Pillar III: Operational Excellence

• Establish a compensation and benefits philosophy and conduct a comprehensive study to inform compensation and benefits strategies (completed).
• Establish comprehensive institutional professional development and training programs aligned with the performance management program. 
• Develop and execute strategies to gain corporate and/or foundation support. 
• Design and implement cross-training programs to support business continuity, collaboration, “one-stop” processes and services, and enable career lattices. 
• Conduct a review of the faculty handbook in an effort to promote academic freedom and support shared governance, while reflecting the current higher education landscape, operational needs, and needs of Westminster’s students, faculty, and staff.

1. Design and implement cross-training program:
   • Implement required business/service continuity cross-training for identified high-priority, high-risk, and/or key student facing processes and services.
   • Execute structured, rotational cross-training program across key functions for:
     1. Student services (e.g., registrar, financial aid, student accounts), and
     2. Employee services (e.g., HR, business office) 
   • Pilot program with high-potential individuals, three to four months per functional area. 
2. Create college-wide new-hire training that is structured and phased across first year; should be related to performance management program and achievement of key goals and objectives by phase.
3. Establish Professional Development and Training Plan, including initial and ongoing technology training, resources (dollars) for supplemental training and professional conferences, etc.: Aligned with performance management program. 

• Implement institution-wide business process assessment, redesign, and documentation effort. 
• Create, communicate, train, and monitor an institutional data governance model. 
• Conduct bi-annual IT security and architectural assessments. 
• Develop a strategic communication plan that address various constituencies’ needs (e.g., alumni, students, faculty, staff, and government representatives) across key priorities, including: 
  • Crisis communications. 
  • Distribution protocols. 
  • Faculty/staff internal communications. 
  • Student communications, incorporating student input, developing multi-channel strategies focused on enhancing efficacy and engagement. 
• Establish goals as related to institutional events, develop strategies, and utilize College and ANCM events to achieve those goals, including enhancing communication, community, and growing institutional brand as well as brand awareness.
• Implement leading practices and protocols to further support Board efficiency. 
• Refresh the enterprise risk management (“ERM”) program that includes change management protocols and processes. 
• In-House Custodial Program to improve quality of service to the College community. Continue to enhance overall plant, maintenance, and security operations for the campus and its many constituencies.

• Design and execute multi tactic plan to provide students better access to higher-quality, usable athletic and recreational facilities, including, but not limited to, refurbishment or expansion of current facilities, new facility development, and partnerships with local schools and recreation centers, as well as enhancing summer availability and access.
• Develop new and/or invest in the development of modernized, accessible, student-centric social spaces on campus that support student engagement, support our future DEI initiatives, and accelerate on-going retention efforts. 
• Develop phased plans to revitalize residential spaces that support more robust living-and-learning communities (for Fraternity/Sorority Life and Independents), including after-hours and 24/7- accessible spaces.
• Integrate academic strategic plans with physical master plan to enable and adequately support a world class teaching and learning environment.
• Appropriately address deferred maintenance and basic facility needs to support campus and enable Westminster to continue to attract talented faculty, staff and students.
• Continue to integrate strategies and tactics of ANCM into the College’s strategic, operational, and financial plans.

Review of the final draft of the master plan and collection of recommendations occurred in spring 2022. The master plan spans the next 20 to 25 years of facilities development to coincide with the Strategic Plan initiatives and anticipated needs.