What is Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative (IEPI)?
IEPI is a collaborative effort to help advance the institutional effectiveness of California Community Colleges (CCC). Most importantly, IEPI will enhance the system’s ability to effectively serve students. The Institutional Effectiveness and Partnership Initiative (IEPI) was launched in 2014 to help California’s community colleges and college districts improve their operational effectiveness. It is uniquely positioned to help boost student success across the system by providing colleges and college districts the high-quality technical assistance, professional development and resource tools needed to achieve the goals and commitments contained in the California Community Colleges’ 2017 Vision for Success.
IEPI is jointly administered by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and the Santa Clarita Community College District, which is contracted by the state to support colleges with the initiative through Partnership Resource Teams. Implementation grants are available to colleges interested in receiving assistance and professional development from the Partnership Resource Teams.
IEPI for Santa Ana College:
In November 2021, Santa Ana College sent a letter of interest to the California Community Colleges related to the Institutional Effective Partnership Initiative (IEPI) Grant. The Initiative dispatches a Partnership Resource Team (PRT) to visit colleges and assist in strengthening the institution. Santa Ana College was approved and chosen for a visit in Spring 2022. The Partnership Resource Team, comprised of about eight colleagues from across the state, visited SAC twice in Spring 2022 and is slated to return in Spring 2023.
Santa Ana College's Areas of Focus?
During the first visit, the PRT holds interviews and meetings with the individuals and groups around the identified Areas of Focus. The PRT analyzes the information gathered in the interviews and meetings and meets as a team to share preliminary observations about the institution’s Areas of Focus, what the institution has already done or plans to do about them, and what additional IEPI resources, if any, might help the institution make progress.
Santa Ana College chose the following Areas of Focus for the PRT:
1. Solidifying support to the Career and Academic Pathways (CAP) (aka Meta-Majors)
- Institutionalization
- Sustainability
2. Program Mapping Project completion
3. Learning and Engagement Equity Team
- Resistance to change
- Institutionalizing change
4. Integrated Planning—Nuventive Tool
- Review Systems/Processes
Institutional Change
During the second visit, the PRT reviews a Menu of Options (MOO) which consists of ideas, approaches and best practices that could be utilized by the college in their Innovation and Effectiveness Plan (I&EP). The I&EP is then finalized by the Drafting Group, approved by the PRT and a Seed Grant is provided to assist in these efforts. Currently, the college is working towards the progress in five identified projects that support the four Areas of Focus.
IEPI Data Sources:
