Effectiveness and Financial Sustainability

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Ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the college by improving organizational efficacy and allocating resources in a strategic and consistent manner.

Since the COVID pandemic in 2020, enrollment in two-year colleges across America has declined, including at COTC. Prior to the pandemic, COTC’s enrollment was 3,471 and, despite recent increases, overall enrollment remains below pre-pandemic levels, resulting in a budget imbalance. Shrinking on-campus student presence has resulted in underutilization of facilities, particularly at the Knox and Coshocton campuses. Coshocton County students’ enrollment at COTC continues to decline overall and the number of students attending classes on the Coshocton campus is at an unsustainable level. While CCP enrollment presents growth opportunities, these students continue with COTC after high school at very low percentages, typically opting to continue their education at four-year institutions. Additionally, the amplified presence of CCP students on the Pataskala campus has resulted in space limitations and high school student management issues.

COTC has developed the following strategies to ensure a sustainable organization built upon a fiscal model driven by revenue growth through strategic enrollment increases and balanced resource management.

Goals

  • Implement the college’s multi-year plan to eliminate the structural deficit through revenue growth from increases in enrollment and expenditure reductions.
  • Expand enrollment through proactive recruitment strategies, targeted outreach to traditional and adult (non-CCP) learners and the implementation of clearer pathways for high school students through CCP courses.
  • Reduce the Coshocton campus footprint, allowing for the reallocation of resources while continuing to effectively serve the Coshocton community.
  • Pursue partnerships and explore other innovative options that align with our strategic goals and community engagement efforts to maximize the use of the Knox campus.
  • Transition the college’s Enterprise Resource Planning system and the Reporting and Operational Analytics software to cloud-based, SaaS solutions to enhance scalability, accessibility and efficiency.
  • Mitigate the space shortage at the Pataskala campus by exploring expansion possibilities and more efficient management of CCP space utilization with our partner high schools.
  • Complete the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Quality Improvement Project (2026-2028) aimed at advancing co-curricular assessment, and prepare for and successfully complete the college’s 10-year HLC accreditation review (2028-2029) to ensure ongoing accreditation and quality improvement.