QEP Topic: Creating a Scholarly Community at Collin County Community College

At this juncture in the Quality Enhancement Plan process, based upon the combined input from All College Day, the comments of SACS Staff Representative to Collin County Community College District, Dr. Gerald Lord, and the Administrative Retreat, the topic focuses on “Creating a Scholarly Community at Collin County Community College”. Two research teams have been selected and charged with defining the essential characteristics of the learned individual and the essential elements of a scholarly community. Consideration of these fundamental concepts within the context of the 21st century community college will provide the foundation for developing strategies to implement and to evaluate the plan.

CCCCD’s Quality Enhancement Plan will comprise a long-term project that will create a scholarly community while striving to enhance student learning. The QEP will build upon the institution’s current strengths and successful initiatives, while remaining mindful of challenges that we will face as we develop a college-wide vision of a scholarly community.

The QEP intends to:

• Identify current CCCCD initiatives that have proven to be successful contributions to student learning.
• Identify best practices that address the issues.
• Identify current challenges.
• Propose a plan for addressing the essentials of a learned student within a scholarly community.
• Develop an implementation time table.
• Analyze budget implications.
• Propose an assessment and evaluation process that focuses on the outcomes as stated above.

Kathrine Swanson chairs the research team charged with defining the characteristics of the learned individual. Team members are: Sandra Herron, Terrance Brennan, Gary Hodge, Glen Grimes, Eric Carlson, Michael McKee, Lorena Fernandez, Eugene Foley, Linda Keith, and Paula Miller.

Joanne Stevens chairs the research team charged with determining the essential elements of a scholarly community. Team members are: Regina Hughes, Wendy Gunderson, Betsy Brody, Kay Mizell, Alicia Huppe, Chip Galloway, Wayne Jones, David Alexander, Barbara Lusk, Tom Martin, Thom Chesney, Cathy Donald-Whitney, Bob Benavides, Dean Wallace, and Andy Essary.

CCCCD’s QEP reflects a groundbreaking challenge to engage in a systemic discussion about how students learn and how the institution will foster the scholarly process. Unique issues exist given the culture of the community college—how to create a scholarly community inclusive of part-time faculty and students; how to address the concept of scholarship is technical programs; and how to assist students to integrate knowledge across and between disciplines. These questions will be addressed in this QEP.