Riverside City College Launches B.E.S.T. Strategic Plan with Campuswide Celebration

Riverside City College officially launched its B.E.S.T. Strategic Plan on Monday, April 6, 2026, during a campuswide event held in CIS 114 A/B. A strong and enthusiastic turnout of faculty, staff, students, and administrators at the B.E.S.T. Strategic Plan Launch Party reflected the college community’s shared commitment to the future of RCC.

More than a rollout, the event emphasized that the B.E.S.T. Strategic Plan is not intended to sit on a shelf, but to serve as an actionable framework that guides the college’s participatory governance structure.  Through interactive engagement and conversation, attendees explored how the plan will shape decision-making, strengthen collaboration, and align efforts across the college by emphasizing the four pillars of the plan:  Build, Engage, Serve, Treasure.  With these pillars, the plan embeds commitments to improve equity in student access, student support, and student success.

“The energy in the room made it clear that this plan belongs to all of us,” said Kristi Woods, Ph.D., Vice President of Planning and Development. “The B.E.S.T. Strategic Plan is not just a document; it is about the work that we are actively engaged in every day, it reflects our college mission, vision, and values and is indicative of and our shared responsibility to turn strategy into actions that meaningfully support our students.

The launch highlighted RCC’s continued focus on servingness and its commitment to creating intentionally designed measurable objectives and strategies for student success and employee well-being.  Among these goals are increasing points of contact between students and their assigned student success teams and ensuring that all first-time students have a Comprehensive Student Educational Plan by the end of their first year. As a Hispanic-Serving Institution and newly designated Black-Serving Institution, RCC’s strategic direction reinforces its responsibility to meet students where they are and ensure consistent, high-quality support across every touchpoint. The B.E.S.T. Strategic Plan is also aligned with the recently approve Student Equity Plan as well.

The B.E.S.T. Strategic Plan reflects a forward-looking vision rooted in accountability, innovation, and shared equity leadership. As RCC moves from planning to action, the college community is called to actively embed the plan into its priorities, into programs, services, and everyday practices that support student achievement and institutional growth.