Oakton kicks off new strategic planning process

More than 175 Oakton Community College faculty members, staff and administrators, students, trustees and Educational Foundation members gathered Friday, Sept. 9, to kick off the college’s new strategic planning process, “Connecting What Matters.”

Employees spent the afternoon brainstorming about Oakton’s future and key elements for success: academic excellence, professional development, student achievement, diversity, connecting with the community and building community from within.

“Connecting What Matters” will build on “Change Matters,” the college’s 2007-2012 strategic plan, and on its $68.5 million five-year Facilities Master Plan, approved by Oakton’s board of trustees in December 2010, after an intensive 18-month process. The next few years will see many facility changes, including the construction of a $39 million Science and Health Careers building at the Des Plaines campus.

A Strategic Planning Steering Committee will be charged with developing Oakton’s new strategic plan for 2013-2017. They will use ideas generated at the September kickoff event, as well as data and information about the college, the communities in Oakton’s district, and state and federal funding and higher education expectations. It is anticipated that a final draft of the plan will be presented to the board of trustees in spring 2012.

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