STRATEGIC MAPPING ACTION PLAN

"Breadcrumbs to the Portal"

1. Destinations:

1. Increase Enrollment

2. Improve Retention

3. Enhance Student Life

2. Annual Target ( By fall 2005 )

The on-line polling routine which was established via the prototype for this project will have identified several virtual community building tools that students might find interesting. A student “digital life” committee will advise us on which ones to employ as non-academic additions to the MCLA network. These will start to be combined with newly available access to student news, schedule, academic, bursar and financial aid records and create a student portal.

3. Strategy or Approach:

Many aspects of digital life fascinate students. If we can learn to attract some of the activity that they engage in – instant messaging, blogging, browsing – to a College run site with an MCLA brand or twist to it we will have succeeded in moving up on their hipness scale. Asking them what features they would like while planning will give them a sense of control and delivering those things would prove they have influence. Driving a reliable volume of traffic through a certain site will give us a place to keep the dialog going and broaden it to other sorts of issues. It will also give us a place to catch their attention when it is time to roll out the expected academic and administrative on line services that will be aimed at them through an intranet or “portal“ Web site.

If played out, later phases will raise engagement in student life, include commuters and non-traditional students in the virtual student life of the campus and prime them to partake in on line academic services planned for them.

4. Key Milestones (i.e. Quarterly)

a. By Fall 04	Milestone: 100+ Students regularly participate in weekly polls
b. By Winter 04-05	Milestone: 200+ Students regularly participate in weekly polls which mix in more substantive questions about student digital life
c. By Spring 05	Milestone: A group of interested students will be identified to serve as a digital life advisory group
d. By Fall 05	Milestone: New virtual community services will be available on the network. Additionally, the first administrative functions will appear and mark the transition from intranet to portal.

5. Means of Verification (How will you know milestones have been reached?)

• Log the addresses of machines to assess the volume and the number of unique individuals viewing the site.

• Survey the participating students on their opinion of the College's technological currency.

6. Lead Person & Key Participating People:

Peter Allmaker

Student Affairs/Student Life