ECC Holds Future Summit

Joshua German| Reporter

 On Jan. 18, East Central College had a Strategic Planning event called a Future Summit. The event was designed to use community input to create a new strategic plan for East Central College’s Strategic Planning Initiative, SOAR to 2024.

 Impact Statements for ECC were made at the Future Summit to set goals that would completed by the end of the SOAR to 2024 event. Impact statements are created when a statement of future fact is added to a consequence and/or opportunity for ECC.

  The summit was planned by the Strategic Planning committee; led by tri-chairs Megan Elbert, Dr. Wendy Pecka and Dr. Michelle Smith. More than 200 people were registered to attend; including ECC faculty, students and community members.

   The summit began with “EdTalks” from invited guests. The first speaker, Mr. Donn Sorensen, spoke about the importance of such practices as keeping rigor in logic, servant leadership, and maintaining transparency.

   Dr. Steve Weinhold, Mrs. Christina King and Mr. Gregory Stotler also had interesting presentations one utilizing the topical Jim Collins quote, “Great vision without great people is irrelevant”.

   After the “EdTalks”, the attendees were split into different break-out sessions and tasked with creating impact statements the Strategic Planning Committee could use in the future.

  These discussions led to the Strategic Planning Committee coming up with a general “story” of the Future Summit created through the group feedback which was read by Liz Murphy, Chairwoman and Chief Evangelist of CampusWorks.

  It was a lengthy but important list of goals for ECC, and it included statements about what the attendees wanted ECC to be by 2024.

  “A trusted partner in the Missouri education system.”

  “Students will be part of a peer-to-peer mentoring network and guided by their personal advisor, who will be with them throughout their educational endeavors.”

   “ECC will be the lynchpin in the region’s economic development and touted as a jewel in the recruitment of new business to the region.”