At the April 24 board of trustees meeting held at the Dare County Campus, the governing board reviewed and approved the new vision, core values, and mission statement. This governing board action concludes a six-month process involving college-wide discussion and feedback from employees and students. These guiding statements represent a new perspective not only on who COA is and why the college exists, but also what COA wants to become over the next several years. The new statements are listed below:

VISION
College of The Albemarle will become a premier college that inspires excellence, transforms lives, and impacts the region.

CORE VALUES
1. Community. . . We value relationships and partnerships.
2. Integrity. . . We value honesty, dignity, and trust.
3. Respect. . . We value people, time, and resources.
4. Diversity. . . We value all backgrounds and perspectives.
5. Teamwork. . . We value unity and communication.

MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of College of The Albemarle is to transform lives in an accessible, supportive environment that promotes academic excellence, student success, workforce development, community partnerships, and responsible stewardship.

COA president, Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer commented, "The new vision, core values, and mission statement provide fresh direction for the college. We are not changing who we are or why we exist, but we are charting our future course. We will continue to provide quality education and workforce development just like we have for the past 50 years, but with even greater commitment to impacting lives."

Focus groups were held with administrators, department/division chairs, faculty representatives, and administrative unit leaders during late fall 2011 and early spring 2012. During the past several months, multiple drafts of proposed new statements were shared with employees and students for their input. The Policy and Planning Committee met in early April to review the final drafts, then after providing their own feedback they forwarded the statements to the full board of trustees.  The next step in this process is to revise the institutional goals and strategic plan, both of which should be completed for the board’s review at the June 2012 meeting.

###