Langara 2020
Strategic Plan

Excellence. Collegiality. Innovation. Integrity.




Introduction

 

Since the development of the institution’s first Strategic Plan in 2009, a great deal of progress has been made at Langara. Dedicated funding for innovation has fueled the development of new programs, new services, and enhanced learning experiences for our students. Initiatives have been undertaken to improve our financial sustainability and increase employee engagement. More and more students from across the globe have joined our community, enhancing our role as a gateway into Canada and to the wider world. Our primary commitment - to our students and their success - led to the development of our institution’s first Academic Plan. Our recently-adopted coat of arms is mindful of the rich history of our community, acknowledging our location on the unceded traditional territory of the Musqueam First Nation.

Even with this growth and change, our need to evolve and innovate continues. Like our students, we must seek to learn and improve every day.

This 2020 Strategic Plan sets out a vision of a modern institution that sustains itself by delivering exceptional, market-relevant programming for our students. That continues to put the people who make up our college community at the heart of all we do, while increasing our engagement with the communities we serve.

To make our vision a reality, we must work together over the coming years. More than a plan, this document is a compass - a practical and adaptable tool to set our direction and focus our efforts towards a common goal of being one of Canada’s best colleges.

Vision 2020

Our vision statement describes where Langara aspires to be in 2020, and is further detailed in the four vision categories outlined in the subsequent sections.

Langara is Canada’s pathways college. We provide students with the academic and experiential foundation to chart their course to further education, professional and personal development, and career success.

Mission: Core Purpose and Mandate

Langara College provides accessible, high-quality undergraduate, career, and continuing educational programs and services that meet the needs of our diverse learners and the communities we serve.

Our Academic Plan

Langara’s 2014-2019 Academic Plan provides the focus and direction for our academic endeavors. The objectives set out in this Strategic Plan complement the Academic Plan's five priorities. They include: Learning and Teaching; Student Support; Aboriginal Initiatives; International Initiatives; and Environmental, Financial, and Social Sustainability.

Values

Our values describe what we believe in and how we will act as we implement the Strategic Plan. These values are based in part on those identified during the development of our Academic Plan, and include:

Excellence

We strive for excellence - for our students, in teaching and learning, and in all aspects of administering the College.

Collegiality

We welcome and include diverse people and perspectives, collaborating together in mutual respect and dignity.

Innovation

We are forward thinking and open to new ideas, approaches, and technologies.

Integrity

We act in the interests of our students, with honesty and transparency, and are responsible stewards of public resources.

Thematic Priority (24 months)

While all outcomes in the plan are important, the thematic priority is an area of particular focus for the first two years:

Supporting our mission for academic excellence by prioritizing financial sustainability.

Vision Categories

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2
3
4

Organizational Sustainability

Langara’s Academic Plan and Strategic Plan are complementary and largely implemented. Our breadth of high-quality programming as well as our student and employee support services attract and retain students, faculty, and staff. Our programming appeals to local, international, and continuing studies students, creating a diversified financial base that enables the provision of high-quality academic experiences. We continuously seek efficiencies in the ways we teach and work through improvement and modernization of our business processes, IT systems, and physical spaces.

1.1.  Integrate and improve key business processes and infrastructure 1

% of key business processes that are mapped

Actual:
Approx. 10%

Target:
90% of key business processes are mapped

% of key business processes improved

Actual:

  • Our current state of business processes represents our starting point for improvement
  • All technology solutions currently in place need to be evaluated for suitability

Target:

  • 80% of key business processes improved
  • 80% of key business processes aligned with technology

Revamped and updated campus master plan

Actual:
Underway

Target:
Revised plan

1 This outcome 1.1 assumes that the College will implement short-term and incremental improvements, while finding long-term sustainable solutions.

1.2.  Robust, highly available, and effective IT systems

% of business process applications cloud-based or externally managed

Actual:
Currently Brightspace by D2L; Symplicity and email to be transitioned next; represents approx. 15% of current applications

Target:
60% of business process applications are cloud-based

% of "uptime" / service availability

Actual:
Approx. 99%

Target:
All students, faculty, and staff have 24/7, 365 access to all online services with 99.9% uptime

% server architecture is externally hosted

Actual:
Majority of servers currently hosted on-site

Target:
80% server architecture is externally hosted

Time to restore IT systems

Actual:
Currently unknown

Target:
Restore any essential IT system in 48 hours

1.3.  Respond to the need for greater financial independence within the public Post-secondary sector funding framework

% of revenue that is independently generated

Actual:
60%

Target:
75%

1.4.  Implement a program that supports the succession and retention of faculty and staff

% of participation in professional and leadership development programs

Actual:
50%

Target:
75%

Employee turnover

Actual:
2.09%

Target:
3% 2

2 Conference Board of Canada average is 7.3%. We are targeting 3% as part of a normal recruitment, development, and retirement cycle.

Did you know?

We have a talented and diverse workforce of over 740 full-time and 480 part-time employees. Our longest-serving employee has worked with us for over 48 years.

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People and Culture

Langara is a respectful community of engaged students and employees. Student-centred, high-quality instruction and services have made the College a top choice for students. Our students and alumni report very high satisfaction with their educational experiences. The growth in experiential learning opportunities has helped more students achieve their personal, educational, and career goals.

2.1.  Langara is the “College of Choice” for our students

% of entering students who make Langara their first choice

Actual:
Will be determined by survey to establish baseline

Target:
Baseline + 10%

2.2.  Students are at the centre of all we do and we continually strive to exceed their expectations

% of student satisfaction

Actual:
95%

Target:
100%

* While we recognize that 100% satisfaction is an impossible goal, it remains an aspirational goal of the College.

% of graduate satisfaction

Actual:
95%

Target:
100%

* While we recognize that 100% satisfaction is an impossible goal, it remains an aspirational goal of the College.

% of transfer experience satisfaction

Actual:
88%

Target:
95%

% of FTE students enrolled in programs that embed work-integrated education experiences

Actual:
34%

Target:
44%

2.3.  Provide an environment for faculty and staff that supports a culture of collegiality and respect

% of people completing the engagement survey

Actual:
Implement engagement survey in spring 2016 and every two years thereafter

Target:
60%

# of action plans in place

Actual:
0

Target:
Will be based on survey results

Did you know?

98% of students are satisfied with the quality of instruction at Langara.
(BC Student Outcomes Survey)

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2
3
4

Communities

Langara students and employees as well as the wider communities we serve regularly interact for mutual benefit. We welcome the input of alumni and industry leaders in educational activities and provide a wide range of life-long learning opportunities to our local communities. Our students give back to the community and learn from these service opportunities. The connections forged through increased engagement have led to a growing number of alumni and donors who support fundraising initiatives.

3.1.  Effective communications that support engagement with our community in the development of our education activities

# of program advisory activities

Actual:
19 Program Advisory Committees (PAC)

Target:
All current and future career and baccalaureate degree programs will have PACS that meet at least twice annually.

# of interactions with alumni

Actual:
4 alumni newsletters per year

Target:
Implement a comprehensive and integrated communications and outreach program that incorporates newsletters, social media engagement, networking events, and open houses

3.2.  Enable community service learning opportunities for students

# of volunteer hours generated by students

Actual:
2,100

Target:
3,300

3.3.  Provide a broad spectrum of programs and courses to the community that support life-long learning through Continuing Studies (CS)

# students enrolled in CS programs

Actual:

  • Summer 2015: 4,955
  • Spring 2015: 3,492
  • Fall 2014: 4,299

Target:
Grow by 5% annually

3.4.  Expand student financial assistance through increased engagement with donors and alumni

Value of bursaries awarded to students

Actual:
$500,000

Target:
$1,000,000

Value of scholarships awarded to students

Actual:
$250,000

Target:
$500,000

Did you know?

Our diverse community is made up of students from 70 countries. Over 80% of students live in our catchment area (Vancouver, Richmond, and Burnaby), and we have 354 Aboriginal students.

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4

Relevant, Innovative, and High-Quality Programming

Langara helps students achieve academic and career success by offering a multitude of educational pathways to recognized credentials and further educational opportunities. We are committed to continuing to meet the evolving needs of our students, partner institutions, and employers.

4.1.  Programs are relevant, innovative, and high quality

# of program reviews completed; every course part of a program

Actual:

  • 2 completed by December 2015; 7 initiated in January 2016

Target:

  • Every program reviewed every 6 years
  • 12 per year

Development of core institution-level student learning outcomes

Actual:
Ongoing program review and development has highlighted emerging common outcomes that will form the basis of future targets

Target:
Core institutional-level student learning outcomes developed and used

# of accredited programs

Actual:
4 Regular Studies and 1 Continuing Studies programs are recognized with professional accreditations

Target:
Whenever possible, academic programs should seek accreditation from recognized accreditation bodies

# of new programs and renewed/updated programs, including PDDs

Actual:
2

Target:
2-4 per year

# of programs and courses with student learning outcomes

Actual:
Unknown at this point

Target:
Every program has student learning outcomes

4.2.  Programs link seamlessly from school to work to further education

# of articulation agreements (provincial, national, and international)

Actual:
2 per year

Target:
5 per year

# of dual credit courses with local school boards

Actual:
0 (this is a new inititative)

Target:
10

# of joint diploma and degree programs

Actual:
1

Target:
3

Did you know?

We have over 130 credentials to choose from including certificates, diplomas, degrees, and post-degree diplomas.

Strategic Plan Updates

Stay up-to-date on the College's progress in implementing the 2020 Strategic Plan

1-Year Update (PDF) 2-Year Update (PDF) 3-Year Update (PDF) 4-Year Update (PDF) 5-Year Update (PDF)
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