Front Door Project 2006-2007 Final Report
Executive Summary
In September 2006, the Front Door Project was launched to investigate ways to improve the “front door” of Raritan Valley
Community College. The charge for the Front Door Project stated, “The degree to which programs and information are streamlined,
accessible, and understandable will determine the degree to which the students feel welcome, believe they have made a good choice,
and develop the commitment necessary to support retention.” Between October 2006 and March 2007, the Front Door Project Committee,
comprised of over twenty administrators, staff, faculty, and students, met to define the front door, figure out its limitations,
and create recommendations. Throughout this endeavor, the Front Door Project Committee has worked hard to create a student-centered
vision for RVCC’s front door. All of our recommendations contribute to this vision, and it is a vision we hope can be fostered and
maintained with the help of an ongoing Front Door Project Committee.
Issues
I. Students have difficulty accessing Student Services (including Recruiting, Admissions,
Advising and Counseling, EOF, Finance, Financial Aid, Registrar, Student
Activities, and Transfer and Career Services)
a. Offices are hard to find and not laid out logically
b. Offices don’t have enough space for students or employees
c. Offices are not ADA compliant
II. Students lack space to engage with each other
a. Student space itself is limited
b. Offices that provide Student Activities are cramped and understaffed
III. Various types of RVCC information (policies, procedures, campus events,
location of offices, etc.) for students, employees, and visitors are poorly
organized and difficult to find (whether it is in person, online, or on the
phone)
IV. Members of the community don’t often perceive RVCC as a viable option for
their educational and cultural needs
Highlights of Major Recommendations
I. Enhance Student Services
a. Establish an Admissions Department
b. Bring all Student Services together
c. Create Dean of Students to coordinate all Student Services
II. Location of Student Services
a. Short Term: reconfigure College Center
b. Long Term: build Student Center for Student Services and Student
Activities
III. Create Information Center
a. Staff the Information Center
b. Create Campus Calendar
c. Address increased call volume during peak times
IV. Improve Appearance and Access to the College
a. Make front entrance more accessible to people with disabilities
b. Improve signs
c. Increase parking
V. Enhance the Online Front Door
a. Move to Content Management for the Website
b. Continue upgrades to Lion’s Den
c. Make website ADA compliant
VI. Strengthen Community Front Door
a. Strengthen programs and outreach for high school students
b. Strengthen programs and outreach for teachers, guidance counselors and
other high school personnel
c. Strengthen College-wide support for off campus sites (Bound Brook,
Franklin)
d. Strengthen overlap and communication between CCE and credit bearing
courses
VII. Effectively Manage Cross Cutting Issues
a. Improve information sharing
b. Think systemically
c. Strengthen sustainability
VIII. Create Front Door Standing Committee for accountability