Editorial Column for Daily Herald
Publication: 10/24/07

 HCC's LONG RANGE PLAN: 2007-2012
Dr. Ervin V. Griffin, Sr.
President, Halifax Community College

Halifax Community College is now starting its long-range planning process that will chart the course of the institution, both locally and at the state level, for the next five years (2007-2012). In order to begin the process, we will be soliciting input from campus and community constituents.   Our Long Range Planning goes beyond short-term strategic planning by projecting college enrollments along with long-range community economic trends to anticipate what future programs and corresponding facilities that HCC will need to best serve the anticipated needs of the Roanoke Valley.

The North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) and member colleges have historically been criticized for not having good long-range plans that anticipate, identify and link facility needs to institutional mission and instructional demand. Now, for the first time in NCCCS history, the General Assembly is funding “advanced planning” with an appropriation of $8 million.

To qualify for available funds, HCC will be required to develop two complementary planning documents over the next year—a Long Range Plan and a Facilities Master Plan. These must meet set criteria and will be used to develop a comprehensive NCCCS Capital Plan Request that clearly links institutional mission to anticipated program and facility demands.

As you can see, we are not only evaluating current program offerings, but are considering possibilities for new academic and continuing education programs. We are trying to plan for anything that we might need for the period 2007-2012. All of our long range planning will lead to the creation of a complementary facilities master plan for HCC.

The long range planning process will also allow us to conduct external focus groups in our service region.  This will allow many of our constituents (business & industry groups, Chamber of Commerce members and others) to provide needed input into the academic programs and services we will need to meet the long range community economic trends projected for the Roanoke Valley.  We will be in touch with many of you to be part of focus groups for this important planning activity.

From the President's Perspective, effective planning of programs and matching facilities is vital to the future economic success of Halifax Community College and the Roanoke Valley region.  We are on a very limited time schedule since our plan is due on or before Jan. 1, 2008 to the NCCCS office.  If you would like to provide input into our Long Range Planning process, check our Web site, www.halifaxcc.edu. Look for the “Survey” button to guide you to the community survey. You can post your comments there.

I look forward to talking with you on campus and in the community to get a better feel for what you think is needed at HCC. Feel free to send me an email message at president@halifaxcc.edu with your thoughts or ideas. Also, to learn about our current programs, stop by campus, call us at (252) 536-HCC1 (4221), or check us out online at www.halifaxcc.edu.