Strategic Plan 2026–31

We embed equity and inclusion into everything we do, honoring individual identity and ensuring everyone belongs and is empowered to succeed.

We deliver high quality, relevant learning that challenges, inspires, and prepares students to lead with confidence.

We value well-being as essential to vibrancy and sustainability. We commit to nurturing dynamic development for students and employees.

We value collaboration and radical accountability as the foundation of a community of excellence where we support our colleagues, our campus, and our students with intention and dignity. We work together to deliver meaningful outcomes and measurable impact.

Agility empowers us to lead with vision. We embrace change, respond to community needs, and commit to transformational practices that prepare our community for the future.

We value curiosity as the spark of discovery and transformation. We encourage fearless exploration in asking bold questions, challenging assumptions, and pursuing learning with openness and imagination.

We act with integrity and authenticity, pursuing bold learning and change that honors who we are and who we serve.

1. Students engage in meaningful learning experiences that build confidence, purpose, and readiness for civic, academic, and career impact.
2. Students access responsive and culturally relevant support that removes barriers and promotes whole-person success.
3. Students develop the skills, confidence, and agency to lead, advocate, and direct their own learning and life pathways. Students adapt and advance in a dynamic learning environment that fosters innovation, curiosity, and continuous growth.
4. Students adapt and advance in a dynamic learning environment that fosters innovation, curiosity, and continuous growth.

Bellevue College will be recognized nationally for advancing equitable student success and bold innovation in higher education.

Over the next five years, Bellevue College will:

• Increase student completion and transfer rates to 75% for full-time students (within three years for associate degrees and six years for bachelor’s degrees).
• Achieve 85% fall-to-winter retention for all students, reflecting steady progress and engagement across quarters.
• Remove equity gaps in persistence and completion across all racial, income, and enrollment-status groups.
• Sustain post-completion success with at least 65% of students who transfer or complete a Bellevue College bachelor’s program finishing their bachelor’s within six years of initial enrollment.

Bellevue College will establish baselines for persistence, completion, and equity outcomes and demonstrate early institutional progress toward these goals.

• Establish verified baseline measures.
• Improve key outcomes by 5 percentage points over baseline.
• Strengthen system coordination to improve student progress and remove barriers.

Bellevue College will achieve measurable and sustained improvement in student outcomes, meeting or exceeding national benchmarks of excellence.

• Maintain annual increases in completion, transfer, and retention until institutional targets are reached.
• Eliminate equity gaps.
• Demonstrate improved post-completion outcomes, including transfer and employment.

These outcomes reflect Bellevue College’s commitment to advancing equitable student success and inspiring bold learning that transforms lives.

Progress toward the aspirational target will be reflected through:

• Persistence and degree completion rates will increase across all student populations.
• All students, regardless of background, will experience support and access to the opportunities necessary to thrive.
• Transfer and bachelor’s degree attainment rates within six years of initial enrollment will increase.
• Student-reported experiences will reflect stronger connection, clarity, and trust.
• Public confidence will strengthen in Bellevue College as a trusted, high-quality partner.
• Graduates will demonstrate long-term earnings gains and community impact.

1. Employees build a culture of trust, collaboration, and shared purpose that fuels innovation and advances Bellevue College’s mission.
2. Employees are equipped and supported to lead transformation, adapt with agility, and respond boldly to student and community needs.
3. Employees foster a culture of care and pride in being part of the Bellevue College community.

Bellevue College will be recognized nationally for cultivating a purposeful, collaborative, and caring culture where people lead innovation, advance equity, and strengthen the institution’s impact.

Over the next five years, Bellevue College will:

• Increase employee collaboration and trust as measured through institutional climate and engagement surveys, with at least 75% of employees reporting strong collaboration, trust, and alignment with the college’s mission and purpose.
• Expand employee capacity and agility, with 70% or more of employees reporting they have the skills, resources, and support to adapt, innovate, and lead change.
• Strengthen community care and pride, with 80% or more of employees indicating they feel valued, supported, and proud to work at Bellevue College.

Bellevue College will establish baselines through engagement and climate surveys, strengthen professional learning systems, and demonstrate early improvements in collaboration and community care.

• Establish verified baseline data for trust, capacity, and connection.
• Increase employee engagement measures by 5 percentage points over baseline.
• Expand participation in professional learning and cross-department initiatives by 10% over baseline to strengthen collaboration and connection.

Bellevue College will achieve measurable, sustained improvement in organizational culture, capacity, and community care.

• Reach and maintain 75% or higher employee trust and collaboration scores.
• Maintain 70% or higher employee agility and capacity scores.
• Achieve 80% or higher community care and pride scores across all employee groups.
• Increase faculty and staff participation in innovation and continuous improvement initiatives, such as curriculum development, equity-focused projects, and cross-unit collaboration, by 25%, while sustaining positive trends in perceptions of care and collaboration as measured through engagement surveys.

These outcomes reflect Bellevue College’s commitment to cultivating shared purpose through collaboration, care, and leadership that strengthen our collective impact.

Progress toward the aspirational target will be reflected through:

• Employee retention and engagement will increase across all groups.
• Campus climate and collaboration will continue to improve.
• Cross-department innovation and learning capacity will grow.
• Alignment between employee experience, student success, and institutional mission will strengthen.

1. Bellevue College builds partnerships, cultural exchange, and civic engagement that strengthens student success and deepens regional connections.
2. Bellevue College serves as a catalyst for inclusive economic growth and workforce development by aligning learning pathways with regional workforce needs, advancing skills-based learning and lifelong opportunity through co-designed, community-informed programs.
3. Bellevue College integrates institutional plans and practices across campus and community systems to deliver sustainable, equitable, and measurable solutions, aligning efforts with Tribal nations, educational partners, local cities, and King County priorities to advance regional well-being and long-term impact.

Bellevue College will be recognized nationally as an anchor institution advancing civic vitality, workforce innovation, and shared regional prosperity.

Over the next five years, Bellevue College will:

• Expand and formalize partnerships across K–12, industry, Tribal, nonprofit, and municipal sectors, increasing the number of active, goal-aligned collaborations by at least 20%.
• Increase experiential learning participation so that a minimum of 25% of students complete an internship, clinical, apprenticeship, or capstone experience with external partners.
• Launch at least three cross-sector initiatives that address critical community needs, such as housing, healthcare, climate resilience, or workforce development.
• Strengthen regional alignment by integrating Bellevue College’s plans with the priorities of Tribal nations, K–12 and transfer institutions, and local governments.

Bellevue College will focus on strengthening partnership infrastructure, defining baselines, and demonstrating early progress toward deeper community integration.

• Establish verified baseline data on formal partnerships and collaborative initiatives.
• Increase the number of active partnerships and engagement events by 10% over baseline.
• Develop and formalize partnership frameworks that define shared goals, mutual benefit, and accountability.

Bellevue College will deepen its role as a regional partner and model of institutional collaboration that advances shared prosperity and equity.

• Sustain a 20% increase in formal partnerships that demonstrate shared impact and mutual benefit across the region.
• Ensure at least 25% of students complete experiential learning with community and industry partners.
• Launch and sustain three or more cross-sector initiatives that reflect shared leadership and collaboration with Tribal nations, educational institutions, municipalities, and nonprofit partners.

These outcomes reflect Bellevue College’s commitment to deep partnership and shared prosperity that strengthen regional vitality and opportunity.

Progress toward the aspirational target will be reflected through:

• Graduate employment, transfer, and wage progression will continue to rise.
• Regional recognition of Bellevue College’s civic and economic leadership will grow.
• Collective impact in equity, sustainability, and innovation will be evident across initiatives.
• Student and employee participation in community-engaged learning will expand.
• Public trust and institutional reputation will strengthen.

1. Bellevue College creates clear, consistent, and future-focused operational processes that strengthen efficiency, accountability, and confidence across the institution.
2. Bellevue College aligns resources strategically to ensure investments advance institutional priorities and long-term sustainability.
3. Bellevue College anticipates and adapts to emerging needs through data-informed decision-making, innovative practices, and responsible stewardship.

Bellevue College will be recognized nationally for operational excellence, demonstrating institutional trust, sustainability, and innovation in support of students, employees, and community.

Over the next five years, Bellevue College will:

• Build clear, consistent, and trusted systems that strengthen institutional efficiency, accountability, and collaboration.
• Align 80% of annual budget investments with institutional priorities and strategic goals, maintaining a variance between planned and actual expenditures of 5% or less.
• Reduce process friction and inefficiency by improving turnaround times for key administrative functions (such as hiring, purchasing, and onboarding) by 20%.
• Advance sustainability and resilience, moving the college towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and launching three or more innovations that strengthen long-term institutional and environmental health.

Bellevue College will establish baselines for operational performance, strengthen resource alignment, and demonstrate early progress in efficiency, sustainability, and institutional trust.

• Establish baseline data for key operational indicators, including budget alignment, process efficiency, sustainability performance, and institutional trust.
• Improve process turnaround times by at least 10% across core administrative functions to demonstrate early operational gains.
• Align at least 75% of annual budget investments with strategic priorities.
• Implement initial Climate Action Plan milestones that move the college toward a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
• Increase confidence in institutional systems and decision-making by 5 percentage points over baseline, as measured through institutional surveys on clarity, communication, and accountability.

Bellevue College will achieve sustained excellence and measurable institutional resilience.

• Maintain alignment of 80% or more of annual budget investments with strategic priorities.
• Achieve 20% improvement in efficiency across core operational processes.
• Complete at least half of the Climate Action Plan milestones and achieve a 20% reduction in operational greenhouse gas emissions, compared to the 2006 baseline.
• Increase confidence in institutional systems and decision-making by 10%, as measured through institutional surveys on clarity, communication, and accountability.
• Implement three or more innovation projects that enhance agility, sustainability, or service delivery through emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and onsite solar plus battery energy storage.

These outcomes reflect Bellevue College’s commitment to accountable, innovative, and sustainable practices that build trust and ensure long-term institutional strength.

Progress toward the aspirational target will be reflected through:

• Confidence among students and employees in institutional systems will increase.
• Perceptions of Bellevue College as a well-managed and sustainable institution will improve.
• Duplication and inefficiency across divisions will decrease.
• Progress toward campus sustainability and climate goals will continue to be measurable and sustained.