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About Blue Ridge

Blue Ridge Community College is a two-year, comprehensive post-secondary institution located in the mountains of western North Carolina. It serves Henderson and Transylvania counties.

Blue Ridge Community College

Offers more than 100 degrees, diplomas, and certificates in 30 areas of study.
Offers a wide range of college transfer courses.
Has articulation programs with four-year colleges and universities.
Provides one of the largest Continuing Education programs in the state.

Many students take advantage of scholarships offered through the College’s Educational Foundation or receive assistance from grants and loans.

BRCC maintains an extensive lineup of technical programs designed to prepare students for successful careers in nursing, automotive technology, law enforcement, emergency response, engineering technology, machining technology, and many others.

Chartered in 1969, the College is one of 58 public institutions within the North Carolina Community College System. It operates under the leadership of a president and a 15-member board of trustees. The mission of the College is to empower individuals with knowledge and skills to enrich our communities and build a competitive workforce.

Blue Ridge places a high value on cultural, gender, racial, and ethnic diversity.

Blue Ridge Community College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award the Associate in Arts Degree (A.A.), the Associate in Science Degree (A.S.), the Associate in Engineering Degree (A.E.), the Associate in Fine Arts Degree (A.F.A.), the Associate in General Education (A.G.E.), and the Associate in Applied Science Degree (A.A.Sc.). Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call (404) 679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Blue Ridge Community College.

Blue Ridge Community College is an accredited member of the North Carolina Community College System and all programs offered by the College have been approved by the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges.

The Associate Degree Nursing Program is approved by the North Carolina State Board of Nursing.

The Surgical Technology Program is approved by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs.

The Early Childhood Program is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

The Emergency Medical Science Program is credentialed as a North Carolina Advanced EMS Education Institution by the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services.

The Emergency Medical Technician—Paramedic program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.

The Annual Report recaps the College’s accomplishments. It spotlights our students, award recipients, and donors. In addition, the report offers ways to connect to the College and its Educational Foundation.

In an effort to be good stewards of the environment, as well as our resources, we print a limited number of copies of the Annual Report.

If you would like to request a copy of the current edition, contact the Educational Foundation at brccef@blueridge.edu or (828) 694-1710 and we will be happy to send you one.

2018-2019 Annual Report

Blue Ridge Community College is one of 58 institutions that operate under the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges.

On July 21, 1969, Henderson County Technical Institute, a public two-year institution, was granted its charter by the North Carolina State Board of Education. The first full-time curriculum classes were offered on September 14, 1970. Nine years later, the designation of “Institute” was changed to “College.” The Board of Trustees approved the current name, Blue Ridge Community College, on September 14, 1987.

Mission, Vision and Values

Our Mission

Blue Ridge Community College empowers individuals with knowledge and skills to
enrich our communities and build a competitive workforce.

Our Vision

Transforming lives through the power of learning.

Our Values

Student Success

We are committed to the success of our students by adhering to the highest levels of academic and professional standards.

Integrity

We demonstrate the ideals of honesty, fairness and ethical behavior in all situations and circumstances.

Excellence

We are dedicated to continuous improvement and providing the highest quality teaching, training, and service to our community.

Responsibility

We accept responsibility for our actions and decisions and are accountable to our students, communities and the generations who come after us.

Adaptability

We are responsive and innovative when meeting the changing needs of our communities.

Our Goals

Strategic Goal 1

Create a long-term vision for campus facilities that supports our mission, advances our vision, and responds to community needs.

Strategic Goal 2

Grow our community partnerships and outreach in order to broaden our impact on the communities we serve.

Strategic Goal 3

In support of myFutureNC, increase the number of post-secondary credentials awarded in furtherance of a strong workforce pipeline.

Strategic Goal 4

Develop a workplace environment that reflects our mission, vision, and values and cultivates highly engaged employees.

Strategic Goal 5

Improve services and processes to increase operational efficiencies and conserve resources.

2020-2025 Strategic Plan

Strategic Goal 1: Create a long-term vision for campus facilities that supports our mission, advances our vision, and responds to community needs.

Sub-goal 1: Create a 5-year Master Facilities Plan for all Blue Ridge locations.

Action Steps:

Conduct a needs assessment.
Review the current Facilities Master Plan.
Prioritize needs based on assessment.
Identify related equipment/technology needed for facilities
Develop a new Facilities Master Plan
Determine KPIs for this goal.
Develop sub-goal 2 based on information obtained in action steps 1-5.

Intended Outcomes:

Needs assessment results are available
Prioritization of needs is complete.
New Facilities Master Plan is complete.
New Facilities Master Plan receives approval of the Board of Trustees
KPIs will be identified and added to SP dashboard.
Sub-goal #2 has been developed

Date for Completion: July 2021

Team Members: Vice President for General Administration (Chair) and team TBD

2025 Target: All campuses have been evaluated and updated to meet community needs.

KPIs: Will be determined by task force.

Strategic Goal #2: Grow our community partnerships and outreach in order to broaden our impact on the communities we serve.

Sub-goal 1: Create an inventory of existing partners and identify gaps/opportunities.

Action Steps:

Gather partnership data from various departments across the College.
Create a compiled list of all community partners.
Identify gaps in the list.
Create a centralized tracking system for updating and revising the list moving forward.
Determine KPIs for this goal.
Develop sub-goal 2 based on information obtained in action steps 1, 2 and 3.

Intended Outcomes:

Baseline number of partners has been determined.
Gaps have been identified.
Tracking system has been developed.
KPIs will be identified and added to SP dashboard.
Sub-goal 2 has been developed.

Date for Completion: December 2020

Team Members: Vice President for Workforce Development (Chair) and team TBD.

2025 Target: 30% increase in community partnerships

KPIs: Will be determined by task force.

Strategic Goal #3: In support of myFutureNC, increase the number of post-secondary credentials awarded in furtherance of a strong workforce pipeline.

Sub-goal 1: Determine the number of post-secondary credentials currently being awarded (3 year trend) and identify areas for growth.

Action Steps:

Gather data from departments across college to get a holistic view of all the post-secondary credentials currently being awarded at the College.
Identify gaps and potential opportunities for increasing the number of credentials awarded.Develop sub-goal 2 based on information obtained in action steps 1 and 2.

Intended Outcomes:

List of credentials currently being awarded and number awarded of each (3 years).
Gaps and opportunities for increases have been identified.
Sub-goal 2 has been developed.

Target Date for Completion: December 2020

Team Members: Vice President for Instruction (Chair) and team TBD.

2025 Target: 30% increase in number of post-secondary credentials awarded

KPIs:
Number of curriculum credentials awarded
Number of continuing education credentials awarded

Strategic Goal #4: Develop a workplace environment that reflects our mission, vision, and values and cultivates highly engaged employees.

Sub-goal 1: Participate in the Great College to Work For Survey and develop a plan to improve employee engagement based on survey results.

Action Steps:

Register to participate in the survey.
Market the survey to employees.
Offer incentives for participation.
Set a goal of 90% participation and reward employees if we reach that goal.
Review results and develop a plan for increasing employee engagement levels.
Develop sub-goal 2 based on #5.

Outcomes:

Survey implemented
90% participation rate is achieved
Plan for improvement is developed.
Sub-goal 2 is developed.

Date for Completion: December 2021

Team Members: Human Resources Director (Chair) and team TBD.

2025 Target: Increase employee engagement levels to 100%

KPIs:
Employee retention data
Great Colleges to Work For Survey Results

Strategic Goal #5: Improve services and processes to increase operational efficiencies and conserve resources.

Sub-goal 1: Each department will determine at least one operational process to improve and develop a plan for improvement.

Action Steps:

Departments will meet to brainstorm and identify problem areas.
Departments will develop a plan for improvement for the identified areas.
Departments will identify a metric that will be tracked as evidence for improvement.
VPs will report out a list of planned improvements for their divisions.
Determine KPIs for this goal.
Sub-goal 2 will be developed based on action steps 1-3.

Outcomes:

VPs will have reported planned improvements for their divisions to leadership at June 2020 meeting.
KPIs will be identified and added to SP dashboard.
Sub-goal 2 will be developed.

Date for Completion: June 2020

Team Members: Vice President for Student Services (Chair) and team TBD.

2025 Target: Increase operational efficiencies by 30%

KPIs: Will be determined by task force.

Blue Ridge Community College Planning Guide

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: Blue Ridge continues to monitor the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak. Find the latest information at this link