Pennsylvania Highlands Community College is embarking on a bold and transformative path — one centered on empowering every learner to realize their potential and uplift the communities we serve. Our 2026–2028 Strategic Plan charts a future where students are not only supported but inspired, where workforce connections are not just strengthened but reimagined, and where institutional excellence becomes the heartbeat of all we do. Grounded in five core imperatives — workforce and career readiness, equitable access, enhanced student support, community engagement, and operational sustainability — this plan calls us to act with purpose and clarity.
By integrating real‑world learning across our academic programs, eliminating barriers that hold students back, expanding the services that help them thrive, and forging deeper partnerships across the region, Pennsylvania Highlands Community College is committed to creating pathways that lead to meaningful careers, personal achievement, and lifelong learning. This roadmap reflects our unwavering belief in continuous improvement, innovation, and the power of education to change lives.
This plan is a promise to our students, our employees, and our region: we will strive tirelessly to help every learner succeed, flourish, and build a brighter future.
Click here to view our mission, core values, and vision.
Strategic Imperatives And Goals
Imperative 1: Workforce and career readiness is a primary focus of college academic efforts.
- Goal 1: Embed workforce readiness concepts across for-credit academic programs (where feasible and aligning with college governance processes).
- Goal 2: Increase the availability and diversity of career-technical education programs by expanding both the number of program offerings and their instructional modalities and locations.
- Goal 3: Incorporate short-term credentials, stackable certificates, and industry certifications into curricula based on industry input and employer demand (where feasible and aligning with college governance processes).
- Goal 4: Expand employer relationships to co-design and review for-credit and non-credit curricula, and to develop meaningful experiential learning opportunities for students.
Imperative 2: Increase access and reduce barriers by creating equitable opportunities for diverse student populations to engage with the college.
- Goal 1: Optimize student scheduling modalities (i.e., in-person, HyFlex, hybrid, and online learning options) and by location to meet the diverse expectations of students.
- Goal 2: Offer additional accelerated programs for working adults and non-traditional learners.
- Goal 3: Standardize technology for teaching and learning and provide additional onboarding and continuous support for digital literacy, including effective and appropriate use of AI.
Imperative 3: Expand and enhance student support services to foster improved retention, completion, and academic success.
- Goal 1: Expand the use of intrusive and proactive student interventions.
- Goal 2: Expand career services to better facilitate the transition of students from academic work to local employment, and better track and report on employment outcomes.
- Goal 3: Improve the overall quality and accessibility of the online college to enhance student engagement and success.
- Goal 4: Identify, reduce, and remediate non-academic barriers to student success.
Imperative 4: Implement a comprehensive strategy that expands community awareness of the college and improves for-credit and non-credit enrollment.
- Goal 1: Optimize internal processes and resources to maximize recruitment effectiveness
- Goal 2: Highlight and communicate the college’s distinctive strengths to set it apart from other regional educational institutions.
- Goal 3: Use data and partnerships to identify, reach, and recruit new and diverse student populations.
Imperative 5: Optimize College operations to ensure long-term financial sustainability and operational efficiency.
- Goal 1: Identify and implement long-term cost-saving measures.
- Goal 2: Identify additional revenue streams to support operations at the College.
- Goal 3: Conduct regular continuous improvement audits.
- Goal 4: Sustain and improve upon a college culture that provides all employees and students with opportunities to affect positive change within the College.
Join Us on the Path to Success
At Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, we are committed to empowering every learner and transforming our community through education, innovation, and opportunity. Whether you’re a prospective student, a community partner, or an advocate for lifelong learning, we invite you to be part of our journey. Together, we can build a brighter future—one learner, one career, and one community at a time.
Explore our programs, connect with our team, or apply today.