MCC Strategic Plan

MCC Mission

Mesa Community College supports student success and strengthens our community by providing high-quality education and pathways to careers, university transfer, and lifelong learning.

MCC proudly shares the MCCCD system-wide Vision and Values: 

MCCCD Vision: Excellence in education for a better world. 

MCCCD Institutional Values

• Student Centric: Students are the essence of our work; we partner with students as leaders and decision makers in their own learning.
• Integrity: We foster a culture of honesty, trust and transparency.
• Collaboration: We work together using system thinking in pursuit of our vision and mission.
• Community: We promote connection across communities and encourage civil conversations from a wide range of perspectives.
• Innovation: We advance a culture that stimulates big ideas, creativity, and exploration.
• Respect: we treat each other with dignity, civility, and kindness.

MCC developed its Strategic Plan through a collaborative, iterative process aligned with the MCCCD 2026-2030 Strategic Plan and MCC’s institutional needs and priorities. MCC’s Thunderbird Leadership Team (TLT) reviewed the system planning framework and considered how its priorities could be translated into meaningful college-level objectives and strategies. MCC then formed sub-teams for each strategic priority, bringing together faculty, staff, administrators, and subject-matter experts from across the college to develop draft objectives and strategies.

These drafts went through additional steps of review and refinement with key stakeholders and college leadership, including an operational review focused on feasibility, alignment with academic and student affairs priorities, and connections to existing resources. TLT then reviewed a final draft and recommended approval, following MCC’s shared governance process. 

To inform the development of measurable objectives with ambitious but attainable targets, MCC used college trend data, IPEDS data from a group of comparable community colleges, and averages for the Aspen Prize–eligible colleges. The peer and aspirations benchmarks helped place MCC’s data in context of the current performance of similar community colleges. 

The resulting plan connects system priorities with MCC’s institutional context and establishes a focused framework for coordinated action, accountability, and continuous improvement. During implementation, responsible leaders will be identified for individual strategies and convened through the Strategic Planning Committee Implementation Team to develop action plans, monitor progress, and adjust as needed.

Strategic Planning Committee 2025-26 (Plan Development Team) 

Chrissy Bullock, Juan DiArte, Dana Frasca, Megan Garvy, Leanna Hall, Craig Jacobsen, Megan McGuire*, Dennis Mitchell*, Amelia Rodriguez, Steve Skroch, Marcy Snitzer, Jennifer Strickland, Michael Voss, Tricia White 

*Co-Chairs

The strategic plan will use the GOST (pronounced ghost) framework to define Goals, Objectives, Strategies, and Tactics. This framework was selected after MCCCD's participation in The Society for College and University Planning's Planning Institute in 2025. In this framework: 

• Goals are high-level, general statements of the desired outcome. In this plan, MCCCD set goals aligned with the systemwide strategic priorities. 
• Objectives are outcome statements using the SMART method (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely). MCC created measurable objectives aligned with the MCCCD goals. 
• Strategies are broad statements that describe key areas of action to move the college toward achieving an objective and goal. MCC created strategies meant to help us meet our objectives. 
• Tactics are specific, short-term actions that define how the work will get done. Tactics will be tracked operationally via action planning and the Strategic Planning Committee. 

MCCCD Goal 1.1: Ensure all Maricopa County high school students have meaningful opportunities to earn 12 college credits.

MCC Objectives 

1a. Increase Early College Participation: Increase headcount of concurrent and dual enrollment students from Mesa Public Schools from 1,819 (2025-26) to 2,000 (10% increase) by 2030. 

1b. Increase Early College Credit Attainment: Increase the percentage of concurrent and dual enrollment students who successfully complete 12 or more college credits from 32% to 40% by 2030. 

1c. Increase Postsecondary Matriculation: Increase the percentage of Mesa Public Schools students who enroll at MCC in the year immediately following their high school graduation from 21% (2025 cohort) to 28% by 2030. 

MCC Key Strategies 

• Build and Strengthen K–12 Partnerships
  • Expand and strengthen partnerships with local school districts and high schools.
  • Establish an Early College Advisory Board to strengthen collaboration and alignment.
• Broaden Student Participation and Strengthen Early College Pathways
  • Broaden participation in Early College among underrepresented students by identifying and reducing barriers to access; expand targeted outreach, recruitment, and support to engage students who may not already see themselves as college-bound. 
  • Develop intentional, structured Early College pathways, supported by embedded advising and educational planning, that help students earn meaningful college credits and matriculate to MCC.
• Increase Student and Family Engagement
  • Provide coordinated outreach and signature experiences that build student and family awareness of Early College, transfer, career, financial opportunities, and long-term benefits. 
  • Use accessible and centralized communications and technology to help students and families understand and navigate Early College opportunities.

MCCCD Goal 2.1: Align Programs to High-Demand and/or High-Wage Career Pathways. Ensure programs consistently lead to high-demand and/or livable-wage jobs.

MCC Objectives 

2a. Increase Program Alignment to Workforce Value: By the end of 2026-27, establish a baseline percentage of AAS and CCL programs aligned with high-demand, living-wage occupations, then set a goal to increase the percentage of these programs offered at MCC.  

2b. Launch Fully Online Programs Serving Adult Learners: By the end of 2027-28, launch a redesigned MCC Online portfolio to better serve adult learners through eight fully online, high-demand degrees. 

MCC Key Strategies 

• Strengthen Data-Informed Program Portfolio Management
  • Establish shared criteria for evaluating workforce programs based on occupational demand, wages, enrollment, and student outcomes.
  • Ensure all workforce programs are reviewed on an established cycle and take documented action to expand, redesign, consolidate, or sunset programs when indicated.
• Strengthen Workforce Alignment and Career Information
  • Standardize the use of labor market and workforce data in program development, review, and modification.
  • Clearly communicate career pathways, employment opportunities, and wage information to students through program information and career-planning resources.
• Prepare for Redesigned MCC Online Rollout 
  • Develop fully online workforce-aligned programs to provide flexible, accelerated pathways responsive to the needs of adult learners.
  • Improve online student support, onboarding, strategic scheduling, and course quality (also see Objective 3c.).

MCCCD Goal 2.2: Establish the Most Efficient, Responsive Workforce Education System in Maricopa County. Strengthen the system’s ability to deliver high-quality programs quickly and in alignment with evolving industry needs, with a focus on co-funded or shared investment models.

MCC Objectives 

2c. Increase Work-Based Learning Participation: Establish a baseline number of student placements in internships, apprenticeships, clinicals, or other work-based learning experiences. Then establish a 2030 goal to increase the number of work-based learning experiences at MCC. 

MCC Key Strategies 

• Strengthen and Expand Workforce Partnerships
  • Develop and expand employer and community partnerships that create internships, apprenticeships, clinical placements, and other work-based learning opportunities for students.
  • Pursue reciprocal partnerships that engage employers in program development and create opportunities for shared investment in workforce education.
• Improve Coordination of Employer Engagement and Work-Based Learning
  • Establish a Coordinated Employer Engagement Model that defines roles and coordination points across Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and workforce efforts to provide a consistent approach to employer engagement.
  • Establish a shared approach for tracking employer partnerships, engagement activities, and student work-based learning opportunities.
• Increase Responsiveness to Workforce Needs
  • Strengthen employer feedback loops, such as through program advisory boards, to inform curriculum, programs, and emerging workforce needs.
  • Identify and address internal barriers to timely program development and modification where possible.

MCCCD Goal 3.1: Foster a community in which students, employees, and residents confidently and ethically engage with evolving technologies to elevate learning, strengthen workforce readiness, spark innovation, and enrich civic life.

MCC Objectives 

3a. Advance Digital Fluency: By the end of 2027, establish a college approach to digital fluency that identifies priority competencies and opportunities for integrating them into student learning and employee development.

3b. Improve Fully Online Program Quality: Expand the development of accessible, high-quality course templates for MCC’s fully online programs through faculty partnerships and alignment with Mesa+ quality standards for up to 75 course templates by 2030.

MCC Key Strategies 

• Advance Digital Fluency for Students and Employees
  • Identify priority digital, AI, and emerging technology competencies relevant to MCC students and employees.
  • Inventory existing efforts and identify opportunities to strengthen digital fluency within student learning and employee development.
  • Provide professional learning and support responsive to employee roles, needs, and levels of experience.
  • Support faculty and programs in incorporating relevant digital and AI skills into learning experiences where appropriate.
  • Support communities of practice and peer-learning opportunities.
• Increase Adoption and Use of the Mesa+ Rubric
  • Establish a scalable process for Mesa+ course review, recognition, and periodic renewal that supports progress toward the college's online course quality goal.
  • Use Mesa+ review findings to identify common improvement needs and guide professional development, instructional design support, and resource development.

MCCCD Goal 4.1: Strengthen Maricopa Community Colleges' Role as a Civic Partner. Position Maricopa as a trusted and impactful partner, leveraging civic partnerships to elevate the quality of life in the communities we serve. 

MCC Objectives 

4a. Strengthen Civic and Community Engagement: By the end of 2027, establish a framework and baseline measures of MCC’s civic and community partnerships and impact, then establish measurable targets for improvement through 2030.

Key Strategies 

• Strengthen Civic and Community Partnerships
  • Develop and sustain reciprocal partnerships that address identified community needs and create shared value for MCC and the communities it serves.
  • Establish shared expectations, responsibilities, and outcomes for partnerships, including co-investment where appropriate.
  • Improve coordination and establish clear points of contact to simplify engagement with MCC.
• Measure and Communicate Community Impact
  • Develop a community engagement framework and inventory to track partnerships, activities, populations served, and outcomes.
  • Use system metrics, partner and community feedback, and locally identified measures to evaluate and communicate MCC's community impact.

MCCCD Goal 4.2: Empower Every Student to Thrive and Achieve Their Highest Aspirations. Ensure every Maricopa student has the care, guidance, and services needed to thrive and achieve their highest aspirations.

MCC Objectives 

4b. Increase Student Retention, Momentum, Success, and Completion. Increase student retention, momentum, success, and completion rates through case management advising, proactive student supports, gateway course interventions, and strategic scheduling practices. 

• Retention
  • Increase credential-seeking student Fall-to-Spring Retention from 71% (Fall 2025 cohort) to 77% by 2030. 
  • Increase credential-seeking student Fall-to-Fall Retention from 54% (Fall 2024 cohort) to 60% by 2030. 
• Momentum
  • Increase the percentage of degree-seeking first-time students who complete college-level English and Math in their first year from 30% to 38% by 2030. 
  • Increase the percentage of degree-seeking first-time students who complete 12 (part-time) or 24 (full-time) credits in their first year from 41% to 50% by 2030. 
• Success
  • Increase overall MCC course success rates from 77% in AY2025-26 to 80% in AY2029-30. 
• Completion
  • Increase the percentage of entering college-level students who complete a certificate or degree within three years from 29% for the Fall 2021 cohort to 35% by 2030.

MCC Key Strategies 

• Deliver an Integrated, Student-Centered Thunderbird Experience
  • Complete implementation of the Student Affairs Redesign and advance the Thunderbird Experience as a coordinated approach to supporting students throughout their MCC journey.
  • Expand case management, proactive outreach, and technology-enabled early alert interventions.
  • Simplify institutional processes and strengthen shared responsibility for student success through coordinated support, warm handoffs, and cross-divisional collaboration.
• Foster Student Belonging and Remove Barriers to Success
  • Create welcoming environments and opportunities for students to build meaningful connections with employees and peers.
  • Identify and reduce barriers to student success, retention, and completion. 
  • Incorporate student feedback into the continuous improvement of services, programs, and campus spaces.
• Accelerate Academic Momentum and Course Success
  • Prioritize first-year enrollment and successful completion of college-level English and math through aligned advising, placement, corequisite support, and timely academic assistance.
  • Continue an annual Threshold Program Review process to identify courses with success rates below established targets and implement faculty-led improvement action plans.
  • Align educational plans, program maps, and strategic course scheduling to help students complete first-year credit attainment and course completion milestones.
• Support Goal Completion and Economic Mobility
  • Expand proactive completion initiatives and near-completer outreach efforts.
  • Strengthen career exploration, educational planning, and workforce readiness activities.