A strategic plan is a written document that articulates an organization’s direction and goals over the coming years as well as a plan for achieving them. It helps focus everyone in the organization in the same direction and toward meeting common goals. Most well-managed businesses and organizations have strategic plans, and College of the Mainland is no exception.
Developed in 2017, the College of the Mainland Academic Master Plan (AMP) provides a road map that describes how the college can meet the goals set by the Board of Trustees and deliver the necessary training for the skills our area will need over the next three years and into the future. Contained within its 51 pages are sections pertaining to:
- The college’s goals, strategies for meeting these goals, and measureable outcomes. The goals are divided into three categories: student success goals, goals for employee success , and facility goals.
- An environmental scan that COM performed to identify the skills that will be needed in our area over the next three to five years so that necessary educational and training changes can be identified early on. The environmental scan consisted of an analysis of workforce and occupational data for the Texas Gulf Coast area as well as input from community forums, local businesses, hospitals and school districts, and COM students and faculty.
- Recommendations for new programs and courses based on the environmental scan that identified high demand jobs for which the college currently does not offer training.
- Identification of the impacts the new programs and courses will have on staffing and facility plans.
The environmental scan indicated high demand jobs for nurses and technicians in the Allied Health and Medical fields. Aerospace, Maritime and Engineering jobs will also be in high demand as will Social Media and Marketing Specialists. Occupations in Hospitality and Culinary Arts are also growing. To meet these needs, the AMP recommends four new engineering programs (Civil, Chemical, Mechanical, and Electrical), five new programs in Allied Health, two new Industrial Career programs, and a Culinary Arts program.
In addition to identifying staffing needs, the AMP suggests revisions to the existing Facilities Master Plan necessary to support the new programs. These revisions have been reflected in the proposed building program that will be funded by the 2018 Bond. In fact, the Bond is completely responsive to the facility recommendations of the Academic Master Plan.
College of the Mainland’s Academic Master Plan is a living document that will be continuously updated based upon new data and relevant information. Thus, the AMP will always remain COM’s road map to the future.
The Academic Master Plan can be downloaded from College of the Mainland’s website (www.com.edu).
