Project Updates
Project Updates
2023-2028 EMP Task force kick off meeting.
The goal of this event was to allow for meaningful consideration of new ideas and perspectives in solving the opportunities and challenges presented in Phase 1, while also leading to a discussion of the strategic imperatives most likely to advance the vision of Merced College. The first learning activity was the Marshmallow Challenge in which taskforce members built a freestanding structure using 20 sticks of spaghetti, 1 yard of string, 1 yard of masking tape, and holding 1 whole marshmallow with the tallest tower winning the competition (see pictures below). The overall lesson focused on collaboration, planning, addressing the hidden assumption, and innovation. The innovation challenge also included hearing from a panel of students on their student experience with Merced College.
The EMP taskforce reviewed data from the consultant firm, Vivayic Consulting. Data included survey results from students, alumni, employers, faculty/staff, and community leaders. Included in the data was also an analysis of Twitter posts mentioning Merced College. The break out groups assessed the commonalities found in each survey group and identified the challenges reflected in the responses. Those challenges served as discussion points in which key objectives were developed. Each group shared their work to the entire EMP committee which resulted in valuable discussion on the similarities and differences among each survey group. The work helped to create a framework with which to move forward into the innovation challenge held on the following Thursday and Friday.