The Skyline College Leadership team, consisting of classified supervisors, certificated supervisors and administrators, completed a two day retreat in April at Cañada Vista. The group set out to consider perspectives on great leadership and define our own standards of excellence. After “confronting the brutal facts” by receiving a status report on where Skyline College is on student success, the group considered important indicators to be considered in order to support students in getting in, getting through, and getting out of Skyline College. The Leadership Team considered the many initiatives and mapped out how they are connected to support a common vision. After determining an overarching common vision, the Leadership Team defined the standards of excellence, goals for the leadership team and results we will see if we meet the goals.
The work, available online, was informed by a variety of factors including information from employee satisfaction surveys, leadership literature including “Good to Great for the Social Sector”, general feedback received in leadership evaluations, information received at all college forums, and feedback received in the course of college governance processes.
Please review it and provide any feedback you think would enhance our success. We are committed to standards of Leadership Excellence to support Skyline College in being the number one college in the state for student success, the employer of choice, the most innovative college, a central community resource and a place where the equity gap is eliminated – in other words, a Great College.
COMMON VISION: The Convergence of Institutional Success and Student Success
Skyline College students will successfully define and reach their goals on-time.
FOUR STANDARDS OF LEADERSHIP
Lead with Integrity – Expect Excellence
Leading with integrity requires open and honest communication in an environment of transparency. Professionalism should be demonstrated in all efforts and interactions. Excellence is achieved in an environment that allows for risk, innovation, and creativity where what is seeded is given time to flourish, to promote a culture of continuous improvement. We expect excellence, from ourselves and from each other, and it is our responsibility to instill a sense of optimism even in the face of challenges.
Effectiveness
Effective leadership requires confronting the brutal facts, challenging assumptions, and using data to help guide us in our actions and decisions. Engaging in constructive dialogue and debate to challenge assumptions while assuming the best intentions of colleagues and peers is essential. Ultimately, effectiveness relies on a willingness to make difficult decisions in order to achieve results.
Act as a Team of Learners and Teachers
Acting as a Team requires us to acknowledge and engage each other in collaboration, to think independently while still acting with unity, and to equally value each member of the team. As a Team, we must also hold ourselves and each other accountable, and at the same time empower and support each other to achieve excellence.
Deliberate Focus
A deliberate focus is needed in order to move the College forward. Leaders must maintain a student centered focus, be disciplined and engaged in all settings, and think and act with clearly defined goals to achieve results. The leadership must continuously reinforce the College’s commitment to social justice, equity and access. This requires us to think and act with passion, purpose, and humility, to be intentional and deliberate, and to know when to challenge the status quo.
Goals
- Skyline College will be the number one community college in the state where students who have been historically underrepresented in higher education have access to the high quality programs that will allow them to achieve their goals.
- Skyline College will be the employer of choice for faculty, staff and administration, attracting the most dedicated and talented minds.
- Eliminate equity gaps in student success by promoting a comprehensive understanding of systemic issues that impact student success and a commitment to addressing those issues.
- Skyline College will be regarded as the most innovative college in the district, region, state and nation.
- Skyline College will be the central community resource and heart of the community for arts, athletics, speakers, and other events.
As a result of our commitment to these goals:
- Placement rates into transfer level coursework in Math and English will increase by 50% for incoming students by the beginning of 2017-18 using multiple measures assessment.
- 75% of Skyline College students will achieve on-time degree and certificate completion, and/or transfer, according to their educational goal by 2020-21.
- Skyline College will be ranked among the Top Ten Great Colleges to work for based on the Chronicle of Higher Education.
