Join us on the Road to Ready
Lethbridge College invites you to be part of setting our institution on the Road to Ready. This comprehensive review of our current and desired future state will invite a diversity of voices, including students, employees, Indigenous community partners, alumni, partners, friends and the public. Our goals are to help us define our purpose with a focus on the future, and establish what we need to do to deliver on that promise.
This process will dive into understanding Lethbridge College’s purpose, mission and vision for the future. We will measure our performance against this mission and vision.
The Road to Ready is a map to guide our future. Just like a road trip, we can expect there will be detours and adventures along the way. But by engaging with our many stakeholders, and with planning and strategic thinking, we can set a direction for the future that delivers Lethbridge College to our preferred destination.
This webpage will be the single source of information through this process as part of our commitment to transparency and inclusion.
We know our Road to Ready
November 10, 2023
Oki,
Ten months ago, we embarked on the Road to Ready, with a promise to rethink our vision, mission and values – three things that will serve as a guide to Lethbridge College’s future.
To accomplish this, we asked people who know us best – college employees, students, alumni and community and industry partners. We received 1,300 survey responses, engaged nearly 850 alumni and talked with more than 100 focus group participants. There were also countless informal conversations about who we are and what we do.
The results capture the essence of Lethbridge College – the why and how of what we do.
Vision
Preparing Learners. Shaping Communities.
Mission
We embrace our responsibility to students, employees and partners who look to us for learning, opportunity and belonging.
Values
Caring. Dedicated. Responsive.
I’m exceptionally pleased because these words reflect Lethbridge College as it is today and as we want it for our future. These are commitments we will use to prioritize, measure and refine our work.
Now we take our next steps – and they really do matter most.
We have started a process of establishing institutional priorities, goals and metrics, based on a thorough assessment of last year’s results and signals, trends and projections for the future. The result will be captured in an annual operating plan for 2024-25. The process of priorities, goals, measures, evaluation and assessment will be ongoing and repeating to ensure we are always ready to achieve our vision.
I want to thank everyone who took part in the consultations, formal and informal, that provided the clarity of our new vision, mission and values. I hope you’ll continue to support the college’s important work of preparing learners and shaping communities.
Dr. Brad Donaldson
President and CEO
Lethbridge College
Road to Ready enters Phase 3
August 8, 2023
Oki,
Our Road to Ready process has now entered Phase 3 (Ideation and Development), and our steering committee is now reflecting on how the many voices we’ve heard have captured who we are and who we want to become. In the coming weeks, we will begin developing strategic options and drafts of our new vision, mission and values will take shape.
Once the drafts are created, this phase will also include more engagement opportunities for you to review and offer feedback. This will help us hone these important statements to ensure the many people who are invested in Lethbridge College – students, employees, alumni and partners – can see a place for themselves in this vision. Through this sense of ownership and aspiration, we will create a stronger future for our institution, our people and the communities we serve.
I want to thank the steering committee, volunteers on our data team and everyone who took part in surveys or conversations in the first phases of this work. Please remember you are welcome to review the data we collected through surveys and focus groups.
We are on track for a launch in October, and I’m looking forward to seeing where this Road to Ready leads.
Dr. Brad Donaldson
President and CEO
Lethbridge College
Important update, Road to Ready
June 19, 2023
Oki and hello,
From the outset, transparency has been one of the principles guiding our Road to Ready process of reviewing our current state and identifying the why, what and how of our college’s desired future. To that end, I can now share with you the data we collected this spring through surveys of employees and students, and through student focus groups.
We will continue to add data as it’s collected from community focus groups and conversations.
We have made efforts to strip out any information that might identify an employee or student, and we’ve amalgamated the data from both groups for further protection of privacy.
I have heard from employees that access to this raw data is highly important. Much of the detail wouldn’t be helpful or contextual to an external audience, so this raw data is being shared only with employees and students.
You’ll see the steering committee has begun to identify themes but please know, nothing is written in stone and there’s much more information to be considered.
This is all part of the second of four phases of Road to Ready. It’s a critical phase of listening and researching. The team will begin ideation and development later this summer.
As you’ll see from the data, our internal audience is passionate about student success and cares deeply about Lethbridge College and its future. What a great starting point for who we are and what we want to become.
Thank you for being part of the Road to Ready,
Dr. Brad Donaldson
President and CEO
Lethbridge College
Timeline update
May 30, 2023
Oki and hello,
Thank you to everyone who completed a Road to Ready survey and/or registered for in-person focus groups. We are grateful to everyone who committed time to answering questions or participating in focus groups. We had paused our focus groups and surveys during the provincial election campaign. We can now resume our work on the Road to Ready.
We have begun analyzing data collected through various surveys.
We have also adjusted our ambitious timelines for this work in order to ensure we’re giving the data collection and focus groups the time they deserve. You will see those changes noted on this webpage.
Many of you have already received invitations to focus groups in your community. We know our schedule may not work for you. To ensure we hear from as many voices as possible, including from people who may not yet have a relationship with our institution, we will hold an open focus group on our campus. Here are all the focus group dates and places:
- Claresholm - June 16
- Raymond - June 21*
- Vulcan June 22*
- Fort Macleod - June 23*
- Pincher Creek - June 26*
- Taber - June 27
Note dates revised June 16
*Individuals who registered for these sessions will be contacted to arrange one-on-one discussions. If anyone in these communities is interested in a conversation, please reach out to road-to-ready@lethbridgecollege.ca.
Register here for your session
Please share this information with others in your circle who may want to attend.
Thank you for taking part in shaping our purpose, mission and vision and joining us on the Road to Ready.
Dr. Brad Donaldson
President and CEO
Lethbridge College
Brief pitstop on the Road to Ready
May 1, 2023
Now that the provincial election campaign has begun, the Ministry of Executive Council Election Communication Policy, approved Jan. 20, 2023, takes effect. This policy applies directly to Lethbridge College as a “covered entity.”
As a result, between May 1 and 29, 2023, Lethbridge College is pausing its work on the Road to Ready. We look forward to continuing this important work on May 30.
Dr. Brad Donaldson
President and CEO
Lethbridge College
Thank you for taking the Road to Ready survey
April 3, 2023
Oki and hello,
We have taken our first steps down the Road to Ready, on our way toward a redefined purpose and vision for Lethbridge College’s future.
Our internal survey of employees and students closed March 28. Thank you to everyone who took time to submit responses. We’ll be analyzing that data soon.
Our steering committee continues to meet every second week, and now additional subgroups have been tasked with continuing our data collection through various methods including focus groups, both internally and externally, online surveys and personal interviews. These subgroups will connect with our stakeholders including our employees, students, Indigenous communities, K-12 divisions, employers and industry partners and the broader Lethbridge community.
Some of these discussions have already been conducted, and others will be organized in the coming weeks. We expect the data collection process will be completed by the end of May.
We’re also reviewing other data sources already at our disposal such as internal and external reports and studies, as part of our exploration, listening and research phase.
I will continue to provide regular updates as we continue on the Road to Ready. Thank you for being part of this important journey.
Dr. Brad Donaldson
President and CEO
Lethbridge College
The Road to Ready Steering Committee announced
Feb. 6, 2023
Lethbridge College President Dr. Brad Donaldson announced members for the Road to Ready Steering Team, a group of employees from across campus tasked with leading the process of collecting and analyzing data to inform the creation of a new purpose, mission and vision for the institution. An inclusive approach was taken to ensure a broad range of viewpoints are represented on this team.
The Steering Team members are:
- Chair: Brad Donaldson
- Indigenous Community: Betty Ann Little Wolf
- Student: Razel Ventura
- Faculty: Natalie Barfuss and Rosemary Shannon
- AUPE: Chelsea Tolton Bulnes
- Excluded Support Staff: Autumn Barnes and Brad Flavell
- College Leadership Council: Leeanne Conrad and Trudi Mason
- Executive Leadership Team: Kenny Corscadden, Tracy Holt, Samantha Lenci and Coreen Roth
- Board of Governors: Perry Stein
The team will hold its first meeting Feb. 15.
Introducing the Road to Ready
Jan. 24, 2023
Lethbridge College President Dr. Brad Donaldson held three town hall meetings Jan. 17, 18 and 19, to introduce the Road to Ready to employees. The meetings could be attended in person, watched online or viewed later on video.
Dr. Donaldson described the Road to Ready as a comprehensive review of our current and desired future state.
“This inclusive and collaborative approach will consider potential future scenarios and a clear declaration of why the college exists,” he said in a follow-up message to employees. “We will define our purpose and establish what we must be and do to realize it. We will clearly identify our strategic direction. Why does Lethbridge College exist? What do we aspire to be? Out of this effort will emerge our flight plan for the future.”
He invited employees to volunteer to serve on a Road to Ready working team to guide the process. The team would be comprised of members of college executive leadership, deans and director, an Indigenous representative, student representative and employees from across campus. In particular, the team would include two faculty members; one member from the Alberta Union of Public Employees (AUPE group) and one member of the Admin/Excluded employee group.
Members would need to commit two hours every other Wednesday afternoon to the working group. Employees were invited to put their names forward by Jan. 31.
Phase 1
Process development
Phase 2
Exploration, listening, research
Phase 3
Ideation and development
Phase 4
Finalization, communication and kick off
We are here
- Board review and approval of planning process (January 31)
- Employee town halls and email communication with employees and current students to describe the process and invite participation (January 2023)
- Creation of a steering committee (early February 2023)
This timeline was updated on May 29, 2023. Original timeline was February to April 2023.
- Environmental scan, including review of the college’s existing strategic-related documents
- Stakeholder consultations, including surveys, focus groups, data collection in-person and digitally, and online collaboration to encourage discussion among stakeholders
- Board of Governors discussion of ambition and risk tolerance
This timeline was updated on May 29, 2023 (Original timeline was May to September 2023). Out of respect for the provincial election campaign, we paused Road to Ready engagement work in May.
The following timelines have been updated to reflect this change:
- Assessment of Phase 2 data (April to July 2023)
- Development of strategic options (August to September 2023)
- Board review of strategic options (September 2023)
- Development of draft vision, mission and values (September 2023)
- Engagement and review of draft (October 2023)
- Drafts for review by Board of Governors (September 2023 Board meeting)
- Development and launch of communication plan (October 2023)
- Approval of final document (October 2023)
- Integration into college operational and resource planning (October 2023 onward)
- Development of assessment and accountability framework (November 2023)
What we will achieve
To develop a vision, mission, values and institutional priorities that are:
- Inspirational, aspirational and empowering to everyone in the Lethbridge College community
- Succinct and focused on priorities that differentiate the college, build on its previous successes and seize opportunities in the face of challenge to achieve our mission
- Measurable to track progress and dynamically shift as needed
- Frame the priorities for the institution going forward
Principles guiding this process
We commit to ensuring the Road to Ready process is:
- Inclusive – Our process will be equitable, diverse and inclusive of ideas and perspectives through consultation and engagement of internal and external communities, stakeholders and partners.
- Transparent – The process is clear, and regular communications will be shared as will rationale behind decisions.
- Future-focused – We will focus on what we must aspire and do to meet the future needs of the college and its stakeholders.
- Open-minded – We are willing to embrace new ideas and challenge assumed standards or norms
- Iterative – We will be informed by data collected during the process.