College Mission, Values and Goals

Commitment to the Community in the New Millennium

Mission

We are dedicated to meaningful learning and excellent teaching, enabling individuals to achieve their hopes, dreams and full potential, and to being a leading partner in creating a dynamic, prosperous community of enlightened leaders and thoughtful, effective, global citizens.

Values

To effectively demonstrate our mission in all we do, we are committed to six Collegewide values:

Meaningful Learning that is student centered, comprehensive and responsive to the student and the community.

Excellent Teaching that is inspiring, committed to a partnership for learning with the student, sensitive to diversity, and expert in the development of sound educational experiences.

A Collegial Community built upon effective teamwork and commitment which reaches out to the greater community to foster civic, cultural, social and economic development.

Leadership that provides the vision for the College and enables faculty, students and staff to reach their full potential in a supportive environment.

Universal Access that provides equal opportunities for all who seek to better their lives through education.

Quality Service which provides responsive, efficient, and effective support from every person at the College to each person who seeks assistance from the College.

Collegewide Goals

The mission at Florida Community College at Jacksonville will be fulfilled, in part, through achievement of the following Collegewide goals:

1. Prepare students for distinctive success, and as outstanding citizens, in the global knowledge economy
   Faculty, curricula, teaching methods, technology, learning environments and academic resources will provide students with relevant and rigorous preparation for success in a global knowledge economy. This preparation will enhance the capacity of students for effective citizenship through understanding of the governance and economic foundations of a democratic society. In pursuit of this goal the College will provide a comprehensive array of high-quality liberal arts and technical courses. The College will be recognized for exceptional collaboration, innovation and excellence in the pursuit of this goal.
2. Optimize access to and participation in College programs and services
   College programs and services will be accessible, in an affordable and convenient form, to every adult in the College’s service area. An ever-increasing number of students will elect to become active members of the College community.
3. Ensure that every student has an extraordinarily positive experience in every engagement with the College
   The summative experience of students will be that the College provided a superior experience in every service interaction and academic encounter. Innovation, particularly involving advanced technology, will combine with exceptional customer service and instructional excellence to invariably produce this result.
4. Contribute significantly to the ongoing economic development of the College’s service area
   The College will play a major role in economic development through rapid, relevant and high quality responses to the human resource requirements of employers. Effective processes for the identification and rapid response to workforce development needs of employers will be improved continuously. Employers will receive the highest order of service and professionalism in interactions with College personnel. The College’s economic development initiatives will contribute to an elevation of per capita income, quality of life and community prosperity.
5. Enhance institutional performance and accountability and investment capital
   Standards of performance for individual employees, organizational units, students and the College as a whole will be continued at an unsurpassed level. Outcomes will be continuously monitored and reported, and the information derived will be applied effectively to improve institutional performance. High performance will be recognized and rewarded. The College will secure and invest the requisite fiscal, intellectual, human, and technical and fiscal resources to fulfill its mission and to achieve its goals. New investment capital will be derived increasingly from earned revenue.

The Vision Within Our College-wide Goals

Our college-wide goals envision Florida Community College as a nationally prominent comprehensive community college of exceptional quality where students:

Are extraordinarily well prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the emerging global knowledge economy. Our students will develop the ideal balance of discipline expertise and academic skills to learn quickly and adapt to change over their lifetime. They will be skilled in communication, critical and creative thinking, and the use of technology. They will be uniquely prepared for success in contemporary organizations and as involved and effective citizens.

Have access to College programs and services through a broad array of personal and electronic opportunities. They will find an excellent correlation between their lifestyle and the College’s locations, operating hours, policies and technology-based resources. Virtually every eligible citizen will be able to connect with the College in a timely and convenient manner, and they will do so in continuously increasing numbers. Current and prospective members of the College community will be well informed of the College’s programs and services and will not be denied the opportunity to enroll due to financial limitations.

Have an extraordinarily positive experience in every interaction with the College. Accordingly, they will be treated exceptionally well by College personnel who work collaboratively in the interests of students and the College. Innovation and skilled use of advanced technology will contribute significantly to the quality of instruction and services which will be maintained at the highest levels. Employers and community members will also encounter unsurpassed levels of service and respect.

Achieve significant career advantage as a result of the College’s highly effective relationships with, and responsiveness to, employers. Strong partnerships between the College and employers will result in relevant and continuously improved curriculum and create opportunities for graduates. The College’s exceptional performance in its central and essential role in economic development, in partnership with community and governmental entities, will elevate prosperity and quality of life for our citizens of the College’s service area.

Benefit directly from the College’s distinctive capacity for responsiveness, innovation and accountability. The College will be recognized for its exceptional professional development program and high standards of performance for all personnel. Accountability will be ensured through continuous evaluation and reporting of performance and outcomes. College resources will be invested effectively to support vital strategic initiatives and the advancement of the College. The College will be uncommonly resourceful in capitalizing its strategic initiatives and particularly effective in doing so through earned revenue.

The Story Behind the Logo (August 1999)

Just as the water and waves of our beaches, rivers and lakes touch every neighborhood in Northeast Florida, Florida Community College touches the lives of everyone in the area at one time or another. The power of education, like the power of the wave, carries the student forward toward the shore of a future career, an enhanced career and a more fulfilling life.

The mission of Florida Community College is represented by three waves. One wave represents the Liberal Arts Transfer function — students planning to finish a four-year degree after completing freshman and sophomore years at Florida Community College. A second wave stands for Workforce Preparation and Advancement, helping students learn specific skills for specific jobs in our community. The third wave is Community Service, a wide range of classes and services that help our community grow and meet its cultural needs. As these three waves are pulled together by our solid base of dedicated professionals, they form a tetrahedron, one of nature’s strongest shapes. The dynamic of the three waves touching each other at the peak of the pyramid allows for easy transfer of energy from one wave to the next, one mission path to the next. Throughout the lifetime of each resident of Northeast Florida, all three waves may come into play, helping to begin a career, advancing a career by teaching new skills or teaching a skill that enhances leisure time or retirement.

Our growing College has a proud tradition as a vital, progressive contributor to the quality of life and economic vitality of Northeast Florida. The College now faces extraordinary opportunities to elevate its positive impact to unprecedented levels. It is only fitting, therefore, that this educational cornerstone unify its image within the community utilizing a dynamic pyramid of three waves working together to carry Florida Community College at Jacksonville well into the 21st century.