Mission, Vision, and Philosophy

Our Mission
Our Vision
Our Values
Our Practices
Our Strategic Goals

Our Mission

The mission of Ventura College is: to offer academic and vocational programs leading to the completion of associate degrees or certificates; to prepare students to transfer to four-year colleges and universities; to provide remediation to those who need to improve their basic skills; to support the state and region’s economic viability through workforce development; and to provide continuing education opportunities that enhance personal growth and life enrichment.

The college serves high school graduates and others who are able to benefit from the academic and vocational opportunities it offers. Courses are provided using both traditional and distance learning delivery systems.

The faculty and staff of Ventura College are committed to student success and strive to create an environment of continuous improvement through the establishment of measurable and/or observable student learning outcomes that can be used to assess student performance, improve instructional and service delivery, and guide institutional decision-making.

Back to top

Our Vision

We believe in the power of education to change the lives and economic futures of our students and their communities.

We succeed when our students can apply what they have learned to create new knowledge, to engage in meaningful employment, and to actively participate as informed members of society.

We celebrate the power and diversity of ideas, cultures, races, lifestyles and learning styles.

We expand educational opportunities and enrich the learning environment through traditional classroom instruction, distance education technologies, experiential learning, and meaningful co-curricular activities.

We have a passion for excellence, and hold ourselves and our students to the highest standards of conduct and performance.

Back to top

Our Values

The Ventura College community is committed to following a set of enduring core values that guide it through changing times and give rise to its vision, mission and goals.

Respect
We believe in the personal dignity and full potential of every individual and in fostering positive human values in the classroom and in all our interactions.

Integrity
We are committed to maintaining an open, honest and ethical environment.

Quality
We are dedicated to achieving excellence in the broad range of academic programs and services we provide to our students and the community.

Collegiality
We are committed to creating a professional and supportive environment where students, faculty, and staff can achieve personal growth and fulfillment.

Access
We believe it is essential to provide and nurture learning opportunities for all individuals.

Innovation
We recognize that change is constant and that it is imperative that we continually evaluate our performance and seek new and improved approaches to providing educational programs and services.

Diversity
We are dedicated to embracing and responding to our increasingly diverse student body.

Service
Ventura College values its importance to the community and is dedicated to enhancing the community’s quality of life and to meeting its needs.

Collaboration
We believe that better results are achieved by working together, whether as colleagues on college issues and decisions or by actively seeking to form partnerships with other organizations to address mutual goals.

Back to top

Our Practices

  1. We demonstrate courtesy and mutual respect in our relationships with everyone by listening to our colleagues and our students with care and concern, finding common ground, and fostering a sense of community.

  2. We consistently demonstrate professional standards, collaboration, and teamwork.

  3. We recognize and reward creativity and innovation.

  4. We provide appropriate technology to deliver our educational programs and services.

  5. We recognize and celebrate student, staff, and institutional accomplishments.

  6. We make decisions based upon the needs of students.

  7. We increase opportunities that provide open access to programs and services which serve our unique and diverse populations.

  8. We continuously assess our environment to identify new educational opportunities.

  9. We assess the needs of those we serve and evaluate our success in meeting and exceeding their expectations.

  10. We encourage the development of educational programs and services which promote student and staff understanding and participation in a global environment.

  11. We maintain and improve a safe and accessible physical environment and a secure infrastructure to support student and staff learning and success.

  12. As ambassadors of Ventura College, we strive to improve and enhance its reputation.

Back to top

Our Strategic Planning Goals

Board Imperative: Serve traditional and non-traditional learners

To assure that there will be no financial barriers to education for lower and middle-income students, Ventura College will:

  • Work with the Ventura College Foundation to develop a program to underwrite the first-year enrollment fees for all qualifying graduating high school seniors in our service area
  • Develop systems that will provide increased awareness of financial aid processes and greater assistance in completing financial aid forms and requirements
  • Work with the Ventura College Foundation to expand public awareness of scholarship opportunities at both the community college and transfer levels

To reach non-traditional and underserved populations, the college will:

  • Expand outreach efforts at the East Campus
  • Expand the offering of online and hybrid classes
  • Identify meaningful incentives to encourage more faculty to develop online classes
  • Expand outreach efforts to increase concurrent enrollment of qualified high school students
  • Provide opportunities for the faculty to become more aware of the multiple intelligences / learning styles
  • Expand efforts to make those with a limited ability to speak English feel welcome on the campus
  • Examine the structure of course offerings to ensure that the college can accommodate working adults
  • Offer fast-track, low-unit classes that will appeal to retired adults
  • Work with the Ventura College Foundation to expand the Dare to Dream scholarship program to encourage non-high school graduates to consider attendance at Ventura College
  • Expand support services for a wide variety of unique student populations, including foreign students, re-entry students, out-of-state students, etc.

Board Imperative: Maintain short-term training, school-to-work programs, internships, service learning, and student life programs

To improve the ability to respond more rapidly to the changing occupational needs of the community, Ventura College will:

  • Examine both campus and district curriculum systems to identify bottlenecks in the approval process
  • Examine the number of units required for certificates and the course scheduling patterns for occupational programs to assure that the pathway to a career can be completed in a reasonable amount of time
  • Reactivate occupational advisory committees for vocational programs

To increase the visibility and viability of the college’s occupational programs, Ventura College will:

  • Revise the organizational structure in order to provide better support for career education
  • Develop and pilot one or more modular, fast-track occupational programs that will lead to employment within six months
  • Participate in the development of a district-wide occupational brochure (with companion program-specific brochures) for recruitment and outreach purposes
  • Market occupational programs in appropriate arenas; i.e., Chambers of Commerce, local newspapers.
  • Host on-campus meetings with employers, faculty, and counselors to discuss career trends.
  • Host meetings with counselors and faculty to increase understanding of vocational programs and requirements
  • Increase faculty and administrative participation in local business organizations; i.e., Chamber of Commerce, Ventura County Economic Development Association
  • Provide information on employment trends at flex day activities
  • Increase services of the Career Center
  • Encourage newspaper articles on successful students and programs

To expand the opportunities for students to connect with others outside of the classroom, Ventura College will:

  • Take steps to re-establish an attractive, centralized social hub for the campus and to create pleasant study spaces for students are various locations throughout the college
  • Develop a formal Arts & Lectures program and expand awareness of the college’s consolidated calendar of campus events
  • Continue to seek funding for and offer campus/community cultural programs
  • Increase internships and work experience offerings
  • Provide service learning opportunities and credit

Board Imperative:  Establish and maintain outstanding marketing, outreach and retention programs

To reach the predominantly younger student population served by the college, Ventura College will:

  • Improve the usefulness of its website, using input from faculty, staff and student focus groups
  • Expand its recruitment efforts to include greater use of the web and other technologies designed to appeal to younger students
  • Expand the use of technology as a teaching and learning tool
  • Conduct research to identify how Ventura College students currently gain information about the college

To improve student retention, Ventura College will:

  • Conduct institutional research to identify the major variables impacting student retention
  • Develop and pilot programs that encourage students to identify and declare a commitment for a specific educational or occupational goal
  • Develop and pilot systems to recognize benchmark levels of student achievement as they progress toward their identified goals
  • Increase the opportunities for students to identify with a cohort and/or to work in a learning community
  • Provide intervention programs to identify and assist students who may be falling below the expected level of student achievement
  • Expand efforts to acquire funding to support tutoring and supplemental instruction
  • Include the issue of student retention as a central focus for professional development activities

 

Back to top

Last Updated 12/7/07
Ventura College does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, creed, religion, disability, marital status, veteran status, national origin, race, or sex.