Introduction to the Plan
Letter from the President
Our new strategic plan is attuned to these unusual and demanding times. It meets our short-term needs for recovery as a college and a community, and sets an innovative course for our future.
As we developed this plan, we were navigating the huge impact of the pandemic, with much upheaval and uncertainty.
We worked hard to balance managing the crisis, with the need to continue important planning to support a healthy future for our college. Some people may think that planning during a time of great change is difficult or perhaps even unwise.
At Mohawk, we recognized that the pandemic provided an opportunity to look at how we can do things differently.
Our three-year plan allows us to continue to move forward with ambitious goals, along with emphasizing the need to be flexible to support recovery through innovation.
If we’ve learned anything from our pandemic experience, it’s that we need to be able to adapt to change.
A Compass, Not a Roadmap
Our new plan is a compass, pointing us in the right direction.
Unlike a roadmap which, is detailed and specific, a compass provides direction but allows us to adjust our route along the way.
Our new plan gives us room to respond to current realities and emerging opportunities. Through our annual business planning process, we will develop timely actions and targets to achieve each year, while continually moving towards our ambitious leadership outcomes.
Building On Our Strengths
Our new strategic plan has four components:
Aspirations
Where we want the college to be.
Strategic Directions
How we are going to get there.
Leadership Outcomes
What it looks like when we arrive.
Strong Foundations
What support is required to fuel our directions and get us to our outcomes.
It builds on the plan we’ve just completed, and on what we do well. It is guided by our reconfirmed vision, mission and values.
It is firmly positioned on a strong foundation — People, Planning, Reputation, Technology and Financial Health. These essential underpinnings ensure that we can progress toward our aspirations and, ultimately, achieve our leadership outcomes.
This Plan Belongs To Us All
Over the span of 10 months, we consulted with over 1,000 stakeholders across the college, and with our partners and the community. We held open forums, one-on-one interviews, sent out surveys and attended departmental sessions. Commitment to the process from both our internal and external stakeholders was exceptional. We received thought-provoking and innovative input from our students, our board, employees, alumni and community members that was especially critical to shaping the plan.
As we worked through the process, we often began our sessions by asking participants to describe Mohawk using one word. Throughout those conversations, six words were mentioned repeatedly: collaborative, community, innovative, opportunity, resilient, welcoming. Each word resonates on its own. Together, they vibrantly reflect our college and animate our new strategic plan.
This plan belongs to us all.
By working together, we will develop tactics and take actions to address crucial societal issues like Truth and Reconciliation, climate change, and equity, diversity and inclusion.
And through these actions we can continue to support our students, employees and community from recovery to innovation.
Thank you for taking the time to review our plan. We look forward to sharing our progress with you.
Ron J. McKerlie, President & CEO, Mohawk College
