Veronica Wilkerson Johnson

Transformative Change Capstone Project

IDSL 830
February 23, 2015
Transformation in the world happens when people are
healed and start investing in other people
~Michael W. Smith~
Ideally, transformative change, like a transformative leader, is bold,
dramatic, and ignites new passion, promise and growth. In a perfect
world, it would immediately inspire the workforce and raise new
dynamics of growth in the organization. Yet, not everyone sees change
this way. Some fear it, and others just plain abhor it. "If it ain't broke
don't fix it" is a popular retreat, and it is a beloved idiom that many
people use in our culture because it allows us to content ourselves on
the side of comfort. It's been working this long, why change it now? Oh,
oh - did someone just move my cheese?
Well, the real question is HAS it been working, or did we just content
ourselves to think that it had?
A SOBERING CONCERN
When we are dealing with the 21st century reality that there are still
many people in this society who cannot read beyond an 8th grade
level, it is time for us, as educators, to make a transformative change.
We must see the dismal and frankly inexplicable statistics for what
they are, and admit that they are not what we hoped they would be.
When, at the Lansing Community College in Lansing, Michigan, we
looked soberly at the problem, endemic in our community and in
society, that many high school students graduate without the reading,

writing and mathematics foundations needed to master college-level

coursework so that they can aspire to meaningful careers.
Currently the State of Michigan mandates that students take no more
than one year of developmental coursework in fulfilling their college
requirements.
This material deficit in academic skills renders the pursuit of collegelevel occupational or academic programs quite difficult for those who
find it foreign to study. Some developmental students decide that they
do not have the motivation to continue, and community colleges lose
them from their ranks. Students enroll at the Lansing Community
College under a policy of open admissions. Of the 1,973 students
entering LCC who graduated from high school in 2013, 1,223 (62%)
took at least one developmental course designed to prepare them to
be successful in college level courses (LCC, 2013). Of this number:
* 1,969 took reading placement tests, and 407 (20.67%) required
developmental reading courses
* 1,962 took writing placement tests, and 648 (33.03%) required
developmental writing courses
* 1,751 took math placement tests, and 959 (54.77%) required
developmental math courses.
The significance of this gap in college readiness is clear, and the
Lansing Community College recognizes its special commitment and
responsibility to the students and the communities of Mid-Michigan. It
must reach out in a new and bold way to those students who require
developmental academic skill enrichment. The Center for Transitional
Learning (CTL) at the Lansing Community College offers developmental
courses in reading and writing, and it offers math in the Mathematics
and Computer Science Department. In addition to developmental
courses, the College offers formal programs such as the Early College,
2

for high school students entering their junior year, and the High School
Diploma Completion Program (HSDCI) to help students for college and
careers.
While federal grant programs and other funding sources have provided
dollars for formal programs, the resources providing financial aid for
developmental classes at LCC are limited. Strengthening college skills
before students enroll at LCC means they arrive at LCC prepared to
pursue their college education. Acquiring these academic/intellectual
skills are keys for success and prosperity in this digital age.
Nationally, the concern for developing an educated and skilled
workforce is resonating in all levels of government, in the business
sector, in the halls of justice and in the community, and resoundingly in
the halls of higher learning.
During his State of the Union address on 1-28-14, President Barack
Obama stated: "The Joining Forces alliance that Michelle and Jill Biden
launched has already encouraged employers to hire or train nearly
400,000 veterans and military spouses. Taking a page from that
playbook, the White House just organized a College Opportunity
Summit where already, 150 universities, businesses, and nonprofits
have made concrete commitments to reduce inequality in access to
higher education and help every hardworking kid go to college and
succeed when they get to campus" (CBS News, 2014). Also, during the
subsequent State of the Union Address on 1-20-15, President Obama
continued the charge by committing cost-free community college for
many students in the United States. The President's proposal would
cost $60 billion over 10 years, and it would allow any half-time student
with a 2.5 GPA who is working towards a degree to attend two years of
community college for free. President Obama stated, I want to spread
that idea all across America, so that two years of college becomes as
3

free and universal in America as high school is today (Wall Street

Journal, 2015).
What is clear in this effort to aid the underserved students, however, is
the requirement that the students meet their academic requirements
and maintain a minimum grade point average. This is a challenging
proposal for the students who cannot read, write and do basic
mathematics at a 10th grade to 12th grade level. 62% of students
entering community colleges are experiencing this dilemma, and now
in the 21st century, more than ever, this unfortunate gap in college
readiness must be closed.
Failure to address this concern will invite increased decline in academic
and career success in Mid-Michigan, which will detrimentally impact its
economic stability. It is clearly universal that a well-educated
population fulfills job growth, stimulates the economy, improves quality
of life in a region, and it attracts and retains more "creative class"
graduates in our communities that engender "Cool Cities".
What will create change for the better?
A Vision for Academic Excellence
The Lansing Community College must continue to be a leader in
student learning and student opportunities for excellence and
advancement. LCC is committed to aligning and implementing
continuous improvement and innovative processes to help the college
educate the workforce of the 21st century.
The Mission of Operation 100%
Operation 100% is an initiative whose time has come at the Lansing
Community College. LCC commits to its students completing a degree,
4

and it pledges to establish a path that will aid their ability and resolve
to complete their academic goals. Furthermore, the Lansing
Community College's Strategic Plan and Operation 100% will be
aligned, and will go hand-in-hand. Operation 100% has become an LCC
partnership project (LCC, 2015).

THE PLAN FOR TRANSFORMATION - OPERATION 100%

Resources to support the Common Good
Operation 100% is a student-centered approach to transformative
change, and as
we reflect on the resources needed for the Lansing Community College
to establish a firm framework for Operation 100%, it is necessary to
take a circumspect look at all of the college and community based
programs in which the institution is currently involved. LCC has a
number of projects underway that provide resources needed to
establish Operation 100%, and aid the current status of the institution.
With the Gateways to Completion (G2C) pilot program, and the
Coalition for College and Career Readiness (C3R) efforts, the college
has accessed the student success data they need to improve
assessment at all levels of the institution.
The G2C pilot program, which is being governed by a lead faculty
member and a G2C Steering Committee that she oversees, has begun
examining the Year 2 data which the Center for Data Science is
assessing. The Director recently shared with the LCC leadership, at the
conclusion of the first year of G2C, that 4 of the 5 courses have already
increased student success, helping the students lower their drop, fail,
withdraw, incomplete numbers (DFWI) (LCC, 2015). The faculty of the

courses are being commended for their fine work and efforts. The five
gateway courses are:
1) ACCG 210 Principles of Accounting
2) BIOL 121 - Biology Foundation for Physiology
3) HIST 212 - U.S. History: 1877 to present
4) MATH 112 Intermediate Algebra; and
5) WRIT121 Composition I
Similarly, the Coalition for College and Career Readiness (C3R), is
building on existing resources, including Career and Technical
Education, the Capital Area College Access Network, the Power of WE,
The Early College, High School Diploma Completion Initiative, and the
Promise Programs: Hope Scholars, Holt Scholars, Lansing Promise,
Mason Scholars, Leslie Aspire and Edgewood Scholars (LCC, 2014).
C3R is an initiative of the Lansing Community College Board of
Trustees, and is led by the Provost and Senior Vice President for
Academic Affairs; the Associate Vice President for Academic and
Student Affairs, the Director of K-12 Relations; a Lead Support in K-12
Relations; and an English Professor (LCC, 2014).
The funding for these efforts is strategically allotted in the LCC 201415 General Fund Budget. Within the AQIP categories and timeline,
LCC's Board of Trustees and campus community believe
implementation of the Strategic Plan is the optimal way for the
institution to move forward. Following the adoption of the Strategic
Plan by the Board of Trustees in March 2013, the College began to
design a framework for implementation. Every campus department
must be involved, and participate in the implementation of the
Strategic Plan through a series of cross functional work teams defined
by the six overarching strategic goals (LCC, 2014):
6

 Learning
Student Success
Leadership,
Culture, and Communication
Community Engagement
Competitiveness and Innovation
Resource Management and Fiscal Responsibility
Based on the Coalition for College and Career Readiness (C3R) model
and others, this initiative will be explored through the research of
proven practices that will be advantageous to the Greater Lansing
community. It will be politically and culturally empowering as well.
While there are benefits to establishing the C3R, which would engender
paradigm shifting and pervasive, transformative interventions, some
might argue that it will require a good deal of staff and volunteer time,
and teams of organizations, faculty and administrators whose time
might be better spent on their daily tasks at hand,
Each of the distinct objectives of these programs, Operation 100%,
C3R, and the G2C pilot program, will involve the college maintaining
the respective overarching goals. The progress of each will be
presented to the campus community and the Higher Learning
Commission (HLC) as introductions, and ongoing reports, on the
projects. The ultimate length of time will be defined by the most
immediate needs of the institution as the projects and progress are
assessed.
ARTIFACTS AND THE RESOURCES THAT AID LCC
In addition to being Michigan's Capitol, Lansing has the makings of

being a progressive city. It has many schools and universities,

established corporations, vibrant businesses, and cultural places to
enjoy.
Generally it is hoped that an energetic and enthusiastic spirit of
collegiality will emerge among members of the workforce, and that this
enlivened and invigorated staff will create a passionate culture of likeminded educators. LCC mustenvisionbeinggreatacrosstheboardandevery
facultyandstaffmembermustworktoachieveit.
LCC leaders are concerned and involved in the process, and they are
also focused on helping everyone at the college succeed, and helping
to improve the success rates of students.
Background of the Lansing Community College
Established in 1957 to fulfill the growing need for specialized and
technical education opportunities in the Lansing area, LCC continues to
serve residents in this dynamic community with "learning and
enrichment opportunities to improve their quality of life and standard
of living" (LCC Mission, 2014).
Lansing is the capital city of Michigan, and the states fifth largest. It is
located mostly in Ingham County, with a part of it in Eaton County.
According to the 2010 U.S. Census (Lansing QuickFacts, 2010), the
city's population is 114,297. Within its borders, or contiguous to
Lansing, are a number of excellent institutions of higher education.
Michigan State University, a Big Ten Conference School in East Lansing,
Michigan, sits a few miles east of the State Capitol Building. A landgrant university, MSU is the largest campus, by land mass, in the
United States. The Lansing Community College is several blocks to the

north of the State Capitol Building, Cooley Law School, and the new
downtown campus of Davenport University, a block to the south.
Owing to this rich presence of academia, Mid-Michigan provides two
medical schools (MSU School of Human Medicine and the College of
Osteopathic Medicine), one veterinary school, two schools of nursing,
and two law schools (Thomas M. Cooley Law School and Michigan State
University/Detroit College of Law).
While these fine institutions attract students from across the nation
and around the world, they are beacons of educational promise for the
underserved, at-risk students who live around them. The Lansing
Community College is seeking to serve as a catalyst in administering
programs, faculty, educational leaders, and involving the community in
a unified effort to address the educational deficits in the Lansing area.
Students in the K-12 schools and at the Lansing Community College will
need to be academically prepared to complete their desired education
and fulfill career opportunities in this region. Some may ask where the
students will they find employment opportunities once they complete
their academic requirements? Lansing, and indeed Michigan, are rich in
industrial and technological heritage.
In 1905, Ransom E. Olds founded the REO Motor Company
(CTA/Lansing Convention & Visitors Bureau, 2012). It was later
renamed the Oldsmobile Corporation, and lasted in Lansing another 70
years. Today the General Motors presence is felt most by the existence
of the Lansing Delta Township Assembly Plant that manufactures three
sport utility vehicles (SUVs) that are selling well internationally the
Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia and Acadia Denali.
Furthermore, the Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant located just
south of downtown Lansing manufactures the classy Cadillac CTS
sedan and the ATS compact, both of which are also selling well
internationally. The presence of these manufacturing giants has helped
9

to transform Greater Lansing into a major American industrial center

for the manufacturing of automobiles and automobile parts among
other industries. These industrial centers need skilled workers at all
levels, and they require at least an Associate's Degree or skilled trades
certifications to work in them. The Lansing Community College is one
of the institutions in the region that is providing this skilled training.
Also, LCC is helping to train students who will fill positions in the other
sectors of employment in Michigan.
According to Lansings 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,
the top employers in Greater Lansing are:
The State of Michigan, 14,355 (employees)
Michigan State University, 11,218
Sparrow Health System, 7,400
General Motors, 3,688 (including the auto manufacturing plants
previously mentioned)
Lansing Community College 3,180
McLaren Greater Lansing Hospital, 2,500
Lansing School District, 2,106
Meijer Corporation, 2,000
Auto Owners Insurance
Peckham Industries, 1,400
Demographics:
Of the people who live in Lansing and the surrounding region, as of the
2010 U.S. Census (Ingham County QuickFacts and Lansing, Michigan
QuickFacts, 2010), there were 48,579 people, 14,774 households, and
4,811 families residing in Lansing. The population density was 3,574.6
inhabitants per square mile (1,380.2 /km2). There were 15,787 housing
units at an average density of 1,161.7 per square mile (448.5 /km2).
10

The racial makeup of the city was 78.4% White, 6.8% African American,
0.3% Native American, 10.6% Asian, 1.0% from other races, and 2.9%
from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.4% of
the population.
Of the 14,774 households, 13.8% had children under the age of 18
living with them, 24.7% were living together, 5.6% had a female
householder with no husband present, 2.2% had a male householder
with no wife present, and 67.4% were non-families. 33.3% of all
households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living
alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.80.
The median age in the city was 21.6 years. 7.5% of residents were
under the age of 18; 62.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24;
14.6% were from 25 to 44; 9.2% were from 45 to 64; and 6.4% were 65
years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male
and 51.5% female.
As educators review these statistics, they should be reflected upon
with the thought of educating all of these individuals in order to best
improve the quality of life in this region.
What are other positive projections and incentives for students?
Economically, as previously noted, the area is diversified among
government service, healthcare, manufacturing, insurance, banking,
and education. In addition to the automotive industrial success
previously mentioned, there are a number of renewal projects
expected to take place in coming years in and around Mid-Michigan
that will employ hundreds of skilled workers, and the technical
students from the Lansing Community College and private schools in
the area will subsequently have a variety of valuable career
opportunities.
This growth is also predicted to encourage urban renewal projects for
11

high end office and retail construction to accommodate companies

such as Motor Wheel, old industrial firms, the renovation of the historic
Hollister Building in downtown Lansing, and the expansion of the
former Abrams Aerial Building. Also, Lansings downtown historic and
prominent Knapp's building in downtown Lansing, built in the 1940s,
was vacant for over 20 years, and has now been refurbished, retaining
its historic exterior, to be the site of a fashion incubator, an excellent
setting for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math)
students in the local colleges and universities. Re-opened in December
2014, the Knapps Center will also house first floor retail, office space,
apartments and condominiums.
Given the variables that have been described, it is projected that the
earning power and income of Lansing area residents will continue to
increase as the economy improves. All of these advantages will spur
growth and job opportunities for the graduates of the local colleges
and universities. It will be important for the educational institutions to
encourage their creative class of graduates to consider remaining in
this region to contribute to the economic base and growth, and fuel
innovation with the array of entrepreneurial ventures they may
develop as they prepare themselves for their careers. 2015 student
enrollment is also expected to increase at the area colleges and
universities as it has in recent years.
As has been stated, the demand is present, and more jobs are being
created. The area will need highly skilled, well-educated and qualified
graduates to fill them and the Lansing Community College is refining
its academy to better fulfill the needs of all of its students.
THE ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
There is staff buy-in and resources to support Operation 100%
at LCC
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The Faculty and Staff

In addition, faculty and staff teams will meet to explore creative ways
of internal and external synergy, growth and development:

Career Exploration
Adventure tours of businesses, job shadowing beyond Take Your

Child to Work Day

* Career research class what alternatives are really out there in

the students area of interest/related job opportunities

Career research starting in Grades K 3; and repeated and

developed in future years

Increase exposure to entrepreneurs and the connection with job

creation Career Days

College campus tours for lower grades, include lunch with

current students, to see what college is like in their interest area

Interesting speakers, perhaps from the business community
Parents tell what they do in their childs class
Take advantage of on-line career webinars offered at student
rates ($399 / $99)
Marketing

Changing the label from vocational/vocational tech to CTE

(Center for Teaching Excellence) within the educational system
and to reach out to legislators, parents/responsible adults,
business community, etc.; RE-BRAND

Change the perceptions communicated about jobs, i.e. that

manufacturing, companies have dirty jobs

Challenge to others in addition to the school systems to move

LCC's messages forward: churches, YMCA, Girl & Boy Scouts,
parks & recreation programs,

Harrison Elementary Grand Rapids school where

colleges/universities have adopted hallways to:

13

Promote industry-specific education offerings

Promote entrepreneurial training opportunities & competitions,

for example: Generation E, Clinton County Economic Alliance
Young Entrepreneurs Competition

Examine remedies to the current cost sof transportation,

especially the dual high school/LCC course held at LCC West or
downtown. and students have no transportation options to get
there

Career Readiness

Perform hands-on aptitude testing/activities (welding testing

Connect aptitudes to the region

"Pilot" classes so that students visit classes and see what college
is like in their interest area

Business leader education - see the value of mentorships

Starting earlier than 7-8 grades: Emphasis on importance of

STEAM (science, technology, education, art and mathematics)
basics for STEAM careers

As we reflect on the resources needed for the Lansing Community

College to establish a firm framework for Operation 100%, it is
necessary to take a circumspect look at all of the college and
community based programs in which the institution is currently
involved. LCC has a number of projects underway that provide
resources needed to establish Operation 100%, and aid the current
status of the institution. With the Gateways to Completion (G2C) pilot
program, and the Coalition for College and Career Readiness (C3R)

14

efforts, the college has accessed the student success data they need
to improve assessment at all levels of the institution.
The G2C pilot program, which is being governed by a lead faculty
member and a G2C Steering Committee that she oversees, has begun
examining the Year 2 data which the Center for Data Science is
assessing. The Director recently shared with the LCC leadership, at the
conclusion of the first year of G2C, that 4 of the 5 courses have already
increased student success, helping the students lower their drop, fail,
withdraw, incomplete numbers (DFWI) (LCC, 2015). The faculty of the
courses are being commended for their fine work and efforts. The five
gateway courses are:
1) ACCG 210 Principles of Accounting
2) BIOL 121 - Biology Foundation for Physiology
3) HIST 212 - U.S. History: 1877 to present
4) MATH 112 Intermediate Algebra; and
5) WRIT121 Composition I
Similarly, the Coalition for College and Career Readiness (C3R), is
building on existing resources, including Career and Technical
Education, the Capital Area College Access Network, the Power of WE,
The Early College, High School Diploma Completion Initiative, and the
Promise Programs: Hope Scholars, Holt Scholars, Lansing Promise,
Mason Scholars, Leslie Aspire and Edgewood Scholars (LCC, 2014).
C3R is an initiative of the Lansing Community College Board of
Trustees, and is led by the Provost and Senior Vice President for
Academic Affairs; the Associate Vice President for Academic and
Student Affairs, the Director of K-12 Relations; a Lead Support in K-12
Relations; and an English Professor (LCC, 2014).
15

The funding for these efforts is strategically allotted in the LCC 201415 General Fund Budget. Within the AQIP categories and timeline,
LCC's Board of Trustees and campus community believe
implementation of the Strategic Plan is the optimal way for the
institution to move forward. Following the adoption of the Strategic
Plan by the Board of Trustees in March 2013, the College began to
design a framework for implementation. Every campus department
must be involved, and participate in the implementation of the
Strategic Plan through a series of cross functional work teams defined
by the six overarching strategic goals (LCC, 2014):
Learning
Student Success
Leadership,
Culture, and Communication
Community Engagement
Competitiveness and Innovation
Resource Management and Fiscal Responsibility

WHAT CONCEPTUAL MODELS WILL HELP MOUNT THIS CHANGE AT LCC

Each of the distinct objectives of these programs, Operation 100%,
C3R, and the G2C pilot program, will involve the college maintaining
the respective overarching goals. The progress of each will be
presented to the campus community and the Higher Learning
Commission (HLC) as introductions, and ongoing reports, on the
projects. The ultimate length of time will be defined by the most
immediate needs of the institution as the projects and progress are
assessed.

16

There are a variety of theoretical approaches to change and culture

that aid institutional transformation. For the LCC Operation 100%
initiative, Kurt Lewin's Change Model provides a linear approach that
would aid this progressive strategy. Lewin's Model informs that there
are three stages necessary to manage change: "unfreeze, transition,
and refreeze" (Normandin, 2012). In this regard, each of the distinct
objectives of Operation 100%, which includes the C3R, and the G2C
pilot programs being unfolded currently as well, form the unfreezing
dynamic. The LCC leadership, faculty, staff, students, and the
community are engaging in a realization of the need to change - to
broaden the scope of student innovation and progress. The next steps
over the coming three to five years will then inform the building blocks
of a solid transition to higher productivity and student success. Finally,
as a sense of continuity and partnership becomes commonplace, a
sense of comfort will be restored, and the college can "refreeze"
around the shared objectives and sustainability developed to maintain
the overarching goals of Operation 100%.
The leadership qualities that are most important throughout this
process include:
The ability to inspire and motivate the faculty, staff and leadership in
the pursuit of the Operation 100% initiative;
The ability to oversee and reflectively evaluate the process as it is
being carried out by the various departments and personnel;
The ability to be resilient, patient and instructive when staff exhibit
resistance to change, or when unintended consequences occur in the
midst of the process (Garvin and Roberto, 2011);
The ability to lead through each stage of the process with the end
result in mind;

17

 The staying power to see the process through, given that Operation
100% may take at least five years to complete the transformation, and
additional years to fully realize, evaluate, and adjust the outcomes.
As stated by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne regarding Tipping
Point leadership, "In any organization, once the beliefs and energies of
a critical mass of people are engaged, conversion to a new idea will
spread like an epidemic" (Kim and Mauborgne, HBR, 2012). Our
leadership of Operation 100% will optimally achieve the aim of
engaging new energies, beliefs and a critical mass of the people who
will be a part of the development and the outcomes of this initiative at
the Lansing Community College.
Furthermore, building a sustainable environment will be key to the
success of this endeavor. This will mean adopting the educational and
business strategies and activities that meet the needs of the enterprise
currently, LCC's stakeholders today, and will protect, sustain and
enhance the campus and community resources that will be needed in
insure ongoing success in the future.
Communication will also be important as the progress of each
component is rolled out and the projects and progress are assessed.
As Kotter acknowledged, change management is different from change
leadership, and the two are not interchangeable. Change management
initiates basic tools or structures that will insure that change, likely
small-scale, intricate change, is handled properly. There is hope that
change management will lessen the distractions and impacts that may
occur. Change leadership, on the other hand, establishes vision, and
transformative and driving forces for fuel large-scale change (Kotter,
2011). At the Lansing Community College both of these change forces
18

are in place, and it will be important for the leadership to continue to

exercise them to insure smooth actualization of Operation 100%.
Aguirre noted that change management teams have a low success
rate, as low as 54%, and that a contributing factor to this might well be
change fatigue. She notes that one of the mistakes that change
managers make is to think that communication is the same thing as
engagement. While both are extremely important, they are very
different. In an environment of change fatigue, staff can also develop
diminishing morale. For this reason, at LCC it is critical to encourage
the ongoing success of the G2C pilot program and the C3R student
success initiative. The energy, and highly specialized personnel that
gather around each of these programs will help to keep the
communication and engagement extending throughout the leadership
and departments of the college. While the message is the same - that
we want Operation 100% to be a fully encompassing success - the
components and parts of these various projects and initiatives will help
communicate it at deeper levels that reach every layer of the
organization.
"More effective is the approach of changing the culture by first
observing the cultural strengths, and using them to the fullest benefit
of the organization. It is then important to unleash the power of the
"special forces", the respected leaders who instill pride and can help
communication and engagement at various levels of organization. The
"special forces" might include a CEO and senior management team,
middle manager can walk in the shoes of and understand, the staff;
and the frontline staff who are the face to the organization and a
connection to the community (Aguirre, 2014).

19

As Aguirre wisely noted, effective change experts are needed as

counsel to provide expert guidance, and LCC's Provost, special
committees, task forces, and expert personnel hired to oversee the
various processes will serve as the special forces and change experts
needed as we progress in the unfolding of Operation 100%.

STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR CHANGE - WHO'S ON FIRST?

The Strategic Issue
The Lansing Community College has 21,969 students, 5,830 full-time,
and 16,139 part-time. It has 100% enrollment of its students, but its
failure rates coincide with the national average of up to 50%, largely
due to the fact that 60% of the students who enter the college are not
academically prepared for college courses, and are first in need of
remedial courses and gateway courses to insure their ultimate
academic success. As a means of addressing this concern, in 2013 LCC
was selected by the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in
Undergraduate Education to be one of 12 Founding Institutions for the
pilot of the Gardner Institute's Gateways to Completion (G2C)
initiative. The G2C structured course transformation process that
encouraged faculty and staff at LCC to analyze student and
institutional performance in lower-division gateway courses (LCC,
2013).
As a part of the pilot project, LCC is focusing on five high-risk courses:
1) ACCG 210 Principles of Accounting
2) BIOL 121 - Biology Foundation for Physiology
3) HIST 212 - U.S. History: 1877 to present
4) MATH 112 Intermediate Algebra; and
5) WRIT121 Composition I
20

This analysis will inform the creation of evidenced-based course

transformation plans that LCC will subsequently implement (LCC,
2013). The gateway courses enroll large numbers of undergraduate
students, and the failure rates in these often exceed 40% and 50%.
LCC joined 11 other G2C Founding Institutions in this effort from across
the United States: American Public University System; Arkansas Tech
University; Ashford University; Florida International University;
Kennesaw State University; Lansing Community College; Lone Star
College North Harris; Metropolitan State University Denver; Nevada
State College; North Dakota State University; University of Houston
Downtown; and the University of Rhode Island.
Like LCC, these institutions have faced similar challenges in student
success, retention, and completion of gateway courses.
The G2C pilot initiative is an example of LCC's ongoing commitment for
excellence, and since it's founding in 1957 the College has sought to
recruit, support and aid the success of students from across MidMichigan. LCC has a multitude of first generation students who are
eager to get ahead, but their lack of preparedness impedes their
success rates as they seek to complete technical degree programs, or
transfer to four-year colleges and universities. LCC has established
good relationships with four-year institutions throughout Michigan and
the nation, and it has achieved respect and support from the
community and its stakeholders.
Operation 100%, about which discussions began at the Lansing
Community College in late 2014, and which will be implemented over a
number of years toward completion, and ultimate assessment, is a
bold initiative that will take LCC to a higher level of achievement
21

towards student success ratios and outcomes. However, certainly it is

a process of intensive organizational change at all levels of the
institution.
Also,alignobjectiveswiththestrategicfocusfoundintheLCC20132016StrategicPlan.Herearethe
currentobjectives:

EconomicImpactSurvey

ContinueAdultdoorway(AdultBridgeProgram,PACEInitiative)

PursueGEDTestingCenter

ServiceLearning(CollegeWide)

Apprenticeships,Internships,andCommunityVolunteers

ImplementCRMtoolCollegeWide

ResearchCommunityEngagementOfficetofacilitate

CoalitionforCareerandCollegeReadiness(C3R)

Strategic Planning Goals for Improvement

The Lansing Community College is a member of, and accredited by,
the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). LCC is involved in the HLCs
Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) as a means to
continuously improve accreditation (LCC, 2013). The Strategic Plan,
2013-16 establishes a framework of improvement that the college
hopes to fulfill. As a part of the strategic initiatives, LCC surveyed
faculty and staff to discover the areas in which they would
recommended improvement. The survey, conducted by the Higher
Education Survey of Employee Engagement (HESEE) will help the

22

College create a well-defined understanding of the areas that require

the most improvement.
One of the strategic change initiatives being introduced for
implementation is Operation 100%, a student success initiative, also
entitled: Achieving Excellence in Student Learning and Success at
Lansing Community College. This initiative, recommended by the
recently appointed Provost, is an inspiring vision of focus for LCC, a
college that has always sought to highly support its students.
The LCC Provost established a Strategic Planning Team, and they
worked with him to identify the ways in which Operation 100% will aid
and expand upon LCCs overarching mission, vision and goals. If done
well, Operation 100% has the capacity to capture the loops of the
mission and goals, and it can help to create a legacy for the Lansing
Community College, and for the community and stakeholders that it
serves. The Provost has successfully initiated Operation 100% at other
colleges,
The Strategic Planning Team includes a consultant and advisors hired
to work with the College on this initiative. One of the advisors is Dr.
Robert Johnstone, the founder and President of the National Center for
Inquiry & Improvement (NCII). Dr. Johnstone spoke at the annual
Michigan Student Success Summit held at Michigan State University in
September 2014 (MCCA, 2014).
Additionally the Academic Senate will aid in the planning team
oversight, and the Vice President for Student Success and Engagement
will help to maximize student learning and success, working with
Gateways to Completion, Achieving the Dream, and creating
institution-wide outcomes based on the Association of American
23

Colleges and Universities(AAC&U) Essential Learning Outcomes (LCC,

2014).
In addition, LCC will host a series of campus-wide discussions for
faculty and staff this semester on the following important topics:
February 6 Strategic Plan Status Update and Operation 100%
February 13 Operation 100% and Climate Survey Results
February 20 Operation 100% and Data Informed Decision-making
February 27 Strategic Plan Projects Years 2 and 3

In a quest to involve the students in this important planning

continuum, the LCC Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society/Student Life Office
is developing a student-driven Commit to Complete initiative that
coincides with Operation 100% (LCC, 2014).
Commit to Complete, or C4, will work to increase student success by
informing all students about the benefits of completing a
credential/degree and the consequences of not completing. Operation
100% has already inspired these students, just by its example as it is
being implemented, that commitment and completion are worthy
goals, and it can be anticipated that in five years this organizational
commitment will yield great success for student retention, completion
and career success.
Implementation Initiatives, Milestones, and Strategies
If one were to anticipate an "elevator speech" for Operation 100%, it
would include the idea that we imagine all of the students entering the
Lansing Community College, including those that are academically
24

challenged or underprepared, completing college with a full sense of

the accomplishment of their goals. This can be done with the
commitment of all segments of the College, and particularly with
complete focus, attentiveness and enthusiasm being rendered by the
faculty, staff and leadership.
Following are initiatives recommended to help aid this commitment:
Initiative #1: Enhance campus belief in the concept of 100% success
by initiatiating forums, media, slogans, and champions for the cause
among students, faculty and staff to form the artifacts around the idea.
Also, increase the faculty understanding of the concept and help them
determine the ways in which their work can, or does currently, aid the
goal of 100% success for all degree track or transfer students. Remind
faculty that increased faculty scholarship means increased student
scholarship. To this end, the Provost will hold professional activity days
with faculty to fully immerse them in the culture and the possibilities of
Operation 100%. Furthermore, the Provost will encourage the Deans
and faculty to aid in identifying and filling all teaching positions with
quality faculty which will strengthen the academic force of the College
as it gears up to demonstrate 100% excellence in educating its
students. There must be no barriers to attracting and bringing in highly
qualified candidates. In addition, all current faculty will be assessed for
effectiveness, and all will be encouraged to align their skills and
commitment with the mission of Operation 100%.
Initiative #2: Conduct a Climate Survey among students, faculty and
staff to gather candid, anecdotal input that can aid in the discussions,
and gather and publish the results by February 2015.
Initiative #3: Align the LCC leadership and faculty with the key
components of the Operation 100% roll-out plan, including multi-year
25

goals following implementation, the driving questions that

implementation will inspire, and key institutional commitments. Also,
as the faculty observe their progress in improving student outcomes,
work to aid their strategies for mapping that progress.
Initiative #4: Establish an intensive student intake process. The
admissions staff and support services divisions must identify, before
the early warning system (EWS) becomes involved - and ideally before
the student steps into the classroom - the risks that the student might
be facing. The student's application form will then be revised to
identify the risk factors, so that faculty and support services can aid
the student immediately. In addition, the College must establish
Essential Learning Outcomes (ELOs) as developed by the American
Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), and accompany
them with high-impact practices for engaging the students.
HOW WILL WE COMMUNICATE IT?
A Synergistic, Collegial Communications Plan
Bold Leadership
There must be synergy at all levels for the ultimate programs to
succeed in mutual fulfillment of the goals of improving success rates
that LCC is seeking for its students. Michigan's Governor Rick Snyder
has applauded community colleges as a prime resource for training
current and future skilled trades men and women (SOM, 2015), and the
Lansing Community College wants to be up to the effort. At LCC the
executive officers are in agreement that Operation 100% is a seamless
approach that bodes well for the furtherance of student success. The
Provost is communicating the plan, and inviting input from the
Academic Senate, faculty, staff and students. A Committee and an
26

administrative consulting team have been assembled to work closely

on the implementation of the three-year program development. As
change management strategists Garvin and Roberto (2011) indicated,
"Like a political campaign, a persuasive campaign is largely one of
differentiation from the past." The communication challenge of the
planning team and college leadership will be to inspire forward thinking
momentum, even in the instances where the strategies, processes and
outcomes are very different from what LCC has experienced in the
past.
The LCC President is initiating a StrategyForum,duringwhichanLCCclimate
survey,conductedbyLCCsCenterforDataScience,willaidinLCCdeveloping.
The campus print and online newsletters will be used to regularly share
the positive, intrinsic developments of the program. LCC-TV will also
hold forums and live interviews to share with the college community,
and it will re-air the programs regularly. The LCC Phi Theta Kappa
Honor Society/Student Life Office will also broadly disseminate the
information, the benefits and invite commentary and participation from
the students via news vehicles and web media. As the implementation
develops, and the progress can be assessed, the Lansing local print
and electronic media, and social media, will also broadcast the
progress to the community, to the state and local governments and to
local, state and federal stakeholders
Meetings will be held weekly with a variety of groups on campus,
including the governing boards, administrators, faculty, staff, students,
and each LCC department. The Provost will lead this charge, with the
assistance of the Operation 100% Committee and consultants.

WHEN WILL WE KNOW WE HAVE IT RIGHT?

27

Evaluation Strategies for Tracking the Initiative

How will LCC know if Operation 100% is on track? A new position,
Executive Director for Enrollment Management and Program
Innovation, has been filled. This position will oversee enrollment
management and program innovations in order to carefully evaluate
how Operation 100% goals and methods are being implemented, and
how successfully they are addressing student outcomes.
In addition, a more intensive intake process will help students identify
which programs they would most enjoy, have the aptitude for, or most
intense interest to master, and it will provide them the opportunity to
observe a course in this field, in real time, so they can further predetermine their ultimate level of interest.
Evaluation Process
The Provost and the Committee will evaluate the effectiveness of the
communications as the implementation progresses, and the Provost
will share progress reports bi-weekly with the Academic Senate and
college leadership. The program will be monitored and evaluated with
the goal of maintaining flexibility as it unfolds. The Provost, Academic
Senate, leadership, faculty, staff and students will all have a stake in
recommending modifications that will be considered quickly, and
implemented where appropriate. During this three-year process, and
ongoing evaluative observation, the Gateways to Completion (G2C)
and the Coalition for College and Career Readiness (C3R) programs will
similarly be monitored and assessed, and it is hoped that the program
successes in each of the three areas will ultimately augment the efforts
of Operation 100%. Furthermore, the Committee and lead staff will

28

create a report to be provided in the summer of 2015 to build

awareness among external stakeholders as progress is ongoing.

Moving forward, questions to be anticipated will include:

* Direct assessment of students - might there be better ways for
student placements?
* Faculty empowerment - will faculty be encouraged to provide input
throughout the implementation process, given that many will likely
"think outside the box" as they experiment in good faith, with
innovative ways to teach their students?
* As in Dr. W. Edwards Deming's Red Bead Experiment (Demings,
2014), how will faculty and administrators know when their "best
efforts" are not reaching the goals of excellence that Operation 100%
promises? The answer to this question may be found in the diligent
learning outcomes assessments, but are there other methods or
indicators?
As Operation 100% evolves, the Lansing Community College will also
grow through organizational change, operationally and institutionally,
from this and other student learning, and student success-oriented
projects. It is hoped that each of these efforts will culminate in a
synergistic whole.

TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP

29

As I reflect on the leadership skills and traits needed to effectively

initiate the ambitious change that Operation 100% will create at LCC, I
consider also my own leadership style and philosophy. I believe that
community college leaders must be flexible, ethical, insightful,
sensitive, and well-informed individuals. They must be willing to
establish a foundation upon which others and the institution can build
that will create for everyone a strong and lasting future. Sustainability
is key. It is important that we value the opportunity to make a lasting
difference, and that we believe that we can.
Much is changing in the world of community colleges, as it is in our
society, and with these shifts come challenges and therefore
opportunities that community colleges might not have encountered in
the past. I believe that good leaders must be circumspect and
continually aware of these new realities, and that they must think
deeply about what best guides their institutions.
LCC will need leaders that energize and mobilize its people to help
Operation 100%, succeed and reach its highest potential. Every
individual is important, and together we facilitate successful outcomes
as teams within the organization.
It is clear that Lansing, the Lansing Community College, and, indeed,
the state of Michigan cannot wait. They must strive forward in their
quest to uplift the minds and educational status and achievements of
their people. If they do not, then we will eventually need to question
the need for, or the efficacy of ineffective learning institutions that do
not ultimately serve the greater good. We as educators must not let
that happen.

30

Sound planning, accountability, sustainability and quality measures will

be key components in the collective contributions of all of the leaders,
faculty and staff at the Lansing Community College as we tackle this
opportunity to effect lasting and transformational change at LCC.

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