Strategic Plan 2025-2028 Introduction

For more than five decades, Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3) has served as a cornerstone of opportunity and advancement in the region. TC3’s alumni, numbering nearly 24,000 graduates and countless others who have completed coursework at TC3, make tremendous contributions to the health and well-being of their communities, powering the economy in fields such as business, nursing, criminal justice, human services, and education, among many others. The rate of return is substantial, with TC3’s operations, student spending and increased productivity of TC3 alumni generating over $57 million annually in economic activity across Cortland and Tompkins Counties alone, according to a 2023 independent economic impact study. 

TC3’s impact, of course, goes well beyond economics—it is a story of transformation. For generations, TC3 has changed lives. The College opens doors to living-wage, middle-skills careers and carves pathways to bachelor’s degree programs through transfer to four-year institutions, providing high-quality, affordable excellence in higher education. We serve people who live, work, and raise families in our region, providing a vibrant, more equitable future where higher education is open to all who seek its many benefits. 

Guided by the Board of Trustees, supported by our local sponsors, SUNY, and the State of New York, and with an unrelenting focus on this mission, a defining feature of TC3 is the deep care the College has for each individual student—whether in the classroom, labs and studios, in student life, and across all levels of operations. This strategic plan builds upon this broad foundation, seeking to ever-strengthen the College and steward our resources with sustainable and modern infrastructure, and a commitment to belonging and accountability to one another and to our community, while also ensuring that TC3's academic and workforce programs anticipate and reflect the evolving needs of employers and our region.

TC3’s mission, affirmed in 2024 through a cross-campus, multi-month engagement process led by the College’s PEAKS Community College Leadership Program alumni, anchors our work:

"We foster lifelong curiosity and inquiry through innovative educational pathways, leading students to meaningful work, economic growth, and a brighter future."

Each pillar is supported by clear goals and objectives, developed with deep and diverse input. TC3’s students, faculty, and staff provided robust responses through surveys and a series of focus groups. More than 300 external stakeholders participated in a community-wide survey, and dozens of additional voices—representing area employers, K–12 partners, transfer institutions, and alumni—were raised through targeted focus groups and outreach. This wide-ranging, inclusive process supported the intention that TC3’s Strategic Plan reflect both community needs and institutional priorities.

TC3’s legacy of sustainability also shaped the foundation of this plan. From the College’s on-campus solar array and TC3 Farm to being an early signatory of the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment, sustainability has long been a core institutional value. In 2024, TC3 returned to these roots with a faculty-led comprehensive review of the College’s sustainability initiatives, culminating in the College’s adoption of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as an institutional framework. Among the most resonant are:

SDG Goal #1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere.

SDG Goal #8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

SDG Goal #11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

The 2025–2028 Strategic Plan: Sustaining a Vibrant Future is deeply informed by these global imperatives, grounded in local context, and designed to strengthen and advance TC3’s mission and vision for the transition to the next chapter in our enduring story. 

While TC3, like all institutions, faces ever-changing headwinds, this Strategic Plan serves as the institutional touchstone to sustaining an institution that is mission-focused, stewardship-minded, and community-centered in order to continuously serve as an important anchor for our region. We invite you to follow our progress at www.tc3.edu/strategicplan as well as through regular updates to the community. Thank you for your continued interest and sustained support, and for joining with TC3 on this journey of service as the “community’s college.”

Sincerely, 

Amy Kremenek, DM, MPA
President