Timeline & Project Phases
- Phase 1: Input (early Oct - early Dec)
- Review and provide feedback on EMP development process
- Provide perspective and input on core values, mission, and vision for the district
- Phase 2: Innovation (mid Dec - mid Jan)
- Review and provide feedback on Input data collected
- Provide input on priority of strategic imperatives identified
- Phase 3: Testing (mid Jan - mid March)
- Review and provide feedback on data collected from “town hall” events
- Phase 4: Synthesis (mid March - late May)
- Review and provide feedback of the draft EMP (2-hour workshop in April 2023)
- Consider and approve final draft of EMP at May 2023 meeting
Project Updates
Meeting Minutes
November 18, 2022
The Educational Master Planning Taskforce, in collaboration with Vivayic, the project consultants, met on Friday, November 18th. The task force was able to review and discuss the recommendations from the Innovative Enrollment and Scheduling Work Group for consideration in the 2018-2023 EMP. The task force also reviewed and provided input on the surveys to be distributed to the campus community and external partners. These surveys will be made available to the campus community in the near future, please be sure to complete and ask students to do the same.
Once the data from the surveys has been compiled and prepared for analysis, the task force will reconvene for its Sense Making Event in preparation for the Innovation Challenge scheduled for the end of January. Notes from the task force meeting are attached for review by the campus community.
November 18, 2022 full meeting minutes (pdf)
Taskforce Members
| Co-Chairs | Area | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Michael McCandless | Student Services | VP of Student Services |
| M. Nikki Maddux | Area 3 | Professor Animal Science |
| Academic Senate | Area | Title |
| Julie Clark | Area 1 | Mathematics Professor |
| Saheba Khurana | Area 1 | Chemistry Professor |
| Jennifer McBride | Area 2 | English Professor/Rising Scholars Coordinator |
| Classified Senate | Area | Title |
| Jennifer Henmi | BRC | Admisitrative Assistant II |
| Jourdan French | Student Services | Admissions & Records Technician |
| Adrian Chacon | Human Resources | Benefits Technician |
| CSEA | Area | Title |
| Dustin Thompson | Student Services | Student Support Coordinator-Veterans |
| Kamini Singh | ITS | Business Applications Analyst |
| Rachel Gray | Student Services | Enrollment & Retention Specialist |
| Leadership | Area | Title |
| Kimberly Freitas | Administrative Services | Associate Director, Business & Fiscal Services |
| Garrick Grace | Innovation | Dean, Innovation |
| Dee Sigismon | ITS | Dean, Instituional Effectiveness |
| Arlis Bortner | ITS | VP, Information Technology Services |
| MCFA | Area | Title |
| Dean Caivano | Area 5 | History & Political Science |
| R. Andrew Ornelas | Area 3 | Professor Mechanized Ag |
| Pam Huntington | Innovation | Faculty Instructional Designer |
Statement from the President
Merced College Colleagues,
The Merced College Educational Master Plan (EMP) is one of the most important documents
we produce as an institution. It defines who we are and, more importantly, who we
want to be. It is the roadmap to what educational programs and support services we
offer to our community as well as the framework of our future Strategic Plan. Our
last EMP, directed by our Merced College Board of Trustees, helped usher us into new
strategic approaches to enrollment management, upgraded our instructional and support
services technology, embraced new innovations, broadened our support services to students,
expanded programs in Los Banos, addressed DEI concerns and barriers, and so much more.
This next EMP will build upon this momentum and elevate our ability to serve this
incredible community.
Your voice in this process is vital. If the development of the EMP is viewed as simply a transactional process, then the document will not accurately reflect the needs of your programs and services. However, with collaborative input based on data from program reviews, environmental scans of our community, and thoughtful input from each of you, the updated EMP will help shape the future of Merced College. I encourage everyone to communicate with your constituency representatives on the EMP Task Force and make certain your voice is heard throughout this important process.
Dr. Mike McCandless, Vice President of Student Services, and Nikki Maddux, Professor of Animal Science, will co-chair this essential task force along with representation from all constituencies. To effectively collect the necessary data and produce a meaningful plan, we will engage the professional guidance and leadership of the Vivayic Consulting Group to serve as strategic partners throughout the development of the new EMP for the District.
With the completion of the EMP, we will then use the new master plan as a foundational guiding document to develop our new Strategic Implementation Plan and other master planning documents. These master planning documents will continue to lead us into the future and provide the roadmap to new and innovative heights to better serve our community and students.
Thank you in advance for your engagement in this important process. We have a bright future ahead of us!
Chris Vitelli, Ed.M.
Superintendent/President