b'MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST COMMUNITY COLLEGETOPIC SELECTIONWith over 100 years of educational experience,Strategic PlanMGCCC has a history of developing and implementing programs to provide educational opportunitiesThe success of MGCCC lies in the strength of its for targeted populations with established supportstrategic plan, developed every ten years, and systems for members of its service district.In Julyannual planning that takes place within each division. 2017, the College President, Dr. Mary S. Graham, andMGCCC adopted Strategic Plan 2020 (2011), Executive Council*appointed a QEP Topic Selectionwhich details its four Institutional Commitments: Committee that included four faculty members, three1) Teaching and Learning, 2) Student Success, 3) staff members, three students, four administrators,Community Engagement and Partnerships, and 4) and an institutional researcher (Appendix A).TheCulture of Innovation.All college stakeholders play committee developed an approach to determinea part in the development of the strategic plan, the QEP topic, and the College President, Executiveand the four Institutional Commitments support Council,andBoardofTrusteesapprovedthisthe colleges mission, vision, and values.approach in August 2017.The approach to QEP topic selection and development of the QEP wereThe Institutional Commitments serve as a framework first filtered through MGCCCs mission, Strategicfor the annual planning process that begins prior Plan 2020 (2011), and planning process.to the fall semester each year and concludes The QEP topic selection committee designed thisin the spring.Every division and department approach to maximize participation and to providewithin the institution establishes goals for the media through which all stakeholders voices couldupcoming year, and the goals correlate to one be heard. Students are the primary stakeholders inor more of the institutional commitments.As a the institution, and the committee hoped to receiveformative assessment, college leaders evaluate topics and proposals from students. the goals throughout the year, and as a summative Studentsservedonthecommittee,assessment, the divisions and departments review submittedtopicsandproposals,andthe results and determine how to use the results to make plans for the future of their divisions and provided feedback on all of the proposals. the institution as a whole.The Pi Epsilon chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (JacksonThe QEP not only demonstrates MGCCCs County Campus) submitted a proposal on soft skills, and while it initially ranked second in the rubriccommitment to excellence, it also supports scoring, it emerged as the clear choice during theStrategic Plan 2020and is a direct result request for feedback phase.During that phase,of the planning process.students were second only to employees in raw number of responses, and they favored the soft- Institutional Commitment #1skills proposal by a wide margin. Teaching and LearningThe students investment in their educationThe first commitment, Teaching and Learning, and in the institution as a whole endowsfosters an environment that develops and maintains their proposal with a remarkable senseinnovative and market-driven programs focusing on employability of students in a global market of urgency.and emphasizes methodologies that create and Few factors motivate faculty as much as studentssupport a student-centered learning environment asking to be taught a particular set of skills andthat encourages active learning (Strategic Plan devoting their time and energy to acquiring that set2020, 2011).This responsibility demands that of skills. The commitment from students generatedMGCCC instructors teach skills that directly make responsibility and enthusiasm across the institution.students employable.8 MGCCC QEP 2019* MGCCCs Executive Council is comprised of the President, Executive VP of Teaching & Learning/Community Campus, Executive VP of Enrollment Management/Student Success, Executive VP of Finance/Administration, Executive Vice President of Institutional Advancement, and 3 Campus VPs.'