At Lane Community College, we're on a journey to transform lives through learning. To help students achieve their dreams. As with all journeys, we need to know where we’re going. Planning is the process of creating roadmaps to find our way.
Our mission defines our purpose. Values guide decisions, and our Strategic Plan is the high-level roadmap.
Why We Plan: Our Shared Journey
Planning is a collaborative process and shared journey. Through it, we create goals and can see how our individual and collective actions help us reach our destination of transforming lives through learning.
Planning is the process of analyzing our current situation, creating and implementing goals aligned with our mission, measuring impact, and revising for improvement. During planning we look back at lessons learned and at the road ahead. Thoughtful and inclusive planning ensures that our journey is intentional, coordinated, and successful.
Planning occurs at multiple levels of the organization. It starts at the individual level, moves to programs, departments, divisions, and ultimately the entire college. Institutional Research and Effectiveness coordinates the work.
You help us reach our destination by accomplishing program and departmental goals, which are specific roadmaps for our journey. We need you in order to reach our shared destination.
When we develop plans, we choose which route will get us closer to our destination. We use College priorities as guideposts:
- Student retention – Are we keeping students engaged and moving forward?
- Workforce development – Are we preparing students for their chosen careers?
- Organizational culture – Are we creating an environment where everyone thrives?
- Fiscal health – Are we using our resources wisely?
These priorities help us evaluate which route makes most sense. One might get us there faster, but another serves more students and builds stronger partnerships. During planning we weigh these factors and choose the best way forward.
Who?
Managers lead the process, gathering input from employees, who know the work best.
How?
The ideal process is collaborative and intentional and starts at the program or department level (e.g., Academic and Administrative Program Review).
Why?
Planning turns our shared vision into reality. It ensures we're not just busy, but purposeful. It connects our daily work to the bigger picture of transforming lives.
Where?
Right here at Lane, we each contribute to the journey. For example, from office and department meetings through to College Council and Board of Education discussions and decision-making.
When?
Planning is ongoing and dynamic. It is a process that yields a plan (e.g., Annual Planning).
All journeys require regular check-in’s to ask: Are we on the right road? Are we meeting our goals? We measure impact by creating goals/objectives with quantifiable metrics (e.g., retention rate, satisfaction score, etc.). If we are effective, celebrate! If not, let’s find ways to overcome barriers. When needed, adapt goals to better serve our students.
When we plan well, everyone benefits. We know where we're going and how we're getting there. Every employee, department, and division plays a role in helping us reach our shared destination. Planning isn’t just paperwork. It’s our collective effort to transform students’ lives.
We are creating an integrated planning framework that aims to:
- Clarify planning processes at all levels of the college, how they work together, when they are due, and what’s expected
- Align and better connect planning and budgeting
- Enhance communication and transparency
- Help identify opportunities for cross functional collaboration
The key tenets used in planning processes include:
Comprehensive, Integrated, and Ongoing Planning
There is consistent and continuous commitment to improving student learning. Educational effectiveness is a demonstrable priority in all planning structures and processes.
Informed by Data and Analysis
Data and analyses are widely distributed, understood, and used throughout the College.
Broad-Based Participation and Engagement
There is dialogue about planning and institutional effectiveness that is ongoing, robust, and pervasive.
Implementation, Evaluation, and Adaptation
There is ongoing, systematic review and adaptation of evaluation and planning processes. The College uses evaluation and planning to refine its key processes and improve student learning.
Planning Guides Resource Allocation
Formal planning and assessment practices guide resource allocation. The College effectively uses its human, physical, technology, and financial resources to achieve its broad educational purposes, including stated learning outcomes. (This area is a work in progress.)
Economic Impact Study
Lane has considerable impact on the local economy. The most recent Lightcast report from 2023-24, found that:
- Lane added $816.2 million to the region's income and contributed to 9,787 jobs
- Society gains $5.30 in added income and social savings for each dollar invested in Lane
For every $1 students invest in their education at Lane they receive an additional $4.00 in lifetime earnings, providing them with an average annual rate of return of 14.5%.
Read the About Lane webpage and the links below to learn how the college and its students make a difference.
Fact Sheet | Executive Summary | Main Report | Infographic
The previous studies are below. Please note that multiple years of reports are not intended to be compared due to changes in the Lightcast methodology and the service area.
2021-22 report links:
2018-20 report links:
Program Demand Gap Analysis
The Program Demand Gap Analysis is based on Lane County and LCC data. It compares job openings and LCC educational program completions to identify opportunities to consider.
Horizon Scan
The LCC Environmental Scan Report 2022 reveals trends that are likely to impact Lane in the next 2-3 years. The in-depth report includes economic, social, political, environmental and more. Linh My Ta, Communication and Data Specialist student worker during 2022, created multiple infographics below. LCC employees may view additional resources here.
Contact
For more information, please contact Keith Comer, Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, at comer@lanecc.edu, or Tammie Stark, Project Coordinator 2 Lead, at starkt@lanecc.edu.