Strategic Plan
Piedmont Technical College Strategic Plan 2026-2029
Student success is not an outcome at Piedmont Technical College. It is our starting point. Every strategic decision we make, every partnership we build, and every investment we pursue begins with a single question: How will this work create opportunity for our students?
As we conclude the 2022–2025 Strategic Plan, we reflect not only on what has been accomplished, but on the lives those accomplishments have affected. Each initiative over the past four years has been designed to expand access, improve completion, strengthen workforce alignment, and remove barriers that stand between students and their goals.
As we celebrate 60 years of service to our seven-county region, PTC remains committed to its mission to transform lives and strengthen communities. What began in 1966 as a single building serving 300 students has grown into a dynamic, multi-campus institution serving approximately 8,500 students annually across credit and non-credit programs. Yet while our footprint has expanded, our focus has remained constant as we work to ensure that every student who walks through our doors has a clear path to opportunity.
Our results reflect that commitment:
- Generating a total annual economic impact of $349 million across the region
- Stabilizing and increasing enrollment by 10% since 2020-2021
- Achieving an overall 80% course success rate in fall 2025—the highest in college history
- Placing 93% of graduates in careers or continued education
- Offering dual enrollment opportunities to more than 1,400 high school students through partnerships with over 40 schools and career centers
- Delivering work-based learning experiences to the majority of students across diverse industry sectors
- Upskilling employees at over 70 regional companies, strengthening both individual careers and business competitiveness
- Establishing articulation agreements with 20 colleges and universities, helping hundreds of students transfer thousands of credits, collectively saving families millions in tuition
- Advancing more than $100 million in capital improvements to modernize learning environments and expand access
These accomplishments are not endpoints. They are evidence of a strategic approach grounded in measurable outcomes and continuous impact.
Because at Piedmont Technical College, strategy does not exist for its own sake. It exists to ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed. And as we look to the future, one thing is clear: with students at the center of every decision, every partnership, and every innovation, PTC is on the rise.
About the Strategic Plan
The Strategic Plan contains two primary sections. The first section contains the mission, vision, and core values of the institution. The second section contains the long-range objectives, mid-range projects, and short term tasks of the strategic plan. The objectives, projects, and tasks are addressing student access and success, pathways and programming, community partnerships, workforce development, and organizational sustainability and stewardship.
In developing this strategic plan, the planning team reviewed institutional data related to student success, held focus groups, updated the institutional vision statement, and reflected on the accomplishments of the 2022-25 strategic plan.
The ideas generated during these discussions serve as a key foundation to aspects of this strategic plan, and, combined with the ideas generated from the PTC Leadership Team, provide important information that guides this institution over the next three years.
Section One: Mission, Vision and Core Values
- Mission
Piedmont Technical College transforms lives and strengthens communities by providing opportunities for intellectual and economic growth.
The College, a member of the South Carolina Technical College System, is a public comprehensive two-year postsecondary institution. Piedmont Technical College contributes to the economic growth and development of the largest and most diverse region of the technical college system, Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry and Saluda counties and to the state. The College responds to the academic, training and public service needs of the community through excellence in teaching and educational services. Piedmont Technical College’s open admissions policy provides accessibility for individuals with diverse backgrounds the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills for employment in engineering technology, industrial technology, agriculture, business, health, and public service. Piedmont Technical College graduates develop competencies in communication, mathematics, problem solving and technology.
The College offers university transfer; associate degrees, diplomas and certificates in technical and occupational areas; college preparatory programs; student development programs providing academic, career and individual support; and custom-designed credit and non-credit programs to provide training for business and industry and to meet the needs of the community. To optimize access to higher education in the rural seven-county service area, Piedmont Technical College offers distance learning courses through multiple modes of delivery. (Revision approved by the PTC Area Commission on April 21, 2015. Approved by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education on June 30, 2015.)
- Vision
Become a premier community college with a shared commitment to transform lives and strengthen communities through relentless pursuit of student success and economic prosperity for all stakeholders.
- Institutional Core Values
Piedmont Technical College commits to the pursuit of excellence through the following: (last approved by PTC Area Commission on March 18, 2025):
- Student Success: Ensuring that every student’s development is supported by providing the tools and opportunities needed to achieve their academic and career goals.
- Growth: Fostering personal and professional growth to meet the evolving needs of students, faculty, staff and the community
- Integrity: Upholding the highest standards of honesty, transparency, and ethical behavior in all endeavors.
- Teamwork: Building strong collaborations and partnerships to achieve shared goals, cultivate a culture of care and strengthen the college’s overall impact.
- Proactivity: Anticipating and addressing challenges and opportunities with forward-thinking solutions that benefit all college stakeholders and promote continuous improvement.
- Open Access: Creating a welcoming environment where everyone has access to opportunities for success.
Section Two: Strategic Plan
The strategic plan adopts the following numerical notation:
- Long-term Objectives – to be completed in 2-3 years
- Mid-Range Projects – to be completed in 1-2 years
- Short-term Tasks – to be started (and possibly completed) in 1 year
- Long-Term Objective 1 - Deliver a transformative student experience by implementing innovative programs and services that prepare students to lead, adapt, and excel in a rapidly changing world.
Mid-Range Project 1.1.
Fully implement the Guided Pathways approach.- Short-Term Task 1.1.1.
Evaluate the current implementation of the Guided Pathway strategies and infrastructure and adjust to scale. - Short-Term Task 1.1.2.
Host informational exchange sessions to explain next steps and implementation timeline across all faculty and staff to generate excitement and demonstrate relevance.
Mid-Range Project 1.2.
Provide opportunities to all individuals for engagement and exposure to knowledge and experiences beyond the classroom.- Short-Term Task 1.2.1.
Organize and collaborate to create and host at least one event/opportunity on campus per semester relevant to each career community. - Short-Term Task 1.2.2.
Provide opportunities to include work-based learning beyond the college classroom that align with a student’s major and are of high quality and reflective of their career path.
- Short-Term Task 1.1.1.
- Long-Term Objective 2 - Provide cutting-edge programs and pathways that are focused on skills, credentials, and empowerment needed for the pursuit of meaningful, lifelong careers in current and emerging areas.
Mid-Range Project 2.1.
Implement a systematic process to assess PTC’s programming mix, including the creation of new programs and evaluation of existing programs and outcomes related to graduation and transfer.- Short-Term Task 2.1.1.
Leverage existing program mix and workforce demand research by aligning our current offerings with regional needs and implementing strategies for program improvement, enhancement, or growth. - Short-Term Task 2.1.2.
Extend the duration of data collection to analyze long-term outcomes and the progression of graduates.
Mid-Range Project 2.2.
Incentivize and empower individuals to broaden their skill set beyond specific program requirements.- Short-Term task 2.2.1.
Create certifications or alternative credentials that emphasize skills focused on career progression. - Short-Term Task 2.2.2.
Facilitate transitions from non-credit training to credit programs by mapping and communicating clear pathways between these programs.
- Short-Term Task 2.1.1.
- Long-Term Objective 3 - Strengthen PTC’s role as an essential community partner to amplify and leverage the scope of PTC’s local, state, and national impact.
Mid-Range Project 3.1.
Increase visibility, communication, and engagement with key stakeholders.- Short-Term Task 3.1.1.
Optimize messaging, communication efforts, and facilities to ensure the College’s value proposition is effectively conveyed and the brand is presented consistently. - Short-Term Task 3.1.2.
Broaden our engagement with state and national stakeholders.
Mid-Range Project 3.2.
Develop an active presence that initiates and facilitates solutions to community challenges.- Short-Term Task 3.2.1.
Identify thought leaders across all disciplines, tell their stories, and make connections to facilitate effective solutions. - Short-Term Task 3.2.2.
Empower and develop employees to effectively communicate PTC’s value when connecting to the community.
- Short-Term Task 3.1.1.
- Long-Term Objective 4 - Cultivate a values-focused culture that prioritizes, develops, and supports employees as they contribute to student success and institutional excellence.
Mid-Range Project 4.1.
Recognize the potential for growth in all employees and provide meaningful systems for career progression centered on competencies and skills.- Short-Term Task 4.1.1.
Identify the competencies and skills needed for multiple roles across specific units. - Short-Term Task 4.1.2.
Align individual career goals with interest and capacity for success.
Mid-Range Project 4.2.
Develop a holistic approach that recognizes personal and professional milestones, rewards achievements, and provides support during significant life events.- Short-Term Task 4.2.1.
Create an avenue for meaningful recognition and/or reward of faculty and staff achievements. - Short-Term Task 4.2.2.
Expand resources to support employees.
- Short-Term Task 4.1.1.
- Long-Term Objective 5 - Demonstrate integrity and ethical stewardship by identifying and allocating resources to address the needs of the institution and ensure fiscal health and future growth.
Mid-Range Project 5.1.
Update and enhance the physical and technological infrastructure across all campuses.- Short-Term Task 5.1.1.
Develop and prioritize a comprehensive list of infrastructure needs and potential solutions based on criticality, resiliency, and impact to the College. - Short-Term Task 5.1.2.
Align and prioritize workforce planning with current needs and future growth.
Mid-Range Project 5.2.
Ensure the college has the fiscal resources to sustain and expand the programs and services provided.- Short-Term Task 5.2.1.
Compete for local, state, and federal grant opportunities that increase student access and support college programs and services - Short-Term Task 5.2.2.
Secure public and private funding to address facility and educational programs across the communities served. - Short-Term Task 5.2.3.
Develop and leverage philanthropic support.
- Short-Term Task 5.1.1.