Please share your feedback on the proposed new vision. Feel free to discuss by posting a blog and reading what others are saying. We will receive feedback until September 30. After feedback, we will propose a vote by October 30. Thanks for your participation!
Proposed New Vision
We will elevate our community by delivering trusted and innovative occupational education. Our education creates opportunities for individuals of all backgrounds to attain the learning and skills that leads to better lives through careers.
Mission:
Emily Griffith Opportunity School is a public technical college that is the leading provider of hands-on, competency-based occupational education for employment and career success.
Core Values
Student benefit – Quality
Hands-on, applied learning – labs, internships, etc.
Occupational Education
Competency based
Respect, dignity and honor
Job Placement
Public purpose (low barriers including affordable tuition)
Honoring Emily Griffith’s courage, tenacity and unique vision
Change
Humanistic culture/compassionate
--
Marla Rodriguez
Director of Student Services
Emily Griffith Opportunity School
1250 Welton St., Denver, CO 80204
720-423-4755
egos-school.com
To be sure email reaches me, also send to: marlasari.rodriguez@gmail.com
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16 comments:
I’d like to share some thoughts on the New Proposed Vision.
In particular, I’d like to focus on the phrase “for individuals of all backgrounds,” which I believe is too broad.
Emily Griffith started this school for immigrants—people with limited opportunities. It remains to this day a school for the disadvantaged. That’s the reality, and not something to be ashamed of. We serve a perfectly respectable population. There’s nothing wrong with the fact that we’re in the business of turning out welders, not engineers.
Auraria Campus is bursting at the seams with students pursuing two- and four-year degrees most of whom have backgrounds which make them unsuitable candidates for Opportunity School. There is, of course, some overlap with two-year schools, but virtually none with four.
If you’re going to become a two-year school, fine, do it. Until then, be what you are: in between high school and community college. We can’t compete either qualitatively or quantitatively with two-year, let alone four-year, schools.
What we can offer to a special minority is vocational training subsequent to high school and prior to community college. It’s a niche market, and it should be specifically pinpointed as such so that those to whom it applies can recognize it as the appropriate remedy to their needs. Otherwise we end up sounding like all things to all people, which we’re not.
Emily Griffith Opportunity School. For those who want vocational training subsequent to high school and prior to community college. Dozens of vocational programs, apprenticeship programs, English language training, community college preparation, and more.
As someone who has done organizational development for nonprofits for several years, I have to say that the proposed vision doesn't really feel like a vision to me. A vision is supposed to be a statement about what an organization wants to become. It should resonate with all members of the organization and help them feel proud, excited, and part of something much bigger than themselves. A vision should stretch an organization’s capabilities and image of itself. It gives shape and direction to the organization’s future.
In the current proposal, I don't necessarily feel inspired or see a future goal that we are working towards.
A mission statement on the other hand,is a clear-cut description of what an organization does. It should describe what the organization does, its purpose. It is the definition of “why” the organization currently exists.
The vision of an organization should rarely change, however the mission may change due to current trends in the community and environment.
If our intent is to put our vision and mission out there in a more public way, I believe it would be prudent for us to actually create a vision and mission that actually fits their intended purposes.
In response to sjwarrior's previous comment, if you've got something better let's here it.
First, to Anonymous #1, I'd like to say that I love what you wrote. EGOS should be proud of the niche that it serves and should work to be the best in that niche. We do serve an important population and a just purpose.
To Anonymous #2, we were asked for feedback and to discuss our thoughts. Your comment struck me as snide and not in the spirit of creating open, useful discussion.
Creating a vision is not something that can be done in a vacuum. I do not presume that my limited time and experience at EGOS gives me a broad enough understanding to re-write a vision on my own. I was merely expressing my experience and understanding of what a mission and vision are intended to be.
Truth be told, EGOS's current vision: "...to serve as the premier college of excellence in the delivery of career and technical education for the workforce," is actually a fine example of a vision. If the admin team feels the vision needs tweaking and honestly wants the staff's input, it would be helpful, at least for me, to know why the current vision no longer works. It would also seem to me that to encourage the discussion that was requested, it would be more appropriate to ask questions and support dialogue rather than respond to posts with comments that come across as terse challenges.
~Nick
Fine. I'm just fed up with mushy generalities. I want specifics. We're a trade school. We can get you into a trade or into a community college. We can't get you into a four-year school to pursue a profession. All this stuff about excellence and innovative occupational education can be claimed by anyone. It doesn't mean anything until you get specific enough to distinguish yourself from other schools.
I appreciate your distinction between vision and mission, but it doesn't mean very much to me. What does mean something is to identify specifically what kind of a school we are so people can decide whether it's the right place for them to get what they want. Call it a vision, a mission, or whatever you want.
I don't care about elevating the community. My church does that. The trash collector does that. What I want to know is how this school is different from the schools at Auraria Campus and what kind of jobs people can get who attend this school.
Good discussion. And I agree, let's all keep it open and respectful. Then we really can get input from anyone interested in forwarding something instead of complaining about how to do it or why to do it. What's the point in that?
Let's dance. Let's get happy. No wait. Bah humbug. Next thing you know we'll all be lookin' alike. Keep the contrarian.
Hi,
I have 3 comments about the new vision/ mission.
1. We need more Emily.
I think the vision is fine. It was good before, it is good now. I like the core values in bullet points. But I don't see enough about Emily (the point about her is not enough). I think we need to focus on her incredible story & market ourselves as a school and place "for those who wish to learn". During times of trouble we all need inspiration; staff, admin & students.
2. Money talks.
We need to emphasize the AFFORDABILITY of our programs and the increased earning potential as a result. Money is what will get our students in the door. Parking is a challenge. Our facility is not . . . new. I would like to see a cost comparison of programs on each program flyer.
Example:
EGOS Medical Assisting: about $4000?
Cambridge College: about $15,000
At the school I worked at there were huge visual illustrations (graphs) in the hallways showcasing the differences in earning potential after receiving a degree. This is a visual aid for students to get them enrolled & get them to continue focusing on their objectives.
We should have such things on the walls near registration, on our website and on the flyers. I would be happy to provide an example.
3. If potential students are the intended audience of the mission/vision there are 2 things that can be improved.
General language.
Example:
"We will elevate our community"
what is elevate? how? although this sentence is totally accurate, I think students glancing over our website will glaze over.
More specific:
We will improve the lives of Denver residents by providing affordable training which will result in higher paying jobs. (not perfect but an example).
Inspiration:
When I read mission and values I want the hairs on the back of my neck to tingle. I don't necessarily have an example of how to do this but I don't want anyone on the staff or any student to forget that we are not "just" public schools. We are not just people who show up for the paycheck.
We are a staff of people in a school that transforms the lives of adults in the Denver Metro by providing excellent vocational training at affordable prices for higher paying jobs.
We’re committed to Emily’s mission. We're teaching people to view themselves differently. We're teaching them re-conceive themselves as people who are business owners, community leaders and great contributors to our community. Somehow we're teaching our students to be better citizens as well, with increased tolerance for all people and having pride in themselves.
Finally, I want to touch on the comments raised in the first response.
I do think we aim to serve all students--including people who might have been to a 4-year school. They are getting re-trained in the cosmetology department or in the business department doing GIS for example.
I don't think these students will be put off by the other more "vocational programs" or by the refugees sitting in the halls. In think our great diversity is an asset that attracts people. What the first comment really got right is that students who come here are not looking for a “community college” experience. They are looking for a quick in-out bridge to higher wages. Community colleges are great, but they don’t do what we do. The first comment is 100% on the money in that we should not be competing to provide the “community college experience”, but we CAN and DO compete for some of the community college students.
Right now everyone is looking at the bottom line. MONEY. Also keep in mind that time is money. Our programs are quick and that is also a money saver.
In summary, people will come here because we offer a huge variety of programs at an affordable price. They will stay because of the fantastic instruction. They will spread the word because they will have learned about Emily Griffith and her vision to help all people who want to learn.
I've attempted to re-work the vision to make it one sentence and to edit the values to create a parallel list with each item a noun. I've also added something about inclusiveness which I believe needs to be explicitly stated.
Vision: To enrich our community by delivering trusted, innovative, life-long, and high quality education that creates opportunities for individuals of diverse backgrounds to attain the learning and skills leading to better lives.
Core Values
-- Renewed dedication to Emily Griffith’s courage, tenacity and unique vision
-- High quality education to benefit all students
-- Hands-on, applied learning
-- Competency-based occupational education
-- Successful job placement
-- Life-long learning
-- Affordable tuition and fees
-- Constant innovation and adaptation to change
-- Genuine respect and honor for all students, without regard to ethnicity, income or social standing, sexual orientation, age, or gender
-- Culture of compassion, treating all students with dignity
Mission: To continue and improve upon a unique trade school tradition with a successful hundred year history of providing vocational training, apprenticeship programs, community college preparation, high school and GED completion, and English language skills to a diverse population of students seeking occupational advancement.
I showed the vision/mission statement to some friends.
comments: Needs to be condensed. Too wordy. Be direct and too the point.
Here is an example of a vision and mission statement that is short and to the point.
Colorado PERA Mission and Vision Statements
Vision
To become the retirement plan of choice for all Colorado public employees.
Mission
To promote long-term financial security for our membership while maintaining the stability of the fund.
Guiding Principles:
We will deliver quality customer service, sound investment decisions, operational efficiency, educational programs, competitive plan design, and actively participate in legislative issues that affect our organization.
All activities undertaken will adhere to the guiding principles of customer focus, ethical conduct, accountability, excellence and ongoing process improvement.
Vision: To become the vocational/technical school of choice.
Mission: To provide top-quality education and training.
I like it. Simple is good.
One anonymous poster put this:
Vision: To enrich our community by delivering trusted, innovative, life-long, and high quality education that creates opportunities for individuals of diverse backgrounds to attain the learning and skills leading to better lives.
I like it, but think it, too, is too wordy.
What about:
To enrich our community by delivering high quality education that creates opportunities for all individuals to attain skills leading to better lives.
and add STAFF to the values (see below)
Renewed dedication to Emily Griffith’s courage, tenacity and unique vision
-- High quality education to benefit all students
-- Hands-on, applied learning
-- Competency-based occupational education
-- Successful job placement
-- Life-long learning
-- Affordable tuition and fees
-- Constant innovation and adaptation to change
-- Genuine respect and honor for all students AND STAFF, without regard to ethnicity, income or social standing, sexual orientation, age, or gender
-- Culture of compassion, treating all students with dignity
Thanks for all the feedback on the blog. There was a very good discussion about the vision at the Brown Bag Lunch today. We decided to extend our feedback period through the first semester (Jan. 29) to allow more people to participate. I wanted to add what was said at the Brown Bag Lunch today. As I summarize, please feel free to add/change or clarify if you were there.
Almost everyone present said the vision statement needs to be short and memorable.
Most agree that the purpose of the vision is not so much to describe what we do but more to state what we want to see in the future.
Ideas for the vision:
Obtain skills that lead to better lives through education
Creating opportunities through education
For those who choose to learn
The affordable choice to learn skills that lead to better lives through careers
Creating affordable career opportunities through education
Advancing opportunities through education
Preparing people for careers through affordable educational opportunities
Where possibilities are endless
other suggestions -
...include the tenants of adult education such as short programs, advancement
...use affordable
Thanks for all the coments & thanks Marla!
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