Barton Community College has received a report on its strengths and “opportunities for improvement” in more than 100 areas.
The report is the result of Barton completing its first systems portfolio for the Higher Learning Commission’s Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP). Dr. Penny Quinn, vice president of instruction and student services, and Myrna Perkins, assistant dean of student services and director of financial aid, shared the findings last Thursday at the BCC Board of Trustees meeting.
“Barton met all of the accreditation criteria reviewed,” Quinn said.
The word “weakness” isn’t an option in this report. Each area reviewed was ranked SS for Super Strength, S for Strength, ? for undecided, O if it was deemed an opportunity for improvement, and OO for an opportunity for improvement that needs urgent attention.
The college received two SS ratings, 87 S ratings, 76 O ratings and two OO ratings.
The SS ratings were for Barton’s “well developed emergency operation plan” and for “strong relationships with organizations that supply services – especially workforce development.”
One OO ranking urged the college to compare its results on the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) to those at other higher learning institutions. The second OO item said Barton “could benefit from analyzing ENDS monitoring reports to assess meeting mission and vision goals.”
Barton President Dr. Carl Heilman said the issues are being addressed.
“It’s something easy we can fix,” Quinn said.
Perkins, who serves as an AQIP peer reviewer for other higher learning institutions, said the low ranking was more a reflection on how the college answered the question than on an actual weakness.
“As we were writing the report, we could see the areas for improvement,” Perkins said.
College committees will use this report to come up with a plan for continuous improvement, Quinn said. The college will never be without “O” rated items – the opportunities for improvement will just become more refined.
The college must complete the systems portfolio every four years, with a quality checkup every seven years, Perkins said.
During the April 19 board meeting, the trustees also approved action items discussed at the last study session, and approved hiring Carol Danielson as a volunteer coordinator and administrative assistant, a part-time position on the Barton campus. The board also approved a two-month management staff contract for Ange Sullivan as associate dean of distance learning, effective May 1. With the new contract, Sullivan will be released from her faculty contract. There was also an executive session for discussion of personnel.