Our Goals
Queensborough Community College's 2021-2026 Strategic Plan highlights its commitment to improving educational outcomes for students. The plan delineates twelve goals structured across three main areas: Curriculum and Instruction, Student Engagement, and Campus Culture.
Each goal is geared towards the overarching objective of increasing the three-year graduation rate and eliminating racial and gender disparities across various metrics. The strategic plan sets ambitious targets, acknowledging that achieving them will necessitate institutional transformation.
To bolster this effort, Queensborough has developed partnerships with three nationally recognized organizations in higher education: Achieving the Dream, The Gardner Institute, and The Jed Foundation.
Our Nationally Recognized Partners
Achieving the Dream
Achieving the Dream (ATD) is a network of 300 community colleges from across the nation that share a commitment to institutional transformation to increase the number of students who earn postsecondary credentials and access jobs with living-sustainable wages, benefits, and the potential for upward mobility. The ATD framework is built on the premise that institutional transformation is supported by identifying key opportunity areas where change is needed and building capacity across campus to manage the needed changes.
Learn more about Queensborough's work with Achieving the Dream.
The John N Gardner Institute
The John N Gardner Institute works with organizations to increase institutional responsibility for improving outcomes. As part of this work, the Gardner Institute recently launched the Transforming the Foundational Postsecondary Experience ™. Through a process of system redesign, institutions participating in the effort will develop and implement plans over a five-year period to close inequitable performance gaps, enhance teaching and learning practices, and promote student success, completion, and retention.
Learn more about Queensborough's work with The Gardner Institute.
The Jed Foundation
The Jed Foundation empowers teens and young adults by building resiliency and life skills, promoting social connectedness, and encouraging help-seeking and help-giving behaviors through our nationally recognized programs, digital channels, and partnerships, as well as through the media.
Learn more about Queensborough's work with the Jed Foundation.
Alignment with Strategic Plan Goals
Curriculum and Instruction
Goal: Address equity gaps in retention and graduation rates.
This goal is supported by our partnership with Achieving the Dream.
Student Engagement
Goal: Foster a sense of belonging and community through inclusive and welcoming practices.
This goal is supported by our partnership with The Gardner Institute.
Campus Culture
Goal: Cultivate a campus climate that fosters respect, affirmation, and inclusivity.
This goal is supported by our partnership with The Jed Foundation.
Highlighting Key Initiatives
Evaluating Low Success Courses
Queensborough recently conducted a comprehensive review of student outcomes across its curriculum, identifying 15 courses with low success rates characterized by high rates of failure and withdrawal, and/or low rates of C grades or better. In response, Queensborough is convening faculty groups to analyze these courses and evaluate the academic support provided. The goal is to propose meaningful changes aimed at bolstering student success. Our partnership with Achieving the Dream plays a crucial role in this endeavor.
Developing a First-Year Experience
Our partnerships with Achieving the Dream and The Gardner Institute are instrumental in crafting a cohesive, purposeful, and efficient first-year experience. This initiative will guarantee that students are seamlessly connected with essential resources and support systems, setting a strong foundation for success from the outset of their academic journey.
Integrating Career Advisement
Upon arriving on campus, students bring diverse levels of understanding regarding career options, academic programs, and their interconnections. Through our partnerships with Achieving the Dream and The Gardner Institute, Queensborough is undertaking a comprehensive review of how we currently assist students in exploring career paths and choosing majors. Our aim is to redefine our student support framework, guiding them towards selecting majors that align with their interests at the earliest stages of their academic journey.
