1. Promote effective teaching and learning as the key elements of excellence.
2. Provide quality lower-division transfer education-- including liberal and general education--leading to the successful completion of Associate of Arts and Associate of Science Degrees.
3. Provide quality applied technology education that meets training needs for students desiring certificates and/or Associate of Applied Science Degrees and for members of the community, business, and industry desiring job preparation, short-term or upgrade training.
4. Provide quality community education programs in response to community needs, local educational institutions, employers and agencies.
5. Provide quality community services that meet cultural, recreational, and personal development needs of the community.
6. Provide quality extra-curricular activities that will enhance individual growth and allegiance to the college.
7. Provide quality learning resources and student support services-- including developmental and remedial education, assessment, advising, career counseling, library support--needed to promote student success.
8. Promote public and school relations activities that create understanding between the college and its students, prospective students, alumni, employees, business and community organizations, and provide recognition for quality campus programs.
9. Support economic growth and development, including business, industry, and government, and develop funding sources outside the tax support offered by the state.
10. Develop, implement, and maintain programs that address international and multi-cultural education, and increase the diversity of students, faculty, staff, and administrative personnel.
11. Maintain an energetic, involved, and informed faculty, staff and administration through a staff development program of continuous improvement.
12. Maintain and care for campus facilities and grounds at the highest levels possible.
13. Be involved in an ongoing strategic planning process.

During March, April, and May of 1994, Dixie College's Strategic Planning Committee invited consultants to detail demographic information about the populace Dixie College Serves. What follows is a summary of those consultants' main points.

Mike Williamsen, the Director of Washington County's Job Service, provided the following demographic data:

 The county's population is growing at a rate between 6.7 and 9 percent each year. As the population grows, demand for jobs in the service sector grow proportionately.

 Currently, the services and trades sectors account for 52 percent of the local economy.

 Service: The great majority of Dixie's graduates are and will be employed in this sector. Comprising 29 percent of the local economy, these jobs include such things as health care, education, business services, and hotel/motel jobs. Jobs in the services are both the highest and lowest paid positions. These wages are risky, requiring workers to be adaptable. Employees in this sector can expect some career instability.

 Trades: Comprising 23 percent of the local economy, these jobs include such things as wholesale/retail management.

 Wages in Washington County are low. The average non- agricultural salary in the county is $8.07, and the average per capita personal income in 1991 was $982 per month. Family income averages about $17,000 per year. The Walmart Distribution Center, a large new employer moving to the area, offers workers entry-level wages at $7.40 per hour.

 Washington County has the state's highest percentage of workers who, even though they live in Washington County, go outside the county to find employment.

Recommendations: Given the above, Mr. Williamsen made the following suggestions:

 "If you build it, they will come!" Businesses will relocate to Washington County if there are workers to support them. Tourism, Williamsen said, provides so many (relatively poor) jobs that businesses are discouraged from locating here because of tourism's competition. If there were more workers, businesses would come to the county. Dixie College should emphasize two things: academic skills and work place skills.

 Academic Skills: Most employees will change careers at one or more points in their lives; therefore, adaptability will be an essential trait of the successful worker. This adaptability comes from a good foundation in general education-type skills--math, reading, and writing skills.

 Work Place Skills: Employers demand that their employees have the skills necessary to function in their organizations. Those skills include the ability to do such things as—

• work in a "team" setting.

• interact effectively with customers (customer relations).

• be honest.

• solve problems.

• develop a strong work ethic.

• dress and behave in a courteous, well mannered, cooperative way.

 Dixie College, Mr. Williamsen suggested, should have the following goals:

• Be a leader in vocational education.

• Put more emphasis into employer or business services.

• Develop the following programs to meet the specific needs of employers in Washington County:

• Health occupations. (Mr. Williamsen mentioned that there is a large demand for graduates in this area.)

• Dental Hygiene.

• Electronics/computers and other math-intensive programs.

Steve Peterson, Washington County School Superintendent, has excellent demographic data about growth trends in the K- 12 school populace, which provides the largest portion of Dixie College's "traditional" students. This data is derived from population surveys that carefully monitor birth rates and transience patterns. Dr. Peterson's projections all pointed toward unprecedented growth in the number of students graduating from high schools in Dixie College's service area. In fall of 1994, the school district will have 16,458 total students, with 3,723 high school students; by fall of 1998, four years from now, the district will have 19,653 total students, with 4,723 high school students. If growth patters persist (which is likely), Washington County will have more than 55,000 students in 2010--meaning that there will be more K-12 students than there are residents in 1994.

To simplify, by 2010, the current K-12 populace will triple. If Dixie College continues to recruit similar portions of Washington County's graduating seniors, that segment of Dixie's populace will also triple.

Following are Superintendent Peterson's specific data for school enrollment projections:

The following is excerpted from "Your Washington County Schools," a supplement to the Daily Spectrum:

Question: With all the growth in the Washington County area, what is the impact on schools?

Answer: A. The District originally projected a 700 student increase for the current school year. However, with the impact of move-ins in the county, the growth was over 1,000 students. In the state of Utah's annual Oct. 1 Enrollment Report, it showed that the highest growth in the State of Utah, number- wise, was the Jordan School District, with a 1,412 student increase; the second high was Alpine School District with a 1,279 student increase; and third highest growth was Washington County School District with a 1,048 student increase. On a percentage basis, the highest growth in the state this year was Park City with an 8.7 % growth which was 221 students; the second highest in the state was Washington County School District with a 7.18 % growth with 1,048 students; and the third highest percentage rate of growth in the state was Iron County with 7 % growth rate with 383 students.

Dale Hatch, former legislative analyst and current assistant to the Commissioner of Higher Education, is uniquely qualified to observe trends in state revenues and educational policies. In an hour-long conference call, he made the following remarks:

• Enrollment growth will continue to be rewarded with increased funding. The Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) was awarded an 8 percent increase in funding last year to fund enrollment growth. In the past, the state has not completely funded enrollment growth; however, enrollment is the criterion upon which institutions compete for and receive larger portions of limited state budgets. Therefore, institutions desiring comparatively larger allocations should seek enrollment growth.
• Percentage of students going to two-year schools will likely increase. Because of its commitment to access, the USHE will not turn students away from the system as a whole; however, the system may turn some students away from the state's flag ship research institutions, which would increase percentages of students coming to two-year colleges. Mr. Hatch commented that universities will (probably because of continued pressure from the Board of Regents) seek to management enrollment growth by setting higher academic standards for their admissions. This has implications for the academic preparation of students who choose to come to Dixie in the future, suggesting that proportionately larger numbers of less prepared students will elect to come to Dixie College.
• The state will continue to impose austerity measures on higher education. Even though last year's revenues exceeded expectations, leaving the state with a funding surplus, and next year's revenues are projected to exceed projections by between 10 to 19 million dollars, the state's institutions of higher education will continue to function in an atmosphere of tight budgeting. When revenues are up, there is considerable pressure to cut taxes, and Mr. Hatch predicts that there will be tax cuts or rebates in good years, rather than increased funding for higher education. Also, the state faces increasing demands by other social agencies (prisons, welfare, medicaid, etc.) which will decrease the portion of state funds going to higher education. Last year, the USHE received 17.5 percent of total state budgets. Next year, because of increased demands from other social agencies, that portion is likely to drop to 17.0 percent.
• The USHE may choose to create new community colleges or area technical colleges. Regions of the state demand service, and periodically the Board of Regents entertains proposals to change the status of schools (Southern Utah State College becomes a university; Utah Valley Community College because a state college; etc.) or create new schools. Davis County is appealing for a technical college in its community, and other regions desire that the state develop educational services in their area. Dixie College should aggressively develop technical and vocational programs so that it becomes the institution designated to provide these services in Washington County. By fulfilling those needs, Dixie College can thus preemptively avoid an ATC being proposed and built in its service area, while at the same time serving the needs of the community.
• Dixie College should remain a two-year institution. Mr. Hatch expressed the opinion that, because SUU is so close, and because the state faces increasing needs for two-year institutions, Dixie College will not become a four-year institution in the near future. Dixie College, he said, should educate its community about the benefits of being a two-year school. If Dixie ceases to be a community college, its vocational emphasis would change, and those needs would not be met in the ways they are now met.

During April 1994, civic, educational, and industrial leaders met in the St. George City cambers to hear a detailed analysis of population trends in the county, prepared by Ron Thompson and water development personnel. At least two facts were obvious: First, the county will continue to grow at an astounding rate; second, current water infrastructure is inadequate.

The following is excerpted from a document, "Population Projections and Future Water Demands," which was distributed at that meeting:

As the basis for estimating the future water demands for the Washington County Purpose and Needs Study, three population projections were developed based on a range of three assumed growth rates: low growth, probable growth and high growth. The growth rates were derived by judgement considering the historic growth patterns of Washington County and St. George; comparisons with the other retirement and recreational communities and counties analyzed; and the ultimate populations projected to be reached under the three scenarios of land use in the Washington County buildout study. . . .

The adopted low, probable and high population projections are not directly related to the low, moderate and ultimate buildout populations. . . . The adopted population projections are based on future growth rates with the 1990 census population of 48,560 and current growth rate of 6.42 percent per year for all three ranges as follows:

• Low Growth--will average 6.65 percent from 1990 to 1995, peaking in 1995, then drop off to an average of 1.40 percent from 2035 to 2040.
• Probable Growth--will continue to increase to a peak averaging 6.72 percent between 1995 and 2000, then drop off to an average rate of 2.15 percent from 2035 to 2040.
• High Growth--will continue to increase to a peak averaging 6.75 between 1995 and 2000, then drop off to an average rate of 2.50 percent from 2035 to 2040.

A telephone conversation with staff of the Utah State Office of Planning and Budget indicated that Washington County's actual growth between 1990 and 1993 has averaged approximately 6.7 % annually.

The maximum populations derived in the population buildout study . . . are based on three scenarios of development of the remaining developable lands in Washington County under different land-use and zoning assumptions as follows [in other words, the following represent maximum possible populations, given different development scenarios]:

• Low Buildout--A population of 140,400 based on current zoning patterns and population densities.
• Moderate Buildout--A population of 391,700 based on a range of uses and residential densities similar to the Bloomington Hills area in St. George.
• Ultimate Buildout--a population of 689,400 based on a range of population densities similar to that in the central St. George vicinity between West Black Hills and East Black Hills.

To summarize, then: Washington County can expect growth. Analysts project that the county's population will probably reach 100,000 persons some time between 2000 and 2005, and that the county's population will reach 200,000 persons around 2015.

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