Prince George, B.C. – Beginning next week, the College of New Caledonia will host community consultations on the development of its 2016-2020 Strategic Plan.

Scheduled to be completed by the middle of this year, the plan will outline strategic directions for the college.

“The strategic plan really is fundamentally what we as an institution are developing to help us set direction over the next five years,” says president Henry Reiser.

“And we will be reviewing that strategic plan on a monthly basis with the board to ensure we are on target and we are moving in the direction we want to go. The goals will all be measurable so that we’ll know if we’re making progress or not.”

The steering committee will include representation from students, staff, administrators, faculty, and College Board members.

The college will also be seeking input from a variety of stakeholders including students, staff, employers, Aboriginal communities, industry and members of the public.

What kinds of things will be discussed?

“Well what we’re interested in talking about is going to be determining the goals that we’re trying to develop,” says Reiser.

“And our goals are looking at things like how do we build CNC’s reputation? How do we provide educational opportunities to remote learners? How can we engage more learners in our region?”

As for funding, he says programs “will be funded based on what the strategic plan identifies as a priority for the institution.”

To that end, Reiser says CNC will be looking at mechanisms to help increase the number of full-time equivalent students in order to make the institution financially viable.

“So what we’re doing there is looking for directions around how we’re going to do the implementation of our digital delivery initiative to our learners throughout our region,” he says.

“And also looking at increasing our continuing education and our international opportunities.”

The consultation phase will take place from January 18 to February 29 and will allow people to participate in a variety of ways including in-person, online and over the phone.

In-person consultation circles are scheduled from January 25 to February 11 and will take place in Burns Lake, Fort St. James, Mackenzie, Prince George, Quesnel, and Vanderhoof.

You must RSVP to attend one of the consultation circles and can do so by emailing strategicplan@cnc.bc.ca or by calling 250-561-5890 with your name, contact information and desired session time.

Click here for the consultation circle schedule and for more information on how you can participate.