Driven by Our Values
At NCHEMS, we’re guided by our values.
- We collaborate – We listen to voices across the postsecondary and workforce landscapes to understand the challenges that our clients face and the contexts that they work in, then work side-by-side to develop solutions and build will for change. Because collaboration is important, we build time and resources for internal and external collaboration into our projects.
- We are pragmatic – We understand the complexities of the postsecondary system and help our clients develop actionable, practical, and contextual solutions to their challenges. We value progress and adapt our approaches and recommendations to make the best use what resources (people, data, time) are available in the current moment.
- We are rigorous – We excel in difficult analytical work and check and double-check our analysis because our recommendations matter – to postsecondary leaders, practitioners, students, and their communities. We take seriously the responsibility of supporting postsecondary leaders to make big decisions affecting their states, systems, and institutions.
- We learn – Postsecondary education is constantly evolving and so are we. We strive to learn and create new ways of working – new ways of gathering, analyzing, and sharing data, and of developing and refining recommendations – that build on our existing expertise and respond to our clients’ and partners’ needs.
- We are independent – NCHEMS is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that is guided by its vision — a future in which postsecondary education expands opportunities for all, strengthens communities, and advances the public good. Our team brings a third-party perspective to our clients’ and partners’ challenges and develops recommendations that serve the public good.
As a mission- and values-driven organization, NCHEMS staff are aligned in working towards the same goals, with a common vision for providing the best possible service to the organizations, partners, and stakeholders with whom we work.