularly in technology fields, that are a continuous challenge to fill. Faculty recruiting operates under Policy 4120A, Classification, Recruitment, and Selection of Employees (22-0538) (22-0539), while the minimum combination of education and/or training and tested experience for faculty are specified in Policy 4110C (22-0423) Guidelines for Determining Qualified Faculty which outlines criteria for determining qualifications in each discipline. Hiring committee members review a position description's minimum and preferred qualifications for each job posting, are provided access to the full applicant pool for each posting through the applicant tracking system, and each member scores each candidate using the Applicant Screening Grid (22-0540). HR then complies the rubric scores to develop a ranking of candidates for the committee's review, and interview invitations are extended on behalf of the committee. After completing interviews, which typically includes a virtual first round followed by a second on-campus round for finalists. The committee discusses the applicants' qualifications and provides a recommendation to HR through the committee's Chair. Upon receipt of the recommendation, HR reviews the applicant's credentials against the position description requirements and together with the supervising VP's approval, proposes an offer to the President for consideration and final review of credentials. With the President's approval, a recommendation to offer an employment contract to a faculty or professional is taken to the Board for formal approval. The President approves offers for para professionals (22-0541). Western is supportive of providing professional and career development opportunities for staff, and budgets are funded annually for this purpose in accordance with the General Administrative Regulation on Professional Development for Employees (22-0542). Annually, full-time faculty and professional employees are provided $650, para professional employees are provided $200, and part-time benefited employees are allocated $200. In addition to these funds, Western budgets fund other college training events separately, such as the Fundamentals of Managing Projects with Fresh Biz Solutions, LLC. During the annual budget preparation process, department heads can plan for travel, conferences, workshops, and membership dues for their departments and staff.  Considering the budget reduction work which occurred during FY21 and approval of a new five-year strategic plan in June 2021, President's Cabinet devoted time to reimagining Western's organizational structure and ensuring that organizational charts (22-0543) would support the new strategic plan and leverage the time and talents of staff for operational effectiveness and efficiency. This included the creation of two new leadership positions, Dean of Enrollment Management and Dean of Outreach and Workforce Development. To meet budget constraints, President's Cabinet elected to not fill the vacant VP of Student Services position and instead divided those responsibilities amongst themselves to ensure continuity during this vacancy. Western is committed to supporting its employees. New employees participate in onboarding (22-0544), a comprehensive introduction to the College and its important offices and functions. Western also conducts twice-yearly in-service sessions covering a broad array of topics (22-0545). The College completed a compensation study in 2015 that evaluated administrative and professional employees' salaries to ensure they were within the market range (22-0546). It also included a review of job descriptions to confirm that the duties the employees were performing aligned with their job descriptions. In 2020 Western began a compensation study for all positions, with the goal of updating the College's compensation structure to align with the current market and to address internal equity (22-0547). During Spring 2022 the Board adopted the Decision Band Method of job evaluation, adopted a recommended salary structure for faculty and staff, and authorized the implementation of market adjustments for impacted positions. Western completed a Facility Master Plan in 2017 to establish a long-term vision for the development of the College's physical spaces (22-0521). It considered projected enrollment trends, new programs and technological needs, as well as existing spaces that were inadequate to meet current demands. One key renovation completed in 2019 was the Western Commons which transformed a previously unusable and unsightly outdoor space into a multi-purpose event space. The addition of a new health science facility is currently in the planning phase. Technology infrastructure is a key component of institutional operations. Information Technology Services (ITS) has developed detailed operating procedures to ensure that help tickets/work orders are appropriately prioritized and resolution is timely so that operational disruptions are minimized (22-0548). Online enrollment has grown over the past decade. In 2010, 35% of students were enrolled in at least one online course. By 2020 this number had increased to 55%. Western has expanded its online instruction by investing considerable resources to support quality content and course delivery (see 3.D.4). In 2018 the College transitioned from HLC's Academic Quality Improvement Pathway (AQUIP) to Open Pathway. In fulfilling the Open Pathways requirements, Western chose as its Quality Initiative (22-0549), creation of the Center for Teaching Learning (CTL). The CTL is focused in part on supporting the College's Learning Management System (LMS), Canvas.  Western's Title IX team, which includes three coordinators, nine trained investigators/advisors, and seven training hearing panelists, uses the Association of Title IX Administrators (ATIXA) for all training materials, guidance, and resources. Two Protective Service Officers are also trained in Title IX, although they are not utilized as investigators. The topic of Title IX is included during in-service (22-0550), and Western provides a budget specific to Title IX and correspondence. With a focus on prevention and education, all employees are assigned to complete annual training (22-0604). Western attracts talent to Sweetwater County, in part, by promoting the abundance of outdoor activities available throughout Southwest Wyoming (22-0605). The College shares relocation resources from both the Rock Springs and Green River Chambers of commerce as well as information from the Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism office about area attractions events & recreation. Western most recently unveiled its new Mustang Loop trail system, located on the Rock Springs college property.  Access is easily available to students, faculty, staff and community members.

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5.B.2 The goals incorporated into the mission and any related statements are realistic in light of the institution’s organization, resources and opportunities.  (Realistic goals)

Narrative The goals incorporated into Western's updated Strategic Plan and Mission & Vision statements are realistic. The development process was iterative in nature and included input from a variety of stakeholders to ensure attainable and measurable goals (see 1.A.1). Western's Strategic Plan includes four strategic priorities (22-0515): Culture of Success Academic Excellence Valuable Partnerships Operational Efficiency The development of the Strategic Plan included data and feedback from faculty, staff, students, and external constituencies (22-0551) (22-0552). There was a strong focus on aligning the state objectives of the plan with the College's Mission, Vision, and Guiding Principles. At the macro level, the strategic priorities help to create a shared vision of Western's future direction. These priorities serve as a road map for decision-making and the allocation of resources. Each of the priorities includes desired outcomes which are evaluated annually with key performance indicators (KPI's). A review of Western's previous Strategic Plans revealed overly broad lists of goals and measures of success that were often ill-defined or difficult to measure (22-0553). A particular focus of the current plan is KPI's, ensuring that these are clear, attainable, and directly tied to the Plan's goals as highlighted in the Western Leadership Council minutes (22-0517). There was a strong belief that well-developed KPI's establish targets and provide an objective reference point for institutional progress toward meeting strategic goals, as well as providing impetus for action and accountability considering college resources.  On a more granular level, Western's strategic priorities and KPI's help inform the decision-making of individual departments within the College. For example, updated versions of the Academic Master Plan (22-0609), Technology Master Plan (22-0554), and the Strategic Enrollment Plan (22-0555) will be ready for publication in Fall 2022. All three plans are driven by the Strategic Plan and will be allocated resources to help successfully meet the broader goals of the Plan.

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5.B.3 The institution has a well-developed process in place for budgeting and for monitoring its finances.  (Budgeting process)

Narrative Western has a well-developed process in place for budgeting and financial monitoring, informed by Policy 3120A (22-0556) and National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) Financial Accounting and Reporting Manual. The process begins in January and ends in July of each year (22-0557). The data-informed process begins with determining the level of anticipated revenues from state and local allocations and tuition and fees. In addition to revenues, anticipated salaries and benefits are the first expenses considered in the budget process to determine the remaining budget available for operating expenses. Once revenues and employee compensation are established (22-0558). Meetings with the President's Cabinet and the campus community are held to inform stakeholders of anticipated revenues and projected employee compensation expenses for the upcoming fiscal year. Consequently, the remaining budget is what is allocated for operating expenses. Western moved to a zero-based budget in 2020 to allocate operating expenses. Zero-based budgeting requires all expenses to be justified by analyzing the needs and costs of the College on an annual basis. After the initial President's Cabinet meeting, information is disseminated to Directors and School Chairs to build their operating budgets and to determine what projects or expenses fit within Western's Strategic Plan and guiding principles, as well as school and departmental goals and outcomes. Additional meetings are held for campus stakeholders including the Board Audit and finance Committee to provide an update on any changes and/or progress of the budget. The budget goes to the Board in varying stages for informational purposes (22-0559). After the Final budget is approved by the Board, it is submitted to the Wyoming Community College Commission (the Commission). Western allows for change requests to be made throughout the year by communication to the Business Office which budget numbers need to be adjusted and by how much. Once the change request is reviewed to ensure it complies with regulations, it is completed. Any budget adjustments that change the original approved budget must be taken to the Board at a public meeting for approval (22-0560). Monitoring processes include real-time budget data (22-0561), daily requisition approvals, reports submitted to various stakeholders and annual audits (22-0562). The Daily Budget is emailed to designated departments each morning. While the more dynamic budgets are available through self-service, where an employee can see transaction-level detail of the budget(s) that they manage (22-0563). During the online requisition process, employees can only use budget codes that they have been authorized to use (22-0564). By limiting employee access to certain budgets, this helps to deter inappropriate budget use. If a wrong or unauthorized budget is used, individuals are notified, and a journal entry is completed to correct the mistake. Real-time data is useful when creating requisitions and the approval of submitted requisitions. If a requisition is submitted to the Business Office and there are inadequate funds available in the budget, budgeted monies must be moved from the same department to cover the shortage, or an alternative shall be provided for the requisition to be processed. Detailed budget-to-actuals, for revenue and expenses, are sent to the President's Cabinet monthly for review (22-0565), and quarterly financial statements are presented to the Board at their regularly scheduled public meetings (22-0566). In addition to these reviews, various reports are submitted to the Commission as required and an independent audit of financial statements and federal compliance for grants occurs annually (22-0562). Per Policy 3210A (22-0556), the Board affirms that no individual has the authority to enter into purchase contracts unless specifically authorized by the Board, the College President, or the President's designee. The Board asserts that all purchasing of materials, supplies, services, equipment, or capital outlay shall be subject to controls established by the Vice President for Administrative Services or his/her designee. Any such purchases that are considered unauthorized shall become a personal obligation to the vendor by the individual making the purchase unless otherwise approved in writing by the President.

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5.B.4 The institution’s fiscal allocations ensure that its educational purposes are achieved.  (Fiscal allocation)

Narrative Western's fiscal allocations ensure that its educational purposes are achieved by maintaining a strong focus on educational programs and academic support. Almost forty-nine percent of operating expenditures are related to either instruction, research, academic support, or student services (22-0567). To highlight the allocation of fiscal resources, the 2021 Financial and Compliance Report determined that the largest percentages of expenses were dedicated to the educational mission as follows (22-0568): Instructional/Research/Academic Support 34% Institutional Support/General Operation and Maintenance      34% Student Services 10% Depreciation 10% Auxiliaries and Other 12% To establish academic areas where Western needs to prioritize its resources, the 2020 Academic Program Rubric was used and includes reviews of (22-0569): Net Revenue Student full time equivalent (FTE)/full-time faculty at the course level Cost per FTE at the degree level Cost per FTE at the course level Course fill rate Aggregate graduates over the past three years Western's budget process is transparent and actively engages stakeholders (see 5.B.3). Per policy 3210A (22-0556), the annual approval of the Budget Calendar (22-0557) by the Board provides opportunities for employee involvement through their submission of budget requests to their respective Vice President and/or President for approval. In addition to budgeting practices, regular monitoring of expenses happens through the Monthly Budget Report (22-0565). Western recognized an opportunity for improvement in linking its budgeting process to program reviews and curricular and co-curricular learning assessment. The College adopted the Budget Process Map to ensure this data is used in the budgeting and planning process.

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5.C.1 The institution allocates its resources in alignment with its mission and priorities, including, as applicable, its comprehensive research enterprise, associated institutes and affiliated centers.  (Alignment of Resource Allocation)

Narrative Western's Mission, Vision, and Guiding Principles steer the College's planning processes while the Strategic Plan translates those plans into actions. Over the past three years, Western has reviewed and updated its Mission, Vision, and Guiding Principles (see 1.A.1). The review process was focused on the current environment within which the College operates. The review was iterative in nature and sought regular input from employees, students and the Western Board of Trustees. The revised Mission, Vision, and Guiding Principles served as the foundation for the Strategic Plan. Western's current Strategic Plan will guide the College's direction through 2026. Strategic priorities were derived from a careful examination of the Mission, Vision, and Guiding Principles, they are: Creating a Culture of Success Academic Excellence Cultivating Valuable Partnerships Operational Efficiency Western does not require research productivity form its faculty. The examples below demonstrate how the College's resources are allocated in alignment with its mission and strategic priorities Creating a Culture of Success: The Center for Teaching Learning & Innovation The Center for Teaching Learning & Innovation (CTL) was created to directly address the needs of students and faculty, while addressing access to education and student success as priorities. Several climate surveys identified instructional support as an area of need. There is also compelling evidence that instructional quality is one of the most crucial factors influencing educational outcomes. The CTL eventually became Western's Quality Initiative (QI) (22-0549). As the QI, the CTL received enhanced support and placed a renewed focus on instructional quality and the process of continuous assessment. The CTL proved to be a critical piece of infrastructure during Western's response to COVID-19. The rapid transition to fully online courses across all disciplines was a challenge and required student, faculty, and staff involvement while the CTL provided the technical and pedagogical support essential to meet the remote needs during this unprecedented time. Academic Excellence: Allocation of COVID-19 Relief Funds To address the strategic priority of academic excellence, Western dedicated more than 82% of its institutional portion of COVID-19 relief funds to academic excellence in the form of remote learning resources and technology. During several of its meetings, the Student Learning Council discussed the resources needed to improve academic excellence (22-0606). An itemized description of COVID-19 expenditures details the allocation of these resources, which included various classroom enhancements such as Swivl cameras and stands for hybrid classrooms experiences, CDL simulators, and iHuman simulated patients used in the Nursing program (22-0572). Cultivating Valuable Partnerships: Southwest Wyoming Manufacturing Partnership (SWMP) In 2018 manufacturing industry leaders representing a cross-section of the industry from Southwest Wyoming came together to identify opportunities and actions needed to promote the growth of the sector. In addition, community partners from workforce development, education, and economic development attended as sector support partners. This partnership is modeled after similar partnerships across the country that are achieving tangible results for businesses, job seekers, regional economies, and education. The SWMP meets monthly (22-0611), with primary goal to advance manufacturing in Southwest Wyoming and bridge the gap between education and industry to create students who are not just successful in their field, but successful in southwest Wyoming.  Operational Efficiency: Cost Reduction Process In Spring 2020 it became apparent that long-term demographic and economic trends coupled with pandemic-related issues were going to significantly impact the budget. Immediate spending reductions were required to keep the College on sound financial footing. The President called for the creation of two task forces, one that would focus on reductions to academic programs and the other on non-academic areas. They were tasked with developing a methodology to make these reductions in a manner consistent with Western's mission and one that relied on data to inform the process. Both task forces developed rubrics (22-0569) that evaluated programs and services areas, based on a set of criteria that sought to objectively evaluate each area and provide to President's Cabinet a data set to help inform the process of reducing the College's workforce. The proposed methods were presented to the college community during Fall 2020 (22-0575). As a result of these efforts, 26 positions were eliminated, and operational budgets were reduced by approximately 10%.

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5.C.2 The institution links its processes for assessment of student learning, evaluation of operations, planning and budgeting.  (Linked Assessment, Evaluation, Planning, and Budgeting Processes)

Narrative Western links it processes for assessment of student learning, evaluation of operations, planning and budgeting to engage in systematic and integrated planning and improvement outcomes.  At the institutional level, Western's Strategic Plan and key performance indicators (KPI's) (see 5.B.2) include goals and outcomes that connect academic, fiscal, and operational success measures. The processes utilized to facilitate these connections were presented to the Board in July 2022 (22-0607). One essential element of this process is Western's project management effort where new projects are vetted on their alignment with strategic priorities and institutional impact (22-0518). Project leads are also asked to identify links between the proposed project and the most recent Program Review for the respective area. Western has refined its process for conducting Program Review (see 4.A.1) with a goal of incorporating assessment data into the appraisal of a program's efficacy and using that data availability, and sustainability (22-0374). The overall goal of this process is to require assessment data to inform program review which will help inform the project management efforts which will allow the college to focus its efforts on meeting its strategic vision.  At the program level, assessment data, which includes student learning assessments, survey data, market analysis, and grade distribution is gathered annually (see 4.B.1). Programs are asked to evaluate their data to determine the effectiveness of their strategies and adjust operations where appropriate. Examples of this can be seen in 4.B.2. Western has also implemented budgeting procedures linking its budgeting and planning processes to program reviews, curricular and co-curricular learning assessment, KPI's, and the Strategic Plan. The College adopted a zero-based budget model (22-0608) in 2020; this was done to empower faculty and staff, as representatives of their respective departments, with the opportunity to provide input and feedback regarding their budgetary needs and to link those need to curricular and co-curricular assessment, department or institutional KPI's and needs identified during program review. These data points are used by the respective Vice President to prioritize their budget requests. President's Cabinet evaluates the prioritized budget requests from each area on campus by specifically looking at the impact of each request on the institution's strategic priorities and KPI's. Ultimately, the Board must approve the proposed budget.

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5.C.3 The planning process encompasses the institution as a whole and considers the perspectives of internal and external constituent groups.  (Breadth of Planning Process)

Narrative Western is committed to gathering input from key stakeholders during planning processes. Development of the 2021 Strategic Plan was led by a group of faculty and staff who solicited input from both internal and external constituents. Employees were surveyed about strategic priorities; town halls were conducted with community members, and student perspectives were examined (see 5.B.2). The College leadership team and the Board were involved in the final drafting and approval of the Strategic Plan. The Director of Institutional Effectiveness was promoted to an Associate Vice President. A new position, Project Manager, was created and department representatives and division chairs attended project management training. These structures and actions are evidence of Western's willingness and commitment to embrace a systematic and thoughtful planning process that includes ongoing input from stakeholders.  The following examples demonstrate Western's commitment to gathering information from stakeholders for planning purposes. Internal Constituents Western has a comprehensive annual process for building its yearly budget (see 5.B.3). This includes solicitation of regular feedback from faculty and staff. The process starts with the budgeting calendar which is reviewed and approved by Western's Leadership Council (WLC) (22-0557). WLC oversight helps ensure timely dissemination of information and reasonable opportunities to solicit feedback. The process includes town halls for employees and workshops for the Board, Cabinet, and leadership teams. Regular communications include legislative updates and the Wyoming Community College Commission's decisions that are likely to impact budgets. The College participates in a biennial climate survey, The Great Colleges to Work For. This survey allows Western to regularly gather data from employees about important workplace issues. The results are shared with all internal constituents and are used to inform decision-making within the College. Student perceptions are also regularly surveyed through the Community College Survey of Student Engagement and Student Satisfaction Index. WLC regularly evaluates the efficacy of these measures and is committed to using them in the decision-making process (22-0576). Multiple internal college-wide committees (22-0501) meet regularly to solicit feedback and make decisions/recommendations on curriculum, policies & procedures, and new program development (see 5.A.3). For example, development of Western's new Bachelor of Applied Science degree involved input and feedback from the Curriculum Committee, Senate, WLC, and the Board. Students' input is most often solicited through the Student Government Association (SGA). SGA appoints members to key campus committees such as Policy & Procedures. SGA also has representation on the COVID Crisis Team task force which provided an important opportunity for the student perspectives to be included in pandemic-related decisions (22-0578). Student feedback is also gathered through national surveys, such as the Student Satisfaction Index (SSI) (22-0579) and the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) (22-0580). External Constituent Groups Academic Advisory Councils provide an ongoing important opportunity for industry representatives to participate in the creation of regular assessment of Western's career and technical programs. These councils meet each semester and include regular evaluations of courses and their relevancy to the needs of the local workforce (22-0581). The development of new programs is heavily dependent on feedback from local industry; for example, the BAS (22-0523) was proposed to meet the needs of local employers. The courses and their content were developed in direct response to local employers' stated needs. Western's President conducts listening sessions within all the College's outreach areas (22-0582). These sessions occur across all five counties which make up Western's service area of approximately 29,000 square miles. Sessions include local K-12 administrators, business leaders and community members. Results of the sessions are incorporated into Western's planning processes and provide valuable insight into the needs of external constituents. As part of the Perkins V grant, Western completed a Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (22-0583), which included in-depth examination of the current state of career and technical education within the College's service area.

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5.C.4 The institution plans on the basis of a sound understanding of its current capacity, including fluctuations in the institution’s sources of revenue and enrollment.  (Capacity and Revenue Fluctuation Considerations)

Narrative Western engages in systematic and integrated planning through partnerships at the state level with the Wyoming Community College Commission (The Commission), and with the local Sweetwater County Tax Assessor's Office, to forecast potential impacts to revenue sources for its budget planning schedule (22-0584) (see 5.B.3). Western's main sources of general fund operating revenues consist of approximately 40% each in state and local appropriations and 20% in tuition and fees. As one of  the seven Wyoming Community Colleges, Western uses a systematic biennial budgeting strategy dictated by the State of Wyoming legislature that allows for planning revenues in two-year cycles. Constant communication and partnership with the Commission allows Western to anticipate planned changes to state appropriations/support estimates and respond accordingly (22-0587). Additionally, the funding allocation model adopted by The Commission allows Western to anticipate impacts to state appropriations/support based on the College's efforts regarding recruitment and retention. The Commission's funding allocation model is gradually being enhanced to include key strategic objectives such as participation, progress, performance, and placement, known as the four Ps. By focusing on these objectives, the goal is to lead the Wyoming Community College seven community colleges towards a shared vision to educate residents needed for a strong and diversified economy for the 21st century (22-0585). The following is a timeline of when objectives and metrics will be implemented: Participation was incorporated into the funding model in fiscal year 2011 with most of the variable cost funding allocated using enrolled, weighted credit hours. Progress was incorporated into the funding model in fiscal year 2015 with a portion of variable cost funding allocated using successfully completed, weighted credit hours. Performance was incorporated into the funding model in fiscal year 2018 with a portion of the variable cost funding allocated by use of weighted degrees and certificates. Placement was incorporated into the funding model in fiscal year 2020 with a portion of variable cost funding being allocated using transfer to a four-year institution or employment in the student's field of study. Additionally, a portion of the funding formula for state appropriations includes a process that adjusts Western's funding based on local appropriation of revenue to ensure equity amongst all Wyoming community colleges and the university (22-0586). The local economy has a rich history in the energy and fertilizer industries that has a significant impact on Western's local revenue sources. Through partnership with the local tax assessor for Sweetwater County, Western annually anticipates changes to county property valuations that are impacted by the local economy and consequently affect mill levies. By definition, a mill levy is the number of dollars a taxpayer must pay for every $1,000 of assessed value. Western uses enrollment trend reports to forecast fluctuations in tuition and fee revenue in any given year (22-0588). While tuition for all seven Wyoming community colleges is set by The Commission, fees are set by individual colleges, which allows for offsetting minor fluctuations in revenue from other sources. During the budget review process, the President's Cabinet considers individual fee accounts to ensure that revenue is sufficient to offset expenses. Fees are then benchmarked against the fees of the other community colleges in Wyoming using a summary of student fees by college (22-0589). One example of this process is the recent increase in welding course fees. The cost of materials for welding classes exceeded the revenue gained through the fee, the program faculty worked with their School Chair and the Vice President of Academic & Student Affairs (VPASA) to determine a plan to address the shortfall, which the VPASA then presented to President's Cabinet for adoption, with the fee(s) presented to the Board for final approval. Another example is the increase in student housing fees. The Dean of Students and the VPASA met to review the housing budget and learned that housing revenue was not sufficient to meet expenses. Together they developed a plan to address the deficit; the Vice President presented the plan to President's Cabinet during budget review, with the plan presented to the Board for final approval as shown on page 12 of the attached board minutes (22-0590). As a result of adjustments in tuition rates and the ability to adjust fees internally, revenue from those two sources has slightly increased since 2012. A history of tuition actions is attached for academic years 2004 through 2020 (22-0591).

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5.C.5 Institutional planning anticipates evolving external factors, such as technology advancements, demographic shifts, globalization, the economy and state support.  (Anticipation of external Factors)

Narrative Western employs a variety of resources to ensure that it can anticipate and meet the evolving needs of its stakeholders. At the institutional level, these resources include the following: Statewide Employment Needs: The development of a new Strategic Plan included analysis of external factors that will impact the College's decision-making processes. For example, the State of Wyoming has established ambitious educational attainment goals (22-0592), one of which is that 60% of the state's working-age population (ages 25-64) will have some type of post-secondary credentials by 2050. Western's Strategic Plan recognized these attainment goals in several of its strategic priorities and key performance indicators used to assess and measure success (see 5.B.2). Local Financial Projections: Western's budgeting process includes input from Western Leadership Council (WLC), the Senate, and the Business Office (22-0593). Items addressed in this process include technology needs, changes in student enrollments, state funding, local and state economics, demographic shifts, globalization, program enhancements, and student support programs. The College focuses on the technology-driven environment and therefore Information Technology and Distance Learning routinely focus on enhancing classroom content, delivery, and engagement through major applications like Canvas, Zoom, Office365, and Western's website. Institutional Growth Projections: Western's Facilities Master Plan was developed with input from a variety of stakeholders and considered evolving educational needs and technology trends in its recommendations. While very much dependent on available funding, this plan serves as a guide for capital upgrades at the College (see 5.B.1). At the program level these resources include the following: Local Employment Projections: Soliciting regular input from advisory councils, Western's career & technical education (CTE) programs have semi-annual advisory council meetings. These meetings provide regular feedback about program efficacy and examine program curriculum as it pertains to future needs of the industry (see 3.A.1 and 4.A.1). Market Analysis: Economic and gap analysis data is used by the College (22-0594). Working closely with Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI), Western has utilized market data and employment projections to determine the need for new programs. The development of the College's new Bachelor of Applied Science degree relied upon the models that EMSI supplied to identify specific needs within industry and the development of programs to meet those needs (see 5.A.2).

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5.C.6 The institution implements its plans to systematically improve its operations and student outcomes.  (Implementation plan)

Narrative Improving operations and student outcomes are shared responsibilities at Western that extend beyond academics and across divisions and many departments. Central to this effort is the College's Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan developed by Western in 2009 was a three-year plan constructed with wide-ranging employee input (22-0595). The second three-year plan was constructed with input from a handful of selected employees (22-0596). In 2015, Western Leadership Council (WLC) took functional oversight of the planning process, and the College moved to an "evergreen" plan, which identified action items for the coming year. The Board approved Western's Strategic Plan 2015 Update (22-0597) and Next Steps in May 2017 (22-0598). The intention was that WLC would update the Plan each summer during an annual retreat, solicit input from employees in September, and then present the plan to the Board for approval in October. This workflow was identified as an area of weakness, as Western struggled in 2018 and 2019 to articulate the Plan with strategic vision and clear links to the budget. A new Vice President for Administrative Services was hired in June 2019, a new College President was hired in July 2019, and the Vice President for Student Learning, who now serves as the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs, was replaced in January 2020. Following these leadership team changes; the strategic planning process was restarted (22-0551). In Spring 2020 the composition of WLC was expanded to provide greater representation, expertise, and perspectives. WLC was refocused with the purpose of managing the College's strategic initiatives and providing a venue for communication to the various leadership groups within the College. WLC was tasked with updating Western's Vision Statement and Guiding Principles (see 1.A.2). Work on a new five-year Strategic Plan commenced with a Board retreat in June 2020 and continues with input from stakeholders (22-0599). This effort involved systematic processes to protect the Plan while also providing flexibility for contingencies, greater transparency, inclusion, as well as opportunities for advancing the mission and vision with annual, evidence-based reports created to demonstrate progress. Western's Strategic Plan provides for accountability and responsibility and keeps the focus on the College's mission. The Plan includes strategic goals and key performance indicators/metrics to guide implementation and continuous improvement of operations throughout the year.  Western implements this Plan to systematically improve its operations and student outcomes as follows: Culture of Success In January 2020 Western launched a committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) to systematically review current practices and desired practices, to foster a culture that embraces differences and illustrates a sincere commitment to inclusiveness of underrepresented populations (22-0535). DEI-sponsored sessions have been featured at the Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, and Spring 2022 in-services. Academic Excellence Ongoing Assessment/Program Review (see 4.B.2) are systematic processes to identify opportunities for improvement to Western's operations and programs. Additionally, the College has developed systematic processes for approval of new programs (22-0600) and program modifications (22-0601) to improve student outcomes. Partnerships In addition to the partnerships previously mentioned (see 5.C.1) other partnerships exist to systematically improve student outcomes including the Board-approved partnership with the University of Wyoming and the IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), which provides funding related to biomedicine. The College has also partnered with the University of Wyoming on the IMPACT 307 project to generate consistent promotional messaging for the entrepreneurship program to students on campus and off, and Sweetwater County community members; the goal is to develop a pipeline of interested students and local entrepreneurs for the development of innovative ideas and small business success. Operational Efficiency With new leadership in Administrative Services, Western has implemented a more informed and inclusive budgeting process (see 5.B.3) to include communication (22-0602) and transparency in the budget process, the budgeting cycle calendar, and budget savings email for employees to submit suggestions, and the President's Cabinet tying budgeting practices to the Strategic Plan's goals.

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