Jefferson Community and Technical College
The shift: Create ownership for student success by aligning every function to credentials earned
Execution challenge
Jefferson operated in a familiar academic environment:
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Many teams
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Many goals
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Good intentions without alignment
Historically, dozens of initiatives competed for attention, leaving employees unclear how their work contributed to student success.
Leadership wanted decision-making pushed down, not centralized.
Organizational lag measure (WIG / outcome)
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Increase the number of student credentials awarded
This WIG was deliberately simple — and difficult to argue with.
System-level decomposition (lag → lead)
Three primary sub-WIGs supported the enterprise outcome:
Sub-WIG 1: Fall-to-Fall Retention
Lead measures
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Early student outreach
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Regular progress conversations
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Advisor-student contact cadence
Sub-WIG 2: Retention of African-American Students
Lead measures
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Targeted support initiatives
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Faculty-led engagement behaviors
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Monitoring progress weekly, not annually
Sub-WIG 3: Student Satisfaction
Lead measures
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Service responsiveness
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Consistency of student experience
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Rapid response to friction points
Unexpected but powerful example: Facilities & Housekeeping
Department lag measure
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Contribution to student success through campus environment
Lead measures
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Self-identification and reporting of facility issues
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Weekly commitments tied to student experience, not maintenance quotas
This was a turning point: every role could see its influence.
What happened along the way
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Over 80 teams met weekly around the same scoreboard
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Teams moved from compliance to ownership
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A graduation team increased credentials by nearly 46% in one cycle
Ancillary benefits
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Strong cultural shift toward ownership
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Celebration events reinforcing progress
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Financial ROI exceeded cost of the program early
Key takeaway:
Execution accelerated when every role could connect daily work to student success.