SwVCC

A warm welcome to Southwest Virginia Community College’s home on the internet!

This is an exciting time for Southwest, as we begin to set a course for a future that is powered by the winds of change.  Although there is a legacy of many things that are right with the college, change, as the saying goes, is the only constant.  An old friend once told me, “when you are through changing, you’re through!”

Planning for change is important for Southwest to move ever closer to achieving status as a world-class institution of higher learning.  In order to meet this goal, it is necessary to chart a course by which to steer the college.  This proactive plan will provide the college with a compass, which will guide Southwest through the turbulence of both known and unknown variables.

A Strategic Planning Process has begun at Southwest that encompasses cooperation and input from every segment of the campus community.  The strategic planning process is “about preparing to do.”  After the plan is in place, the “doing,” or the implementation of the strategic plan begins. 

Strategic plans have long been used in both academic and business communities.  It is a tried and true way of ensuring that an organization will meet the demands of today and the challenges of tomorrow.  Patrick Dixon wrote in Building a Better Business that a “strategy is a battle plan for a better future.”  During the exercise of developing Southwest’s strategic plan, we will identify the “core” of the institution and then support this at all cost.

Jim Collins wrote in his landmark book From Good to Great that, “A culture of discipline is not a principle of business; it is a principle of greatness.”  The discipline of developing and implementing a college-wide strategic plan will be the first step towards guiding Southwest to the level of greatness.

We have yet to realize the full potential of Southwest’s powerful affect on the future of this area and the individuals who call our region home.  By using the strategic plan as a compass, Southwest will continue to work towards achieving excellence in all areas of our higher education resources.

Mark
Dr. J. Mark Estepp
President