Strategic Plan
It is estimated that more than 500,000 individuals have attended Montgomery College since it was established in 1946. Thousands of dedicated faculty members have led learning journeys in hundreds of disciplines where students have transformed their knowledge and skills. And thousands of dedicated staff members have provided services to support and strengthen students’ experiences.
The MC of 2023 is a far different institution than it was when the doors opened some 77 years ago. The College has changed and improved as knowledge, technology, and society have advanced. In 1946, the most in-demand job was factory worker. Today it is software developer. In 1946, scientists barely understood DNA. Today, there are whole industries built on DNA technology. In 1946, Montgomery College served only white students, most of whom grew up in Montgomery County. Since 1953, MC has welcomed students of all races and today MC has no majority race with students who hail not only from Montgomery County, but also from more than 150 countries.
Strategic plans have helped the College to navigate these changes, to adapt to new times, and serve our students so that they have knowledge and skills to transform their lives. Such plans serve as the north star for the institution, guiding planning, budgeting, and decision-making.
Goals
Download the plan (PDF, 
) .
A Message from the Board Chair
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to convey our appreciation for the extraordinary efforts that produced this refreshed strategic plan. It presents a visionary approach for the ambitious work that Montgomery College is charged to fulfill, and its preparation has modeled the inclusive spirit and energy that defines us. Extensive collaboration with stakeholders has contributed foundational perspectives that enriched the planning process and shaped new directions. The monumental planning effort has strengthened existing partnerships, drawn lessons about the impact of recent developments on our students and our communities, and generated new insights for the College’s future.
The refreshed strategic plan affirms transformational aspirations—for student access, for completion, and for post-completion success—and it anchors these aspirations in careful planning and rigorous review. The plan is grounded in a commitment to a continual refresh of our strategies as we measure progress toward our aims and learn more. It remains true to our roots of equitable student access and success—enhancing learning, strengthening partnerships, and transforming our community. It affirms everyone belongs.
Creating opportunities that are equitably available will unlock the potential for all of those the College serves. The urgency of this dynamic has always existed but has been accelerated by the conditions of the last few years. The work of the refresh committee has addressed these challenges head on and responded with innovation and creativity that will allow students to transform their lives and, in so doing, further enrich the community.
Dr. Michael A. Brintnall
Chair
Board of Trustees
A Message from the President
Montgomery College has a long track record of developing meaningful strategic plans and then using them to strengthen the College and improve students’ experiences. The most recent plan, adopted in 2020, was no exception. It was a visionary plan with important goals that steered College decision-making. While that plan was intended to go through 2025, the world has changed dramatically since it was composed. The College and Montgomery County have been impacted by the pandemic and its influences on health issues and the economy, by a concomitant social justice awakening, as well as by individuals’ college-going decisions, career expectations, and more. Through listening and learning about the lived experiences of the members of internal and external communities and their desire for transformation, it became clear that there was an opportunity for our strategic plan to reflect changes brought on by these unprecedented times.
Therefore, a refresh of the strategic plan was needed and the effort to do just that was undertaken in fall 2022. I thank the Board of Trustees for its support and guidance throughout the process. I thank the Strategic Plan Advisory Refresh Committee (SPARC) for its leadership in developing ideas, then drafts, and then the final plan. I thank the many students, faculty, and staff who contributed ideas and feedback. I thank our community partners and business leaders who gave their input as well. The insights and observations informed the final version with new ideas and alternative perspectives. This has been, indeed, a shared effort.
As you read this important refreshed strategic plan, I hope you will take note of the architecture of its content. While it conveys the metrics that the College will use to define progress--specifics that help us benchmark our advancement—it also outlines strategies for reaching these metrics –the how of our shared journey. These approaches are tightly coupled with the larger goals for our institution: enhanced connections, a sense of belonging, innovation, and economic impact. While all of us should see our purpose woven into the shared goals, the strategies and indicators are more specific and help us understand how unique roles and activities will support and advance progress and transformation.
I hope you will find that the plan has been designed to touch all of us at the College and our community. It is based on a belief that the College is a vehicle of transformation for the community we serve. The plan is imaginative and practical; collaborative and individual; empathic and compassionate; inspirational and disciplinary. We are all called to use these approaches in our work at different moments, so this is not a new paradigm. However, if we can work toward and achieve the goals set forth here, I am confident we will create even more student success and community progress, now and in the future.
Dr. Jermaine F. Williams
President
Montgomery College