Stories & Case Studies
Colleges committed to student and community success often face a fundamental challenge: plenty of data but not enough shared understanding. ATD’s Institutional Capacity Assessment Tool (ICAT) Capacity Café service is designed to change that.
This two-part service begins with a self-assessment using the ICAT, which measures development across seven key capacities needed for sustainable, student-centered institutional change. From there, colleges participate in a coach-led Capacity Café — a two- to three-hour workshop that helps teams explore the results, identify gaps and opportunities, and start building a shared vision for action. It’s not just about interpreting data; it’s about creating space for open, campuswide dialogue that turns insight into momentum.
That’s exactly how Waubonsee Community College in Illinois approached the process. As part of its early engagement with ATD, Waubonseeincorporated the ICAT Capacity Café into a full day of data-focused activitiesand used the experienceto confront a disconnect that many colleges face: data was abundant, but conversations were fragmented across departments. “We had access and collected a wealth of data,” said Dr. Lisa Richardson, executive dean for student success and retention. “But we historically have not had discussions that brought it all together.”
The Capacity Café gave Waubonsee a structured way to start asking deeper questions — and to make data actionable. “We’re not just going to go off of a hunch or do a program for no reason,” Dr. Richardson said. “Now we have this baseline of data… and we’ve started to rethink how we do our work to better help our students succeed.”
That rethinking led to real changes. One major insight was that over 80% of Waubonsee’s students attend part time — yet programming, services, and course offerings were largely designed for full-time, daytime students. This mismatch prompted leaders to adjust course scheduling and student engagement efforts to better align with the needs of their actual student population.
Another discovery was a pattern of class cancellations at one of the college’s campuses, which had developed a reputation among students for unreliable scheduling. By digging deeper into the data, the team realized that more than 200 students were regularly traveling from that campus to others just to complete their course schedules. The college responded by guaranteeing that certain courses would run at that campus and adjusting offerings to reduce unnecessary student travel.
Waubonsee also began using data more strategically in planning student services. “We’ve changed how we structure our pathways and when classes are offered,” Dr. Richardson said. “Now we offer not just a full-time sample schedule, but a part-time one too — because that’s who most of our students are.”
These shifts are now embedded in Waubonsee’s new strategic plan, where insights from the ICAT Capacity Café are helping to guide key pillars such as enhancing the student experience and supporting academic innovation. The process didn’t just surface problems — it created a shared foundation for collaborative, student-centered solutions.
But don’t take our word for it. Hear directly from two Waubonsee leaders about how the ICAT Capacity Café helped their college connect the dots, engage stakeholders, and move from data to action:
In Their Own Words:
Dr. Lisa Richardson
Executive Dean for Student Success and Retention, Waubonsee Community College
Learn more about ATD’s ICAT Capacity Café
Dr. Stacey Randall
Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness, Innovation, and Planning, Waubonsee Community College