CAPILANO

COLLEGE

MISSION AND VALUES
&

STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS

MISSION

At Capilano College our mission is to enable student success in current and
continuing studies, in a chosen career, in the pursuit of knowledge, and in
contributing effectively as responsible citizens in a rapidly changing and
diverse global community.
To accomplish its mission, Capilano College strives to provide a dynamic and secure
learning environment committed to excellence in education and to equity of access. It
seeks to offer, either selectively within its own resources or more broadly in partnership
with others, high-quality and flexible preparatory, academic, career and vocational
programs that provide opportunities for a wide range of students. It does so in the
context of the following values:

VALUES

Students
Student needs are the first concern of
Capilano College. The College values the
diverse backgrounds and cultures from
which our students come and strives to
provide curricula and support services
that will sustain all students' personal
growth and cultural enrichment. It
believes that students should leave the
College with the knowledge, skills and
attitudes that will enable them to
become independent learners and
thinkers; with enhanced skills in literacy,
numeracy, and critical thinking, and with
a positive attitude toward learning. The
College expects and values the commitment of students to the learning process
and to the maintenance of secure and
supportive learning conditions.

Community
The College is an important resource in
the educational, economic and cultural
life of all the communities it serves.
It recognizes the unique needs of its
Regional Centres, and of the diverse
populations served by its programs. The
College offers its expertise and leadership
by actively helping all its communities
anticipate future problems and opportunities, and actively seeking partnerships
to meet those needs which are identified.
The College serves as a model for its
community by providing equality of
access to its services, its facilities and its
employment opportunities.
Employees
The College values everyone involved
in the teaching and learning process.
It regards its employees as its greatest
assets in providing excellent programming
and services. The College recognizes that
faculty, staff and administrators serve as
active models of citizenship, scholarship
and professionalism, and expects that

they will work together in a responsive,
equitable, and collegial manner. The
College strives to establish and maintain
exemplary teaching, learning, and
working conditions.
Accountability
The College is accountable fiscally, educationally, and socially. It commits itself
to allocating resources fairly to ensure
that students receive an education suited
to their needs; to explaining its policies
and achievements to the public; and
to exercising its influence within the
community in a thoughtful and ethical
way. To this end it establishes policies
and procedures that refl~ct the best
standards of financial management,
graduate assessment, personnel practice,
and environmental stewardship.

Innovation
The College encourages rigorous,
continuing analysis and evaluation of
its own effectiveness. It supports those
wishing to develop instructional methods
and curricula to improve the teaching
of present programs and to meet the
emerging needs of students and the
community. It supports the use of appropriate partnerships and technologies to
meet these needs. The College accepts
the reality of constant change and the
need for planning and flexibility to meet
the demands of change.

STRATEGIC VISION

STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS

Capilano College will be recognized as an educational institution dedicated
to excellence and to providing the best possible service to its students and
its communities.
The most serious threat to the College's
ability to achieve its mission is that the
most important revenue source, the
government, plans both to reduce the
quantity of money it supplies and to
change the mechanisms by which it
supplies the money. This is a critical
threat because the College cannot always
compress its costs to be equal to or less
than the diminishing government grant
and at the same time keep faith with its
mission and values. To counter this
threat, the College must take positive
action, thus
Capilano College will continue to
be an advocate for publicly funded
education and will continue to
argue for the government funding
of the delivery of programs and
services which are consistent with
its Mission
and,
Capilano College will strive to be
no longer singularly dependent
upon a government grant, but
will actively develop alternative
sources of revenue. In being more
responsive to the competitive
marketplace, the College will
deliver programs based upon the
excellence and efficiency of its
existing services and on the
proactive development of new
services, to meet emerging needs.
To accomplish this, the College must
be more active in its marketing and
identification. Therefore,
Capilano College will plan
and implement a coherent and
continuous marketing and

promotion program using
appropriate media to:
• build the reputation of
our graduates;
• improve the image of
the College;
• develop the name recognition
of the College; and
• foster support for a publicly
funded post-secondary
education system.
In order to enable the College to function
effectively in an uncertain funding environment, financial projections must be for
a longer period of time; consequently,
Capilano College will plan on a
multi-year basis and will encourage
the government similarly to do so.
Capilano College is well positioned to
respond to the emerging trends in postsecondary education. Within the College
catchment area, there will continue to be
a large demand for the services that the
College already provides and provides
well. We should build on our strengths
and reputation, taking into consideration
the post-secondary education needs of
our regions. For reasons of either
expertise or resources, we may be unable
to meet all identified needs, and we
should therefore provide for those needs
in conjunction with other institutions.
Hence, a strategic goal will be that:
Capilano College will continue
to respond to the education and
training opportunities required for
the changing economy and do so
by developing new programs that
are built on the College's strengths
in its existing Academic, Career,

,•

Vocational and Preparatory programs or that meet emergent
needs and are consistent with
these programs. The College will
cooperate with other institutions or
organizations to provide identified
programs for which the College is
unable to provide needed expertise
or resources.
In recognition of the need for advanced
levels of education and training, and of
the limitations in opportunity that
currently exist:

Capilano College will continue to
expand employment.oriented or
applied degrees in apPropriate
areas. These \¥ilf· be offered ejtl:ler
by itself or ·ih iull partnership With
other institutions. The degree
graqtinf.s.tatus we will continue to
seek~~of a four year college
where teaching is paramount and
where the granting of$\ldl degrees
IS but one of the millsioas Of the
institution. The maihtencmce of
quality and high standards for
students and faculty will be a
priority in the developii)Eint of
these programs. The College will
not seek to compete with the
established universities in offering
traditional discipline based degrees
in Arts and Science, although it may
well choose to offer alternative
degree programs in liberal studies
or with an integrated.c:Urriculum.
The value of the general knowledge
and skills as developed in traditional
academic programs in meeting both the
personal needs of students and the
employability skills as identified by the
Conference Board of Canada is
recognized. Thus:

Capilano College will continue
to offer academic programs that
promote the understanding of
general principles in a wide variety
of disciplines and provide the
flexibility for a lifetime of
continued learning.

To provide for the needs of returning
workers and to provide future flexibility
to all students, a goal of the College
will be:

I

I

Capilano College will design all its
programs, specifically the degree
programs, so that students can
enter and exit at different points
with different credentials including,
in particular, the two year Associate
degree. Thus Capilano College will
provide students with the opportunity to attain an appropriate
degree if they so desire.

There is a need to provide specific
employment oriented programs for
learners who have either previous work
or educational experiences. Hence:

Capilano College will continue to
offer specialized certification in
appropriate areas. Some of these
programs may be post diploma or
post baccalaureate while others
may not require any formal educational credential for admission.

The needs of new Canadians tQ access
the services of the CoHege at altlevels
are recognized, ~ thus a!i!Qal rs:

Since the problem of upgrading existing
workers and of coping with a large high
school dropout is a continuing concern,
another ~oal is:

Capilano (oflege will continue to
offer courses and programs for
students with a while range of entry
qualifications. Specifically, Capilano
College will provide preparatory
and support courses for students
who are not yet able to enter other
programs of study because of lack
of academic preparation. In order
to encourage high school completion, Capilano College will explore
with the high schools the possibility
of laddered programs that integrate high school preparation and
College diploma programs.

STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS
Students

One of the strengths of the College is
the~ quality of the instruction,

support and assistance given students
.and the student recognition tl)at this is a
virtue of the institution. yve l:liust build
on that strength to enhaiice and further
acknowledge the importance of the
learner choosing Capilano College as
their institution of choi~-e: $pe~ifically,

'l

Capilano College will continue
its commitment to excellence in
instruction and to making students
feel welcome and suP,orted and
will undertake continuous followup to monitor the amount and
quality of the servicesJeceived.
The curriculum of the College must
reflect the identified needs of the
students. Therefore,

Capilano College will offer support
courses in English Language training for students who are not yet
able to enter programs of study or
who require concurrent support in
order to succeed in their studies.
As the expectations of the public and the
student continue to focus on the need for
increased preparation for employment,
the College must adopt strategies to
meet that need. Hence:

Capilano College will develop
and accept industry recognized
curricula in appropriate areas of
the curriculum and will expand the
opportunities for Cooperative
Education programs.

(llpilano College will design
·'Qll'riwla to meet both the specific
skills and knowledge needed for
employi;Mfl.~ upgrading, or future
education and the generic skills
and knowledge needed to enable
students to wort and contribute
effectively as citizens in a global
context. These include:
• numeracy and literacy
• technological competence
• critical thinking and
analytic skills
• communication skills
• general knowledge
• learning skills
• multicultural experiences
• language skills
• international awareness

Capilano College recognizes that
financial barriers to students are likely
to increase, and consequently
Capitano College will actively
pursue the goal of finding
innovative ways to reduce the
financial barriers to student access.

This will involve traditional fundraising as well as other cooperative
ventures with business and industry
that will provide students with the
necessary assistance to continue
their studies.

The aboriginal peoples of Canada are
articulating a variety of educational
needs, some of which require that
colleges cooperate in the design of
innovative educational and community
services strategies that are initiated and
controlled by First Nations themselves.
As an educational partner, Capilano
College will develop programs and

STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS
Community

Capilano College must have the
resources in place to serve its
communities. Consequently,
Capilano College will
• Plan for the implementation of
the final phase of the Master
Site Development Plan;
• Plan the eJIPClllSion of the
existing physicalfadlities in
the regional centres;
• Expand the presence of the
College in traditional and
nontraditional regions through
the use of partnerships and
electronic technologies.
Capilano College is unique among
colleges in large urban areas because
it serves two rural regions. Recognizing
the role that the College plays within
these communities,
Capilano College will undertake
regional strategic planRing,
consistent with the College
Strategic Plan, to address the needs
of adult learners on the Sunshine
Coast and in the Howe Sound Pemberton corridor.

services that recognize the unique
training and educational needs of
First Nations students and of the
various First Nations organizations
within the College region, with the
objective of increasing the participation and completion rates of First
Nation post-secondary learners.

The value of community support and
involvement is critical. Hence;
While maintaining its autonomy
and ethical values, Capitano College
will expand community partnerships as a general expansion of the
resource base of the College. These
might be individuals, groups or
organizations who have unique
strengths that are synergetic with
our strengths and who might pay
fees for courses, refine or develop
products or express their commitment to Capitano College in other
ways. This expansion will come
from
• traditional student groups
• alumni
• business and industry
• labour
• community service groups
• federal, provincial and municipal
governments
• international students
• foreign governments.

STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS
Employees

In order to use its human resources most
effectively, the College must adopt
appropriate governance and management practices. Thus,
Capilano College will
• Develop Bi)ilrdand Edu(iation
Council governance practices
that ~mable these governing
bod~s to determine values and
desired outcomes for the
organization, and also enable
flexible, effective and:t:esponsive
management.
• Continue to devolve the making
of management decisions to the
appropriate point in the organization (generally .dosest to those
affected by the decision).
• Adopt management practices
designed to encourage
entrepreneurial actMties.
• Rationalize the internal patterns
of consultation and collegiality
to enable and encourage quick
response and initiative.
• Enlarge the practices of open
management.
• Develop practices that allow and
encourage internal partnerships.

The College must use its human
resources most effectively. Thus,
Capitano College will strive to
ensure that every employee is
provided:
• with the training and skills for
the tasks required;
• the opportunity to maintain
.· currency in their job or discipline
atid in the teaching and learning
proce~;

• with multicultural skills;
• with skills and information so
they have a st~nt centred
focus;
· ·•
• the opportunities for
professional developmen:tto
enhance their ability to Work in
other areas of the College.
The College has a highly specialized
workforce which can be of value to the
community in many ways. Both from an
entrepreneurial perspective and from a
community service perspective, the
College should build on that strength.
Thus,
Capitano College will use its human
resources to transfer knowledge
and provide services in a wide
variety of methods.

STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS
Accountability

Capilano College has a long history of
program evaluation and graduate followup. These processes should be continued
and expanded into new areas of the
College. Hence
Capilano College will incorporate
appropriate assessment and
accountability processes into the
ongoing review and planning
process of all its activities.
Capilano College will develop and
use critical success factors to

STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS
Innovation

measure the success it has had in
attaining its Mission.
Capilano College will undertake
continuous follow-up of all services
to measure the appropriateness
and quality of the services
provided.
Capilano College will enhance its
commitment to environmental
integrity and sustainable
development.

As a knowledge-based organization,
Capilano College must be visible in the
use of contemporary electronic tools.
Therefore,

The College recognizes the barriers to the
effective delivery of educational services
to both the traditional market and to
emerging markets. Consequently,

Capilano College will, in general, be
proactive in the use of current
technologies.

Capilano College will adopt
strategies including the creative
use of educational formats, delivery
and assessment methods, and technologies to reduce the barriers of
• geography
• time and scheduling
• organization of materials
• differing learning styles
• cultural and equity factors
• articulation problems
• physical disabilities.

In order to better serve its students and
community, the College will make the
best possible use of technology, but will
do so in a humane manner. Hence
Capilano College will expand the
electronic network services of the
College to develop technologically
based processes and systems for
those aspects of student support
for which such processes and
systems are appropriate.

~

,

North vancouver Campus
2055 Purcell way

North vancouver, B.C.
V7J3H5

Secheh North Campus
5627 Inlet Avenue
P.O. Box t609

Sechelt. B.C.
VON 3AO

Secheh South Campus
at House of Hewhiwus
Squamlsh campus

11 SO Carson Place
P.O. Box 1538

Squamish, B.C.
VON 3GO

~~~~=