Systems Portfolio - McHenry County College

McHenry County CollegeAQIP Systems Portfolio • November, 2009

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McHenry County College AQIP Systems Portfolio • November, 2009

Overview


Glossary of Acronyms

ABE Adult Basic Education

ASE Adult Secondary Education

ATC Advising and Transfer Center

CAAP Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency

CAPC Curriculum and Academic Policy Council

CATs Classroom Assessment Techniques

CCSSE Community College Survey of Student Engagement

CD&R Curriculum Development and Review - Standing Committee of CAPC

CEU Continuing Education Unit

CLC Children’s Learning Center

CP&R Curriculum Promotion and Renewal - Standing Committee of CAPC

EAP Employee Assistance Program

ERP Enterprise Resource Planning system

ESL English as a Second Language

FMCCF Friends of McHenry County College Foundation

FY Fiscal Year

GPA Grade Point Average

IAI Illinois Articulation Initiative

IBHE Illinois Board of Higher Education

ICCB Illinois Community College Board

ISBDC Illinois Small Business Development Center

MAPP Making Academic Progress Policy

MCC McHenry County College

MCEDC McHenry County Economic Development Corporation

NCCBP National Community College Benchmarking Project

NOCTI National Occupational Competency Testing Institute

PACE Personal Assessment of the College Environment

RAP Retired Adults Program

SEDOM Special Education District of McHenry County

SLC Sage Learning Center

SPAS Student Placement, Advising, and Support - Standing Committee of CAPC

WIA Workforce Investment Act

WIB Workforce Investment Board

Table of Contents

Page 1 Overview

Page 12 Category 1: Helping Students Learn

Page 30 Category 2: Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objectives

Page 40 Category 3: Understanding Students’ and Other Stakeholders’ Needs

Page 52 Category 4: Valuing People

Page 63 Category 5: Leading and Communicating

Page 70 Category 6: Supporting Institutional Operations

Page 80 Category 7: Measuring Effectiveness

Page 84 Category 8: Planning for Continuous Improvement

Page 91 Category 9: Building Collaborative Relationships

Page 101 Index to the Five Criteria for Accreditation

AQIP Systems PortfolioNovember, 2009

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Overview1


Overview

McHenry County College (MCC) is a public, comprehensive community college governed by a seven-member Board of locally elected trustees and a student trustee. MCC was established as the 28th community college in Illinois with the passage of a referendum on April 1, 1967.

The McHenry County College District is located in the northeastern part of Illinois, midway between Chicago and Milwaukee. The District is formed by public high school district boundaries, and covers 600 square miles. 97% of the District is in McHenry County with small remaining parts of Boone, Kane, and Lake Counties. Much of the District is used for some form of agriculture, with increasing portions more intensively developed for urban residential, commercial and service uses.

Overview

Overview Figure O.1 Location of MCC District

Figure O.2 McHenry County and MCC District Boundaries

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Overview2


Overview

The College’s main campus is located in Crystal Lake on U.S. Highway 14, a major arterial road that runs through McHenry County. The main campus site is approximately 169 acres and consists of five interconnected buildings which contain classrooms, laboratories, offices, a Cafeteria, Library, Bookstore, Children’s Learning Center, and gymnasium. In addition to these buildings, the campus has a Fire Tower used by the Fire Science Department, wetland areas, a nature area with a walking path, a garden, several athletics fields (soccer, baseball, and softball), and six parking areas with more than 2,000 parking spaces.

In addition to the College’s main campus, MCC also has a satellite facility known as the Shah Center. The Shah Center is located in McHenry, approximately 10 miles from the main campus. The Shah Center hosts a variety of non-credit activities such as corporate training, small business development, and community outreach programs.

The District has an increasing population due to the commuter rails and highways that are accessible to the Chicago Metropolitan Area. The population of McHenry County has increased 22.5% since the 2000 census to 318,641. The Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission forecasts a population of 457,594 for McHenry County in 2030. 11% of residents in McHenry County are Hispanic which represents the fastest growing segment of the District’s population.

The District’s Equalized Assessed Value (EAV) increased from $4,325,252,240 in 1999 to $9,442,825,331 in 2008, reflecting expansion in industrial and retail business and housing starts within the District over the past ten years. However, the recent economic downturn has impacted the District, and unemployment in McHenry County peaked at 10.9% in June, 2009. Nevertheless, by 2030, there is a projected increase of more than 63,000 new jobs and 68,000 more houses in McHenry County.

The College’s mission statement was reviewed by focus groups, which included representatives from all employee groups, trustees, students, and residents of the District. On October 18, 2001, the MCC Board of Trustees approved the new language for the College Vision, Mission and Goals.

VISION The community’s first choice for a lifetime of learning. MISSION At McHenry County College, we value learning and we put the interests of our students and community first. By providing high quality, affordable and accessible learning opportunities, we enable students to meet their educational, career and personal goals. By sharing our knowledge and resources, we support our community’s educational, social, cultural and economic vitality.

Figure O.3 MCC Main Campus

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Overview3


Overview

McHenry County College is a comprehensive community college and an integral part of the Illinois system of higher education. MCC is dedicated to upholding:

A policy of open admissions ●Comprehensive programming of educational offerings ●Maintenance of an informal student-oriented learning environment ●

MCC offers seven Associate Degrees:

Associate in Science ●Associate in Arts ●Associate in Fine Arts-Art ●Associate in Fine Arts-Music ●Associate in General Education ●Associate in Engineering Science ●Associate in Applied Science ●

Accounting оAdministrative Office Management оAutomotive Technology оAutomotive Technology-Management Option оBusiness Management оComputer Information Systems оConstruction Management оCriminal Justice о

Digital Media оEarly Childhood Education оEmergency Medical Technician – Paramedic оFire Science оHealth and Fitness Education оHorticulture оManufacturing Management оMarketing оNetwork Security оNursing о

Certificate programs are shorter (one year or less) than degree programs and focus primarily on skill proficiencies that prepare students for immediate employment in an entry-level position. MCC offers 48 certificate programs:

Accounting оAdministrative Office Management оAdministrative Office Skills оAdvanced Automotive Technician оAdvanced Computer Skills оAnimation оAutomotive Maintenance Technician оBaking & Pastry Assistant I оBasic Nurse Assistant оBusiness Management Principles оChef’s Assistant I оComputer Programmer оComputer Skills оConstruction Codes оCyber Security оDesign Technology оEarly Childhood Education – 12 Hour Certificate оEarly Childhood Education – 32 Hour Certificate оEmergency Medical Technician-Paramedic оEmergency Medical Technician-Ambulance оEntrepreneurship оFirefighter II оFire Officer I оFitness Instructor Training оFloral Design оGame Development о

O1 What are your goals for student learning and shaping an academic climate? What are your key credit and non-credit instructional programs, and educational systems, services, and technologies that directly support them?

GOALS To prepare students to transfer successfully to colleges and universities, 1. To prepare students to enter and advance in their careers, 2. To prepare students with the literacy and basic skills to succeed and 3. grow as learners, workers and members of society, To promote personal development and lifelong learning for all students, 4. To enrich the educational, social, and cultural life of the community, 5. To address the community’s workforce needs. 6.

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Overview4


Overview

Table O.1 Services available to MCC students

Advising and Transfer Center

Academic Advisors assist students with academic planning, matching major to career goal, transfer guidance, and graduation requirements.

Athletics, Intramurals, and Recreation

Includes competitive, instructional, and recreational athletic and academic programs and support services.

Career Resource Center

Counselors serve the needs of students and district members who are exploring or changing careers.

Career ServicesServices for students and alumni include job seeking assistance, interview skills and resume writing, internship opportunities and job postings, and career fairs.

Children’s Learning Center

In addition to providing a positive learning environment for young children, the Children’s Learning Center is a lab site for Early Childhood Education students.

CounselingProfessional counselors help students and members of the community with decisions on a wide range of career, personal concerns, and academic success issues.

Financial Aid, Scholarships, and Veterans Services

To remove economic barriers for students, MCC offers numerous federal, institutional, and private funds to financially assist students to reach their educational goals.

Fitness CenterFor students and community residents, members are educated on how a professionally designed exercise program can reduce major health risk factors.

Library The MCC Library provides resources and services which meet the information needs of the College community.

Multicultural Programs and

Student Leadership

Coordinates individual and group activities to promote cross-cultural awareness on campus and create an environment supportive of diversity of all kinds.

Sage Learning Center

A tutoring center for all registered students seeking assistance in a variety of academic areas. Comprehensive support is provided in math and in English/writing.

Special Needs Provides reasonable support for otherwise qualified students with disabilities.

Student LifeProvides quality student-centered programs, services and involvement opportunities which foster leadership, civic engagement and student development.

Testing Center Proctors many kinds of tests for MCC students and community members.

Gardening оGeek Technology оGreenhouse оHelp Desk оInternational Business Studies оInternet Game Programming оLandscape Management оLegal Administration оManufacturing Process оManufacturing Supervision оManufacturing Design Technology оMarketing оMarketing Management оMedical Administration оNetworking Specialist оOrganizational Leadership оPC Support Specialist оProfessional Selling оTax Practitioner оTurf & Golf Course Management оWarehousing and Distribution оWebmaster о

The College adopted new General Education Goals in Fall, 2007:

Critical Thinking1. : To identify, define, analyze, synthesize, interpret, and evaluate ideas.Information Literacy2. : To locate, evaluate, and use resources effectively.Effective Communication3. : To develop, articulate, and convey meaning.Ethical Awareness4. : To identify and make responsible choices in a diverse world.Technological Literacy5. : To use tools skillfully.

College classrooms and learning environments include the technology required by the curriculum. For example, MCC has a number of computer labs, supplemental learning labs, science laboratories, an automotive lab, nursing labs, and a photography lab. MCC uses ANGEL as its Learning Management System to support online, hybrid, and web-enhanced courses.

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Overview5


Overview

O2 What key organizational services, other than instructional programs, do you provide for your students and other external stakeholders? What programs do you operate to achieve them?

As part of its mission, MCC continually monitors the needs of the community. We are constantly striving to provide classes and training opportunities that keep pace with changes in our society, economy and on the employment front. We pride ourselves in being the area’s resource for: Lifelong Learning

Kids and College is an enrichment/remedial program for all students ●in grades pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Emphasis is placed on supporting non-credit programming through input by local schools and the community. Classes are designed to help all students explore new interests, gain additional skills and start the process of lifelong learning.

Continuing Education is a resource for individuals, organizations ●and businesses. Individuals who want to continue learning throughout life can register for a variety of personal development classes, seminars, or activities which do not carry college credit. A comprehensive schedule of these programs is available three times per year. The programs within Continuing Education are self-supported via fees that are paid by participants.

The Retired Adults Program (RAP) offers stimulating and enriching ●educational opportunities for adults who are 50 years of age or older. A variety of classes and activities take place each month including seminars, lectures, lunches, videos and discussion groups.

Trips & Tours offers trips ranging from one-day trips to extended ●travel. Examples of such trips are: Chicago Theatre, a weekend in Shipshewana, Indiana, and a week in Vermont.

Adult Education provides instruction for adults who are seeking to ●enhance their lives through further education. The program serves adults who are ages 17 or older, who are not enrolled in high school, who have not yet completed their high school education and/or who are limited in their ability to communicate, read and write in English. Classes are offered at many partner locations around the county.

Workforce and Economic Development

The Center for Corporate Training offers both open enrollment ●and customized workforce training. Manufacturers may qualify for training subsidies provided through the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Employer Training Investment Program. The Center offers a full schedule of quality and affordable training programs throughout the year. Topic areas include Computer Applications, Leadership and Professional Development, Safety, and Manufacturing Skills. To meet specific business needs, customized contract training can be provided on-site or at the Shah Center, whichever is more convenient for employers and their employees.

The Illinois Small Business Development Center is a grant-funded ●program that provides businesses with the necessary tools to grow and succeed. Services include assistance with the development of business plans, marketing plans, Small Business Administration loan packages, and helping entrepreneurs access specialized services and resources. The ISBDC conducts seminars and workshops to improve business ownership skills, houses a small business resource library and business software for client use, and offers assistance for procurement of government contracts and international trade.

Short-term, non-credit programs are available for individuals who ●want to improve career opportunities in areas of demand in the work place or who need continuing education hours to meet requirements for license or certification renewal. The Continuing Professional Education (CPE) program has been approved by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation to provide continuing education for social workers, nursing home administrators, certified public accountants, certified counselors, and home inspectors. MCC also offers continuing education for building inspectors, contractors, water operators, 911 operators, electricians, police, EMS workers, crisis intervention workers, healthcare workers, and firefighters.

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Overview6


Overview

O3 What are the short- and long-term requirements and expectations of the current student and other key stakeholder groups you serve? Who are your primary competitors in serving these groups?

Table O.2 Requirements and expectations of current students

Current Student Groups Requirements and Expectations

Intend to transfer

Preparation for future education, ability to transfer credits earned at MCC, variety of course offerings, convenient location, affordability

Preparing for current or future job

Skills leading to employment, variety of program offerings, convenient location, affordability

Table O.3 Requirements and expectations of key stakeholders

Stakeholders Requirements and Expectations

Alumni Opportunities to remain connected, lifelong learning

Board of Trustees Fiscal responsibility, adherence to policyBusiness & Industry Customized training, skilled workforce

CommunityEducated workforce, fiscal responsibility, responsiveness to emerging needs, taxpayer value

Employers Skilled workforce

Local K-12 Districts Affordable access to higher education, curricular partnerships

Other Colleges and Universities

Students prepared to continue education, transfer and articulation agreements

The College’s primary competitors include: Columbia College – Missouri (Crystal Lake) ●College of Lake County ●DeVry University ●Elgin Community College ●First Institute – Career Training ●Harper College ●Northern Illinois University ●Webster University – Elgin ●

Community Outreach

The court-mandated Traffic Safety School program is intended ●for McHenry County traffic violators or individuals interested in improving defensive driving skills. The program has been proven to improve traffic skills, decrease the possibility of future traffic violations and the possibility of serious collisions.

Parents, Children & Divorce offers families going through the ●process of divorce an opportunity to understand the impact divorce can have on children. The program assists parents in developing solutions to common and unique dilemmas families face during this process of change. Parents will have the opportunity to learn effective ways of communicating with each other and learn to make decisions that are in the best interest of their children.

Complete with catering and breakout rooms, the MCC Conference ●Center features a 350-seat auditorium with stage and the latest presentation technology. The Conference Center is frequently reserved by outside groups interested in scheduling a meeting on-campus, and the Conference Center often co-sponsors events with non-profit organizations.

The Lou Marchi Recycling Institute was established through an ●endowment to the College to promote recycling as an alternative waste disposal solution. The mission of the Institute is to provide programming on current recycling issues. The Institute publishes the new Green Guide Recycling Directory, which is a combination of the general recycling directory, the McHenry County Business Recycling Directory and a new Green Living section. The Green Guide, as well as information about household hazardous waste collection sites, and athletic shoe recycling is accessible on the Institute’s web page (http://www.mchenry.edu/recycling).

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Overview

Board of Trustees

Interim Executive Director, Friends of MCC Foundation

William Brennan

Director, Campus Safety & SecurityMichael Clesceri

Dir., Institutional Research Joseph Baumann

Director, Enrollment ServicesMarianne Devenny

Vice President, Academic & Student AffairsAnthony Miksa

Executive Dean, Career & Technical Education

James Falco

Director, Children's Learning Center (Vacant)

Executive Dean, Educatiion and Social Sciences

Ronald Geary

Dean, Student SuccessFlecia Thomas

Executive Director, Shah Center ProgramsCatherine Jones

Interim Vice President, AdministrativeServices & Treasurer

Frank Zeller

Assistant Vice President, Building & Grounds

Ed Hall

Assistant Vice President, Finance

Todd McDonald

Director, BookstoreCathleen Scherman

Director, Business ServicesJennifer Jones

Director, Food ServicesSandra Johnston

Assistant Vice President, Human ResourcesAngelina Castillo

Director, Employment ServicesSandra Hess Moll

Assistant Vice President, Information Technology

Diann Jabusch

Director, Network ServicesRobert Rasmussen

Director, Computing ServicesMarilyn Schick

Director, Communications TechnologiesDale Naleway

Director, End User ServicesGeary Smith

Interim PresidentKathleen Plinske

Assistant Vice President, Academic & Student Affairs

Normah Salleh-Barone

Executive Dean, HumanitiesThomas Takayama

Director, Marketing & Public RelationsChristina Haggerty

Dean, StudentsLesley Frederick

Director, Resource Development Wendy Moylan

Director, Athletics, Intramurals & Recreation

Walter Reynolds

MCHENRY COUNTY COLLEGE

Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness

(Vacant)

Director, Academy for High PerformanceMelissa Stutz

Executive Dean, Continuing & Professional Education

Gwendolyn Koehler

Executive Dean,Mathematics & Sciences

Robert Whittaker

Dean, Health SciencesJoan Flanagan

Director, MCC PromiseMaureen Coates

Director, Perkins & High School Plus Anthony Capalbo

Director, Professional DevelopmentPatricia Stejskal

Director, Continuing EducationDoralee Smith

Dean, EducationAmy Maxeiner

Dean, Instructional Technology& Interdisciplinary Studies

Josephine Crawford10/17/2009

Dean, Adult Education Richard Clute

Director, Financial AidLaura McGee

Figure O.4 McHenry County College Organizational Chart

O4 What are your administrative, faculty, and staff human resources? What key factors determine how you organize and use them?

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Overview9


Overview

O6 What strategies align your key administrative support goals with your mission and values?

McHenry County College is a comprehensive, public community college that is committed to a philosophy of open access as well as to providing high quality, affordable, and accessible learning opportunities for all district residents. As such, MCC aims to offer the wide range of support services necessary to meet the unique needs of students wherever they are on their path of lifelong learning. In addition, the College strives to contain costs and build a healthy institutional fund balance to avoid the need for significant increases in tuition or fees.

O7 What determines the data and information you collect and distribute? What information resources and technologies govern how you manage and use data?

In accordance with its open admissions concept, the College gives all entering students an equal opportunity to enter courses and programs. MCC offers free Adult Education classes, including reading, General Education Development (GED), and English as a Second Language (ESL). Through the College’s Special Needs program, MCC offers support for students who have a learning or physical disability. Furthermore, through the Sage Learning Center and Developmental Labs, MCC provides tutoring and academic assistance to students free of charge. In addition, the College provides career counseling services to all members of the community, and professional counseling services for students facing personal or psychological challenges.

MCC emphasizes social responsibility and community service through its annual United Way campaign, its College-wide recycling program, and support of Student Life activities, including semi-annual blood drives, semi-annual voter registration drives, and monthly multicultural programs. Community service is expected of new faculty and is considered in the tenure review process. Service learning is emphasized in certain courses, and with all students participating in the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society and the MCC Promise.

Finally, the collaboration between MCC and the Friends of McHenry County College Foundation underscores the College’s commitment to community involvement. The Foundation is committed to providing financial support to the College in areas that emerged through the College’s strategic planning process. The Foundation provides scholarships to students on both a merit and financial need basis. The Foundation’s fundraising goals also stress the importance of technology, professional development and the visual and performing arts.

As part of a three-year Action Project, MCC is currently engaged in an ERP conversion. The College currently operates a decades-old legacy mainframe system that is based in COBOL. Accordingly, data extraction capabilities are limited, and user-generated reports are not widely available. Instead, the College’s Computing Services staff, who specialize in COBOL, have the capability to design custom reports and data extracts for end users.

The primary priority for data collection and analysis are those elements required for annual reports to the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) and the College’s Program Review process. In addition, the College’s Action Teams often identify data to be collected and analyzed, and work with Computing Services or the Office of Institutional Research. Furthermore, any employee may work directly with the Office of Institutional Research to collect, extract, and analyze data and information.

The College has completed an Action Project to create Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and a Balanced Scorecard. While the Action Project was successful, due to the limitations of the current mainframe, all data must currently be manually entered and updated on the Balanced Scorecard. The College recognizes its data and information systems as an opportunity for improvement, and is working diligently to ensure a successful ERP conversion as quickly as possible.

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Overview

O8 What are the key commitments, constraints, challenges, and opportunities with which you must align your organization’s short- and long-term plans and strategies?

As illustrated in Figure O.6, The College had been experiencing a steady increase in credit hour enrollment over the last five years, but in Fall 2009, enrollment increased by a record 29.4% as compared to Fall 2008.

While the demand for the College’s programs and services is exciting, it also presents significant challenges. During the Fall, demand for parking exceeded the capacity of the on-campus lots, and students were required to park in overflow grass lots while dozens of employees participated in a voluntary off-campus parking shuttle program. And, because the College is located on the Crystal Lake watershed, any new construction projects must abide by a strict stormwater ordinance, rendering projects more costly and more complicated.

The College developed a Facilities Master Plan in 2005 to outline future expansion opportunities (see Figure O.7).

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Credit Hour Enrollment - Fall Semester

Figure O.6 Fall 10th day credit hour enrollment

The College recently launched an Associate’s degree program in Nursing, which has been extremely popular. However, the College offers a number of Biology courses that fill on or near the first day of registration. However, due to limited lab space, the College does not have many options for opening additional sections of high-demand science classes. Moreover, state funding has consistently declined over the last several years, and state funding for capital improvements is nearly impossible to secure. MCC has been working over the last several years to build a substantial fund balance to support the College’s ERP conversion and fund small-scale campus remodeling projects in an effort to maximize classroom space.

The College has experienced a significant amount of turnover and transition over the last few years. The sunsetting of an early retirement program on June 30, 2009 prompted many long-time employees to retire. Less than half of all administrators have been in their current positions for more than a year. While this transition brings challenges, it also brings opportunities. MCC’s new administrative team brings a diversity and wealth of perspectives and experiences to the College, and the institution is poised to collectively develop an exciting vision for the future.

MCC has also made significant strides over the last four years in developing a culture of continuous improvement. Quality tools have become part of the standard repertoire for employees, and Action Projects have become part of doing business at the College. Accordingly, the institution will be well-positioned to utilize feedback from this Systems Appraisal to identify and act upon opportunities for improvement to better serve students and stakeholders.

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Overview

Figure O.7 MCC Facilities Master Plan

O9 What key partnerships and collaborations, external and internal, contribute to your organization’s effectiveness?

MCC maintains a number of key relationships which are integral to the mission of the institution:

Table O.6 Key MCC Partnerships

Partnership Key Roles

District High Schools Educational organizations that provide supply of students

Four-year colleges and universities

Educational organizations that supply and depend on supply of students

Other community colleges Educational organizations that supply and depend on supply of students

Workforce Investment Board Identification of community’s training and education needs

McHenry County Economic Development Corporation

Identification of community’s training and education needs

McHenry County Workforce Center


Local businesses and industries


Community Agencies Community development and outreach

Advisory Committees Identification of community’s training and education needs

Friends of MCC Foundation Resource development and alumni relations

Category 1: Helping Students Learn12


As part of a recent AQIP Action Project, the College adopted a new set of five General Education Goals in Fall 2007. The five new General Education Goals are:

1. Critical Thinking: To identify, define, analyze, synthesize, interpret, and evaluate ideas.

2. Information Literacy: To locate, evaluate, and use resources effectively.

3. Effective Communication: To develop, articulate, and convey meaning.

4. Ethical Awareness: To identify and make responsible choices in a diverse world.

5. Technological Literacy: To use tools skillfully.

The College’s General Education Goals were developed via an iterative review process that was led by the Curriculum Promotion and Review (CP&R) Standing Committee of the Curriculum and Academic Policy Council (CAPC). CAPC consists of 11 voting faculty representatives who are recommended by identified curricular areas and appointed by the Executive Board of the Faculty Association, and four non-voting resource personnel including the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, the Faculty Development Chair, the Assessment Chair, and an administrative assistant.

CP&R is chaired by one of the eleven voting members of CAPC, and consists of five full-time faculty, an Executive Dean, and staff representatives from student services. In 2007, CP&R developed initial drafts of General Education Goals, and sent them to all faculty members for review and input. Based on the input received, CP&R made revisions and sent the revised Goals to all faculty members for further review and input. At the conclusion of this iterative process, CP&R presented the proposed General Education Goals to CAPC, who voted to approve them in October 2007. Furthermore, CP&R recommended that the College’s General Education Goals be reviewed and evaluated every three years.

1P1 How do you determine which common or shared objectives for learning and development you should hold for all students pursuing degrees at a particular level? Whom do you involve in setting these objectives?

1 Helping Students Learn



The College’s Assessment Team is a Faculty Advisory Committee that consists of a faculty assessment chair and a minimum of one additional faculty Assessment Liaison from each academic division. Each Assessment Liaison works with Department Chairs and Lead Instructors to assist in the development of measurable program and course objectives.

Each academic discipline at the College has identified learning objectives that were developed in collaboration between faculty members in the discipline, the divisional assessment liaison, and the Executive Dean. As MCC has recently adopted new General Education Goals and has recently reorganized the structure of the academic divisions, the College has initiated a new Action Project focused on Curriculum Mapping. The Assessment Team is currently reviewing each discipline’s learning objectives, and will work with Lead Instructors and Department Chairs to clarify and align each discipline’s objectives within the context of the College’s General Education Goals.

All degree and certificate programs must be approved through an internal review process led by the Curriculum Development and Renewal (CD&R) Standing Committee of CAPC, a review process led by CAPC, and an external review process led by the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB). Both the CAPC and ICCB review process require the identification and delineation of specific program learning objectives. Program objectives are developed collaboratively by discipline-area faculty who utilize input from advisory committees, divisional Assessment Liaisons, and Executive Deans. In many occupational and technical areas such as Nursing, Fire Science, and Automotive Technology, program objectives are standardized through professional regulatory agencies.

1P2 How do you determine your specific program learning objectives? Whom do you involve in setting these objectives?

Faculty members are encouraged to consider the development of new courses and programs based on student interest and demand, student learning needs, and input from advisory committees and community members. MCC has a thorough process for the review and approval of new courses and programs; new courses are proposed by departmental faculty, while new programs are forwarded by faculty members in the appropriate academic division.

In order to offer a new course, faculty must first discuss the proposal with their department and Executive Dean. Next, faculty must collect evidence of interest and justification of need for the course via student surveys, high school interest surveys, employer surveys, or advisory committee recommendations. Faculty must then complete a course proposal form that documents this justification of need along with a course outline, learning objectives, minimum instructor qualifications, student prerequisites, proposed instructional methodologies, evaluation and assessment techniques, associated General Education Goals, and required resources. In order to insure that the necessary resources will be available to offer the new course, the proposal form requires sign-off from the Department

1P3 How do you design new programs and courses that facilitate student learning and are competitive with those offered by other organizations?

1P4 How do you design responsive academic programming that balances and integrates learning goals, students’ career needs, and the realities of the employment market?

While the College’s original 12 General Education Goals represented discipline-specific silos, the five new General Education Goals are broader and support interdisciplinary connections of concepts, constructs, and principles. The Goals are intended to provide a framework for a learning environment that fosters a wide array of life and career skills that will enrich students’ professional and personal lives.

All courses must be approved through a similar internal review process led by CD&R and CAPC, and an external review process led by ICCB; both processes require the identification and delineation of specific, measurable course learning objectives. Discipline-area faculty develop course-level objectives utilizing input from advisory committees, divisional Assessment Liaisons, and Executive Deans. Furthermore, faculty are encouraged to review learning objectives of comparable courses via the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) in order to ensure transferability. Divisional Assessment Liaisons collaborate with Lead Instructors and Department Chairs on an annual basis to review assessment data, and department faculty review course objectives annually for relevance and thoroughness.



Chair and/or Advisory Committee, the Records Office, the Transfer Coordinator, the Office of Institutional Research, the Library, the Assistant Vice President of Information Technology, the Director of Communications Technologies, the Distance Education Liaison, the Executive Dean, and the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs. The proposal is then submitted to the CD&R Standing Committee of CAPC, and, if approved, is forwarded to CAPC for approval. Once CAPC approves of the new course, the course proposal is sent out for articulation (if intended to be transferable) and approval by ICCB. Once approved by ICCB, course data is entered into the mainframe, is included in the next academic year’s catalog, and course outlines and objectives are entered in the e-syllabus database.

1P5 How do you determine the preparation required of students for the specific curricula, programs, courses, and learning they will pursue?

Pre-requisites for courses and programs are identified as part of the course and curriculum development process. Discipline-area faculty determine the preparation required of students for courses and programs, and must obtain approval from their Executive Dean, CD&R, CAPC, and the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs for new courses or programs or changes in pre-requisites for existing courses or programs. Faculty review a variety of sources of information in determining the preparation required of students including state regulations (i.e. Nursing, Early Childhood Education, Culinary Management), pre-requisites of equivalent courses at other colleges and universities, and rate of successful course completion to identify potential gaps in student preparation.

Discuss idea with Department and Executive Dean

Review proposal with Executive Dean, Department,

and Division

Review proposal with Vice President

Submit proposal to Curriculum Development & Renewal

(CD&R) Standing Committee

Attend CD&R meeting to present proposal

Attend Curriculum & Academic Policy Committee meeting to present proposal

Send proposal to Illinois Community College Board

Course data entered into College mainframe

Complete Course Proposal Form

Revisions Required?

Revisions Required?

Approved?

make revisions

make revisions

yes, make revisions

yes, make revisions

no, make revisions

no, submit to CAPC

no

yes

Figure 1.1 Course Proposal Process

The approval of a new curriculum follows a similar process, but requires more thorough documentation and analysis as well as approval by the College’s Board of Trustees. In order to offer a new degree or certificate, all community colleges in the state of Illinois are required to submit a “Form 20” to ICCB that must include a feasibility analysis and a curriculum quality and cost analysis. The feasibility analysis typically must address the program’s purpose, the type of jobs for which it would train graduates, the target population, relationship of the program to existing curricula at the college, labor market need, and enrollment projections. The curriculum quality and cost analysis typically must address how the program is structured or articulated, proposed course syllabi, employer input, skills standards and credentials, assessment, faculty qualifications, and cost data. Prior to submission to ICCB, the “Form 20” must be approved by divisional faculty, the Executive Dean, the CD&R Standing Committee, CAPC, and the Board of Trustees.



1P6 How do you communicate to current and prospective students the required preparation and learning and development objectives for specific programs, courses, and degrees or credentials? How do admissions, student support, and registration services aid in this process?

MCC communicates expectations to students regarding required preparation for courses and programs via a variety of methods:

the College’s catalog and credit course schedules, both in print and ●online, clearly delineate the pre-requisites for all courses;

during New Student Orientation, information is presented regarding ●courses in which students are eligible to enroll based on their ACT or placement scores;

Academic Advisors communicate course and program prerequisites ●to current and prospective students;

the College’s mainframe and online registration system prevents ●students from registering for courses for which they do not meet prerequisites; students must obtain a permit signed by the course instructor in order to enroll in a course for which they do not meet the prerequisite.

Course learning objectives are communicated to current students via a course syllabus which is distributed to all students at the beginning of each course. All course syllabi contain a standard-format “eSyllabus” which includes the course description, course outline, and learning objectives; instructors develop a specialized syllabus specific for their course section which includes information about assignments, grading scale, required textbooks and other materials, and the course schedule.

1P7 How do you help students select programs of study that match their needs, interests, and abilities?

MCC offers a number of opportunities to help students select programs of study:

New Student Orientation ● : all students who intend to enroll on a full-time basis are required to complete a New Student Orientation, either face-to-face or online. The orientation includes information about the College’s Advising and Transfer Center (ATC) and Academic Advisors. Students are not able to register for more than seven credits in a given semester without first completing New Student Orientation.

MCC101 ● : all first-time, full-time students are required to complete a one-credit “College Experience” course. As part of the course, students are introduced to the resources available to them in the College’s Advising and Transfer Center and may participate in an educational and career planning seminar.

Advising and Transfer Center ● : Academic Advisors are available to meet with students on a walk-in or by-appointment basis and can assist students with choosing a major, transfer school, degree or certificate program, as well as academic planning, and course selection.

Counseling ● : MCC’s Counseling department is staffed by Master’s-prepared counselors who provide assistance to students through individual appointments, seminars, and one-credit personal development courses. Career counseling is available to help students match their interests, skills, values and personality strengths with possible careers or majors. In addition, students have the opportunity to enroll in Career Decision Making, a one-credit, transferable elective course taught by an MCC Counselor.



1P8 How do you serve students who are underprepared for the academic programs and courses you offer?

As an open-door institution, MCC offers many opportunities to assist students who are underprepared for college-level coursework. The College is committed to meeting learners at their current skill level and supporting them in pursuit of their educational, career, and personal goals.

For adults who have not completed high school or who cannot read and/or speak English at a functional level, the College offers programs in Adult Basic Education – Literacy (ABE), Adult Secondary Education (ASE), and English as a Second Language (ESL).

MCC’s ABE classes comprise a comprehensive reading skills ●development program for students with reading levels between non-reader to about the 8th grade level. Personalized instruction is emphasized in these classes which are free to students.

MCC’s ASE classes cover grammar and fundamentals of written ●English, reading techniques, and mathematics. The pace of the course is determined by students’ needs and skill level, and students may re-enroll in this free course as many times as necessary until successful completion of the General Education Development (GED) exam.

MCC’s ESL program includes beginning, intermediate, advanced, ●and advanced conversational courses for adults whose native language is not English. All ESL courses, with the exception of advanced conversational courses, are free to students and are offered at the College’s main campus as well as many satellite locations throughout the district.

Placement scores on the ACT and COMPASS tests identify students who have completed high school but who are underprepared for college-level coursework. A variety of developmental courses are offered in Computer Information Systems, English, Mathematics, and Reading to support students in the development of skills necessary for college-level coursework:

Computer Information Systems ● : developmental courses offered include: Introduction to Computer Applications.

English ● : developmental courses offered include: Spelling, Sentence Structure, Foundations of Writing, Introduction to College Writing, and Effective Writing.

Mathematics ● : developmental courses offered include: Essentials of Mathematics, Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, Geometry, and Technical Mathematics. Several of these courses are offered in one-semester or two-semester formats, allowing students to choose the pace at which they wish to complete the coursework.

Reading ● : developmental courses offered include: Basic Reading Skills, Reading Improvement, Concentration and Note-Taking, and Test-Taking.

All students who take credit courses at the College are eligible for free tutoring services at the Sage Learning Center (SLC). The SLC is a full-service learning center where a variety of tutoring options, small group possibilities, and technology-based learning assistance are provided. Faculty and peer tutors are available on a drop-in basis, as well as by appointment. Comprehensive support is provided in English, writing, and math, and assistance is also available in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities.



1P10 How do you address the special needs of student subgroups (e.g. handicapped students, seniors, commuters)?

The College has a variety of services to proactively address the needs of student subgroups.

Students with Disabilities ● - Students who have a documented learning, physical, psychological disability, or other barriers to learning are eligible for support services through the Special Needs department. Support services include: tutoring, test reading, note taking, private testing, sign language interpreting, extended testing time, alternative textbook formats, and assistive equipment and technology.

High School Students ● – MCC offers a variety of opportunities for students who are enrolled as high school students to earn college credit through the High School Plus program. Components of the High School Plus program include:

Articulated credit courses о are taught at a student’s high school, and the credit earned is “banked” at MCC. The college credit is awarded once the student successfully completes additional coursework at MCC. Articulated courses include Automotive Technology, Basic Accounting Procedures, Basic Technical Drafting, Computer Literacy, Introduction to Computer Aided Drafting, Introduction to Horticulture, Keyboarding II, Financial Accounting, Principles of Retailing/Marketing, and Early Childhood Education.

Dual credit programs о provide students the opportunity to attend MCC during the regular school day, and courses count both toward high school graduation and college credit. Dual credit programs include Automotive Technology, Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, Emergency Medical Technician, Fire Science Technician, Fitness Instructor Training, “Geek” Technology, Internet Gaming, and Registered Nursing.

Running Start о is a program that enables eligible high school students to take college classes. The student enrolls in college classes for the purpose of earning both college and high school credit, or just college credit. All courses remain on the student’s permanent college transcript.

College in High School о is a program where classes are taught at select high schools for both high school and college credit. Currently, there are three College in High School classes offered: Composition I, Composition II, and Strength and Conditioning Principles.

1P9 How do you detect and address differences in students’ learning styles?

MCC’s Counseling Department offers an academic counseling program known as face2face in which students are encouraged to explore their learning styles with a counselor and develop a plan of action for academic success. The College offers a variety of different course formats (face-to-face courses, online courses, hybrid courses, telecourses, learning communities, traditional 16-week courses, 8-week courses, condensed 4-week intersession courses) to address differences in students’ preferred learning styles. Academic Advisors also work with students to provide guidance in terms of course selection.

Instructors are encouraged to utilize Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) to allow students frequent opportunities to provide feedback about the day-to-day learning and teaching process at a time when it is still possible to implement mid-course corrections. Examples of CATs include the “muddiest point,” in which students are asked to describe a concept or idea that was discussed in class that is the least clear in terms of their understanding, the “minute paper” in which students are asked to write for one minute about the most important concepts that they learned in class that day, and a “one sentence summary” in which students are asked to synthesize a concept or idea in one sentence.



1P11 How do you define, document, and communicate across your organization your expectations for effective teaching and learning?

Expectations for effective teaching and learning are communicated across the College via a variety of methods:

Tenure Process ● - Per the full-time faculty contract, selection and appointment to a full-time faculty position at McHenry County College acknowledges that the successful candidate has been determined to possess the potential, in terms of professional skills and personal qualities, for becoming a quality addition to the College’s tenured faculty. The awarding of tenure by the Board of Trustees signifies that the potential recognized at the time of initial appointment has, during a three-year probationary period, been satisfactorily realized and is well-documented through established administrative evaluation processes. All non-tenured faculty must create a Tenure Portfolio which includes examples of their teaching strategies, assessment methodologies, student evaluations, self-evaluation, and evaluations completed by their Executive Dean.

Supervisory Evaluation ● - A non-tenured faculty member’s Executive Dean will conduct a minimum of two pre-arranged class visits per semester in order to observe and document performance in all teaching components with the goal of improving the instructional process. The Executive Dean will provide feedback in relation to class organization, scholarship, presentation of material, and classroom relationships. The Executive Dean then meets with the faculty member within one week of the class visit to review observations, giving particular attention to discussing observed strengths and weaknesses as well as to offering specific written suggestions designed to aid the instructor in overcoming identified deficiencies and build upon noted strengths. Near the end of each academic year, Executive Deans meet with each non-tenured faculty member to present a synthesis of performance information compiled throughout the year, review the faculty member’s Self Evaluation, and review out-of-class performance indicators including demonstrated commitment to the College’s mission and

Adult Students ● – MCC offers a variety of services and programs designed for returning adult students:

MCC employs a full-time Adult Recruiter who specializes in оassisting returning adults find a program of study that meets their needs.

The Academy for High Performance offers students fast-track оprograms in Administrative Office Management, Business Management, Construction Management, and Manufacturing Management. In these programs, students attend classes one night per week and can earn a certificate in two years, or an Associate degree in three or four years.

The Children’s Learning Center provides on-site childcare for оchildren between the ages of fifteen months and five years for less than $5.00/hour.

The Career Services Department offers practical job-related оassistance, including job search strategies, resume writing, and interviewing tips. Furthermore, students have access to an online Job Board where they may post their resume and search for available jobs.



goals, demonstrated interest in promoting continued improvement of program quality, and demonstrated willingness to become a contributing and productive team member.

Student Evaluations ● - Instructors are responsible for providing each class with student evaluation instruments at some point between midterm and the last day of class. Following submission of student grades at the end of a semester, full-time tenured faculty are required to select and submit a complete set of student evaluations from one class taught during the semester to her/his executive dean for review. Student evaluations for full-time non-tenured faculty will first be reviewed by the executive dean and then forwarded to faculty at the end of the semester. Student evaluations for part-time faculty will be reviewed by the appropriate department chair or lead instructor and then forwarded to the individual faculty member.

Faculty Action Plans ● - All faculty members are required to complete an “Action Plan” in collaboration with his/her Executive Dean which includes the faculty member’s instructional and professional development goals, proposed strategies, and support needed. Non-tenured faculty members and their Executive Dean meet once per semester to review progress and update the Action Plan; tenured faculty meet with their Executive Dean annually.

Professional Development ● - Many opportunities for professional development are offered which communicate expectations of teaching and learning excellence. All new full-time faculty are required to complete a year-long New Faculty Orientation, and part-time faculty are encouraged to attend a semester-long Adjunct Faculty Orientation. Each semester, one full contractual day is devoted to faculty workshops which are designed by a Faculty Development Advisory Committee during which faculty members are encouraged to share and learn about their colleagues’ effective instructional techniques. Furthermore, one-hour workshops that focus on effective teaching and instructional design are offered throughout the year.

Teaching Squares ● – All new full-time faculty are required to participate in a “Teaching Square” during the first and second year. The objectives of the Teaching Squares program are to provide a forum for classroom observation and reflection on teaching and learning, to provide a faculty peer exchange of teaching ideas and strategies, and to build community between and among new and returning MCC faculty. As part of the program, new faculty are required to observe classes taught by “seasoned” faculty from three different divisions, and allow a “seasoned” faculty to observe one of their own classes. Instructors are encouraged to document teaching strategies that they observed to be effective, and develop a plan for implementing these strategies into their own class. At the end of the Academic Year, the Professional Development Department sponsors a Teaching Squares breakfast in which faculty are encouraged to share what they learned from their observations, and how they have improved their own teaching as a result.

Mentoring Program ● - The College’s faculty mentoring program is designed to provide new faculty with mentors to help them become more effective instructors, provide instructional support, improve coordination between full-time and part-time faculty, and maintain the integrity of the curriculum. All non-tenured faculty are paired with a tenured faculty mentor from within their academic division during their first year at the College, and are then paired with a different tenured faculty member from a different academic division during their second year at the College. Any part-time faculty member who is scheduled to teach a course for the first time is also paired with a full-time or senior part-time faculty mentor. Both mentors and mentees are paid for three contact hours per term at the prevailing part-time faculty hourly rate.

Teaching Awards ● - The Faculty Association selects one “Faculty Member of the Year” who is recognized by the Illinois Community College Trustees Association, and the College selects multiple faculty members per year to receive a “Teaching and Leadership Excellence” award at the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) conference at the University of Texas at Austin. Teaching and learning excellence is a criterion for both awards.



1P12 How do you build an effective and efficient course delivery system that addresses both students’ needs and your organization’s requirements?

In an effort to meet students’ needs and the organization’s requirements, credit courses are scheduled throughout the day and evening, between 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and during the day on Saturday. Courses are offered in a variety of formats, including meeting one day per week for multiple hours or shorter segments per day on multiple days of the week. Executive Deans, Department Chairs, and Lead Instructors are responsible for scheduling courses in a variety of formats at different times in response to student need.

The College follows a standard 16-week Fall and Spring semester sequence, with an 8-week Summer session. While the majority of courses are scheduled within this standard framework, courses of different lengths may be scheduled to meet student or instructional need. For example, courses may be offered:

during the first or second eight weeks of the standard 16-week оsemester;

during a four-week Summer Intersession scheduled between оthe end of the Spring semester and before the beginning of the Summer session;

during a four-week Winter Intersession which is scheduled оbetween the end of the Fall semester and before the beginning of the Spring semester;

during the two weeks before the beginning of the Fall оsemester;

over multiple semesters for courses that are more than 16 оweeks in length.

In addition to offering courses at various times throughout the day and semester, the College offers courses in a variety of formats including online courses, hybrid courses, and telecourses. The College uses ANGEL as its online Learning Management Software (LMS), and all instructors are able to request an ANGEL shell for their courses, regardless of course format. During the Fall 2009 semester, 87 courses were offered online, 39 telecourses were offered, 13 hybrid courses were offered, and 510 traditional face-to-face courses were enhanced with an ANGEL shell (see Figure 3.5).

The College also offers Learning Communities, which are classes where topics from separate courses are blended together in a unique format, giving students a different perspective while allowing them to earn credit for both classes. Coursework is integrated to emphasize connections between the two subjects. Current examples of Learning Communities include: Talking Dirty (Introduction to Ethics and Human Sexuality), Poetic Dreams and Political Nightmares: The Modern American Experience (United States History III and Composition I), and Banned, Burned, and Offensive: Censorship in America (Composition II and Introduction to Literature).

1P13 How do you ensure that your programs and courses are up-to-date and effective?

1P14 How do you change or discontinue programs and courses?

Per an Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) requirement, a “Program Review” must be completed for all instructional programs every five years. The purposes of the statewide Program Review process are:

to support campus-level planning and decision-making related to: ●

assuring the continuing need and improving the quality and оcost-effectiveness of instructional programs;

assessing, improving, and updating programs on a regular оbasis; discontinuing programs when there is no longer sufficient demand, quality cannot be maintained at an acceptable level, or they are no longer cost-effective;



The College is encouraged by the state to include data such as job placement rates, student satisfaction surveys, licensure examination pass rate, retention, course/program completion rates, employer satisfaction surveys, transfer rates, transfer performance, articulation, student goal achievement, advisory committee input, unit cost, and cost analysis to address the questions above.

Prior to submission to the state, instructional areas must submit their Program Review to the Program Review Standing Committee of CAPC for initial review and approval, to CAPC for review and approval, and to the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs for a final sign-off and recommendation. The Vice President may choose to recommend to continue the program with minor improvements, significantly modify the program, discontinue/eliminate the program, place the program on inactive status, or schedule the program for further review.

A “Notification of Change” must be submitted prior to any significant changes to courses or programs. A “Notification of Change in Course Information” is required to change a course description, catalog notes, pre-requisites, credit value, semesters offered, course name, course number, course prefix, delivery mode, or to withdraw a course. A “Notification of Change in Curriculum Information” is required to change a program title, prefix, number, credit hours required, or to withdraw or deactivate a program. All Notifications of Change require approval from the Department Chair, Executive Dean, CD&R, CAPC, and the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs.

to demonstrate the accountability of the community college ●system in maintaining high quality, cost-effective programs that are responsive to the needs of students, businesses and industries in Illinois;

to identify best practices, exemplary innovations, and program ●issues that need to be addressed at the state-level by the ICCB.

The schedule for each instructional area’s Program Review is determined by ICCB. Program Reviews are required to address such questions as:

Objectives ● : What are the objectives of the program? To what extent are these objectives being achieved? How satisfied are students with their preparation for employment? How satisfied are employers in the preparation of graduates? How does this program contribute to programs in other fields?

Need ● : How strong is the occupational demand for the program? How has demand changed in the past five years and what is the outlook for the next five years. What is the district need vs. state need? It is expected that there is a continuing need for courses in each of the academic disciplines, but is the array of courses offered appropriate to meet the needs of students and support academic programs?

Quality ● : Based on the results of assessment and other information, what steps need to be taken to update the curriculum or improve instruction?

Cost ● : What steps can be taken to offer the program more cost-effectively? Are there needs for additional resources?



1P15 How do you determine and address the learning support needs (tutoring, advising, placement, library, laboratories, etc.) of your students and faculty in your student learning, development, and assessment processes?

The College reviews enrollment data, the number of students utilizing services, and student satisfaction data to inform decisions regarding ways to address the learning support needs of students and faculty.

The Sage Learning Center (SLC) utilizes AccuTrack software to track the number of students who sign up for tutoring in specific academic areas. This data helps to inform decisions regarding the number and types of tutors that should be present in the SLC at particular times during the day. In addition, the data help to support special requests of faculty. For example, in Fall 2009 there was a significant number of students who requested tutoring in math. As a result, the Assistant Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs requested that math faculty members conduct their office hours in the SLC to provide additional tutoring opportunities for students.

Likewise, the Advising Department uses AccuTrack software to track how many students see an Academic Advisor, what information students request, and the average time that students spend with Academic Advisors. This data helps to inform decisions regarding how many Academic Advisors should be available for walk-in and scheduled appointments at various times throughout the day.

The College’s Testing Center is open 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday – Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Fridays, and 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturdays. The Testing Center proctors placement tests, proficiency and CLEP tests, pre- and post-testing for assessment of General Education (CAAP test), make-up exams, and telecourse exams. The Testing Center records the number of tests/exams that it proctors each semester to help determine staffing needs and hours of operation.

The Library is open 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Fridays, and 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays. The Library tracks the number of patrons who utilize library services in order to inform decisions about staffing needs and hours of operation. In addition, other data is collected appropriate to the type of service (such as reference requests, interlibrary loans, etc.) and reviewed on a regular basis for service enhancement and staffing requirements. Furthermore, Library faculty work closely with Department Chairs and Lead Instructors to help determine the resources that are added to the Library’s collection each year.

1P16 How do you align your co-curricular development goals with your curricular learning objectives?

Any student at MCC may charter a Student Organization once they have identified five interested members and a faculty or staff advisor. The College currently has 26 active Student Organizations, 18 of which have full-time faculty as their advisors. The majority of Student Organizations have, by design, missions which are closely aligned with curricular learning objectives: Art Club, Black Box Theatre Drama Club, Cheshire Cheese Society (literature), Club Concordia (Spanish), College Bowl, Forensics (speech), Game Developer Club (digital media), Le Coeur de France (French), Music Club, Phi Theta Kappa, and the Tartan (journalism).

All new Student Organizations must develop a mission statement, constitution, and by-laws, and are provided $100 of “seed money” to help support initial activities. Student Organizations have the opportunity to request additional funding from the Student Senate. The Student Senate Appropriations Committee reviews proposals and allocates additional funding based upon the projected educational benefit of the proposed activity.

Two Academic Computer Labs are available to students, with lab monitors available to provide on-the-spot help and guidance to students. The 88 workstations are replaced on a three-year cycle. In 2008/2009, there were 67,072 lab sign-ins by students, averaging over 1,200 per week. In addition to counting sign-ins each day, student use of the Academic Computer Labs is tracked on an hourly basis in order to inform decisions regarding staffing needs and hours of operation. Instructors are invited prior to the start of each semester to submit software requests to be installed on computers in the labs. Instructors also have the opportunity to reserve a computer lab for classroom use. To date, in Fall Semester 2009, 40 class instructors have reserved the use of the computer lab for teaching purposes. Student surveys are administered on an annual basis to measure student satisfaction with key student services areas, and all student services areas must complete a Program Review every five years. Furthermore, the College administers the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) every three years and carefully reviews results related to student satisfaction with student services.



1P17 How do you determine that students to whom you award degrees and certificates have met your learning and development expectations?

1P18 How do you design your processes for assessing student learning?

As illustrated in 1P2, the College’s Assessment Team has provided significant leadership for designing processes for assessing student learning. Per the full-time faculty contract, each academic division has at least one faculty representative on the Assessment Team who serves as the division’s “Assessment Liaison.” The Assessment Liaison works with Department Chairs, Lead Instructors, and departmental faculty to design course level objectives and identify appropriate measures. Departmental faculty review course level assessment results on an annual basis to identify opportunities for improvement. The Assessment Team also collaborates with faculty in the development and assessment of program level objectives through the Program Review Process, and has designed and implemented the current General Education Assessment process.

1R1 What measures of your students’ learning and development do you collect and analyze regularly?

Measure Frequency Comparable Level Focus

Course Assessment Each Semester No Course Course level learning outcomes

Course Completion Rates Annual No Course Course level objectives

Licensure Exam Pass Rates Annual Yes Program Preparation for field

Graduate Surveys Annual No Program Preparation for field

Completion of Subsequent Coursework Annual Yes Program Preparation for further education

CAAP Annual Yes Institutional General Education Goals

Student Right to Know (Successful Completers) Annual Yes Institutional Overall Student Success

GPA at 4-Year Transfer Institutions Each Semester Yes Institutional Preparation for further education

The College utilizes a number of different methods to determine that students to whom degrees and certificates are awarded have met learning and development expectations:

General Education ● - the College administers a Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) pre-test in critical thinking to all first-time, full-time freshmen as part of a required one-credit College Experience (MCC101) course. Once students complete 45 credit hours, they are requested to complete a CAAP post-test in critical thinking, reading, writing, and math. Post-test scores are compared with students’ incoming ACT scores and CAAP pre-test scores to measure the performance gain in students’ achievement levels over time.

Baccalaureate and Transfer Programs ● – the College examines data in the Illinois Shared Enrollment and Graduation Database to determine MCC students’ performance at transfer institutions, and compare their performance to that of “native” students as well as students transferring from other institutions.

Career and Technical Education Programs ● – in the past, the College has used WorkKeys as an end-of-program assessment. However, career and technical education faculty recognized that WorkKeys served as a general career readiness assessment, rather than a measure of students’ attainment of program-specific objectives. Accordingly, in 2009 the College piloted the use of National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) Student Assessments to measure student proficiency and “job readiness” in their specific occupational area. Furthermore, when possible, the College utilizes licensure examination success rates to determine whether students have met specific career and technical education program objectives (i.e. State Nurse Aide Competency Exam, Fire Fighter II Exam).



1R2 What are your performance results for your common student learning and development objectives?

77.6%75.4% 74.3%

79.3% 80.7%

62.5%

71.7%67.1% 68.7%

74.8%

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Fall2001

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Percentageof"Successful"First‐TimeFull‐TimeStudents

78raduated9Transferred9orS:ll;nrolled<=erT>ree?ears@

MCC

Statewide

As illustrated in Figure 1.2, students at MCC are very successful overall. Of the Fall 2005 cohort of first-time, full-time freshmen, 80.7% (212 of 273) graduated, transferred to another institution, or were still enrolled after three years.

Rates of overall student success at MCC have been consistently strong over the past five years, and have been consistently higher than average levels of student success at other community colleges in Illinois.

Table 1.1 includes the complete set of “Student Right to Know” data. In general, students at MCC tend to complete a degree or certificate or transfer to a university within three years at a higher rate than students at other community colleges in the state of Illinois. Figure 1.2 Percentage of “Successful” First-Time Full-Time Students

New Fall Full-Time Students

Completed Degree or Certificate

Still Enrolled After 3-Year Period

Transferred to State Public University

Successful (Completed, Transferred, or Still Enrolled)

Other (Left Without Completing or Transferring)

Fall 2001 FT Freshmen

MCCN 273 62 56 94 212 61

% 100% 22.7% 20.5% 34.4% 77.6% 22.4%

ICCB Statewide

N 24,822 5,890 5,817 4,738 16,445 8,377

% 100% 23.7% 23.4% 19.1% 62.5% 37.5%


MCCN 399 110 72 119 301 98

% 100% 27.6% 18.0% 29.8% 75.4% 24.6%

ICCB Statewide

N 26,311 6,020 5,034 7,809 18,863 7,448

% 100% 22.9% 19.1% 29.7% 71.7% 28.3%


MCCN 343 82 72 101 255 88

% 100% 23.9% 21.0% 29.4% 74.3% 25.7%

ICCB Statewide

N 25,404 4,606 4,892 7,558 17,056 8,348

% 100% 18.1% 19.3% 29.8% 67.1% 32.9%


MCCN 314 89 58 102 249 65

% 100% 28.3% 18.5% 32.5% 79.3% 20.7%

ICCB Statewide

N 27,441 6,020 5,034 7,809 18,863 8,578

% 100% 21.9% 18.3% 28.5% 68.7% 31.3%


MCCN 327 99 67 98 264 63

% 100% 30.3% 27.5% 30.0% 80.7% 19.3%

ICCB Statewide

N 26,973 6,555 5,186 8,428 20,169 6,804

% 100% 24.3% 19.2% 31.2% 74.8% 25.2%

Table 1.1 Student Right to Know Comparison Data - Fall Full-Time Freshman Cohort Completion, Transfer and Success Rates



Figure 1.2 Percentage of “Successful” First-Time Full-Time Students

Beginning in Spring 2007, MCC students who completed 45 credit hours were requested to complete the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP). As illustrated in Table 1.2, MCC student performance on CAAP is generally consistent with average student performance nationally.

1R3 What are your performance results for specific program learning objectives?

WorkKeys had been historically used as an end-of-program assessment tool for students enrolled in occupational areas. However, the faculty recognized that WorkKeys is primarily used as a “career readiness” assessment rather than as a measure of program-specific learning outcomes. Accordingly, MCC has piloted the use of National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) exams as an end-of-program assessment tool. NOCTI was first administered in Spring 2009 to students enrolled in the Administrative Office Management program. As illustrated in Figure 1.3, students’ performance was similar to the statewide average, and slightly below the national average.

The College plans to utilize NOCTI as an end-of-program assessment in additional occupational areas in the future.

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Figure 1.3 Spring 2009 NOCTI Scores - Administrative Office Management Program

Fall 2008 Summer 2008 Spring 2008 Fall 2007 Spring 2007

Skill Statistic MCC National MCC National MCC National MCC National MCC National

Writing Mean 62.3 62.0 62.8 62.0 61.2 62.1 62.9 62.1 64.0 62.2

S.D. 5.6 4.8 5.0 4.8 5.7 4.8 4.9 4.8 4.6 4.8

N 117 28.236 45 28.236 165 28,458 11 28,458 242 27,905

Math Mean 57.8 56.2 59.0 56.2 57.6 56.2 57.0 56.2 58.2 56.1

S.D. 3.9 3.6 3.8 3.6 4.0 3.5 3.9 3.5 4.2 3.6

N 118 29,274 45 29,274 165 29,796 114 29,796 242 28,764

Reading Mean 61.1 60.4 63.1 60.4 61.0 60.5 60.7 60.5 60.4 60.5

S.D. 5.9 5.3 5.8 5.3 5.8 5.4 6.0 5.4 6.7 5.4

N 114 28,667 44 28,667 167 19,911 114 29,911 242 29,545

Critical Thinking

Mean 61.3 60.8 62.2 60.8 60.8 60.9 60.6 60.9 n/a n/a

S.D. 5.9 5.4 5.4 5.4 5.7 5.4 5.6 5.4 n/a n/a

N 173 24,069 67 24,069 246 22,061 171 22,061 n/a n/a

Table 1.2 Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) Scores, Spring 2007 to Fall 2008



In addition to NOCTI scores, the College collects and reviews scores on national certification examinations to measure students’ performance toward program-specific learning objectives. Currently, MCC has data regarding students’ performance in Nursing, Fire Science, and Emergency Medical Services.

Time Period

Number of Students Tested Mean Percentage Score

10/2005 - 9/2006 162 88.74%

5/2007 - 5/2008 178 90.61%

5/2008 - 4/2009 247 90.19%

Table 1.3 Nurse Assistant Education, MCC Student Results on Illinois Department of Health Certification Exam

2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

MCC Pass Rate 89.0% 81.5% 86.2%

State Pass Rate 68.0% 68.0% 66.4%

Table 1.4 Pass Rates on Emergency Medical Technician Licensure Exam

Since 2005, students completing the Nurse Assistant Education program have scored an average of nearly 90% on the Illinois Department of Health Certification Exam (see Table 1.3). While the Illinois Department of Health does not release the statewide average score on the exam, the state has indicated that an institution’s performance is considered satisfactory if the mean percentage score exceeds 80%.

As illustrated in Figure 1.4, MCC graduates consistently score higher than the statewide average on the Office of the State Fire Marshall Firefighter II Exam.

Likewise, as illustrated in Table 1.4, the exam pass rate for the EMT-B Licensure Exam is consistently higher than the State of Illinois overall success rate.

7072747678808284868890

Fall 2006

Spring 2007

Fall 2007

Spring 2008

Fall 2008

Spring 2009

Firefighter II Exam

MCC Average

State Average

Figure 1.4 Office of the State Fire Marshall Firefighter II Exam Scores



1R5 What are your performance results for learning support processes (advising, library and laboratory use, etc.)?

As illustrated in Table 1.6, students who utilize tutoring services in the Sage Learning Center tend to be more successful in their courses overall.

Data regarding student satisfaction with learning support processes are discussed in 3R4.

Table 1.6 Success in Courses - Students Visiting Sage Learning Center in Spring 2008

Subject Area Student Type Total Number Number Successful % SuccessfulMath Sage 182 130 71.4%

All Students 1,701 911 53.6%English Sage 88 72 81.8%

All Students 1,186 796 67.1%Chemistry Sage 25 24 96.0%

All Students 225 124 55.1%

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Figure 1.6 Satisfaction with Library Services

A 2009 user satisfaction survey revealed that most users are generally satisfied with the majority of services offered at the Library (see Figure 1.6). Users were particularly satisfied with quiet study space, group study space, the reliability of the equipment in the Library, the assistance at the circulation desk, and assistance provided by reference librarians. Opportunities for improvement include availability of e-books and wi-fi.

The MCC Library has a vibrant and growing information literacy program that reaches more than half of the registered students in degree programs. In 2008-2009, the Library offered 217 group sessions for 3,907 students. In addition to these formal sessions, students and other library users are provided with on-the-spot, individualized instruction as part of the standard reference desk service. In 2008-2009, librarians addressed 4,514 reference questions.



1R6 How do your results for the performance of your processes in Helping Students Learn compare with the results of other higher education organizations and, where appropriate, with results of organizations outside of higher education?

In general, MCC student performance compares favorably with the results of other higher education organizations:

Overall Student Success ● - as demonstrated in Table 1.1, full-time students at MCC tend to graduate or transfer within three years at a higher rate than students at other community colleges in the state of Illinois.

Success at Transfer Institutions ● – as demonstrated in Table 1.5, students who take courses at MCC tend to be as successful or more successful at four year colleges and universities than those students who transfer from other community colleges or start their education at the four-year institution.

Program Assessments and Licensure Exam results ● – As illustrated in Tables 1.3 and 1.4, and Figures 1.3 and 1.4, MCC students tend to score consistent with or above statewide averages.

1I1 What recent improvements have you made in this category? How systematic and comprehensive are your processes and performance results for Helping Students Learn?

The College has made a number of improvements related to Helping Students Learn. As outlined in 1P1, the College recently developed and adopted new General Education Goals, and has developed and implemented a system to assess student performance related to general education. In addition, the College’s career and technical education programs recognized that the end-of-program assessment tool being used did not serve as a useful measure, and has instead piloted NOCTI.

In addition to improving its systems for assessment, the College also has made improvements to increase student success. MCC has added a computer lab component to developmental mathematics courses. The software allows instructors to track student progress and is designed to

1I2 How do your culture and infrastructure help you to select specific processes to improve and to set targets for improved performance results in Helping Students Learn?

The College’s CAPC structure provides both the culture and infrastructure necessary to support systematic improvements related to Helping Students Learn. As an institution in the beginning stages of its continuous improvement journey, MCC developing its capability to set measurable targets for improved performance.

require students to follow a sequences of activities that lead to success with a particular concept. The College has implemented a similar lab component in chemistry courses this year.

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Category 2: Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objectives

MCC’s mission and goals serve as the primary framework for the design of the College’s other distinctive objectives.

Mission: At McHenry County College, we value learning, and we put the interests of our students and community first. By providing high quality, affordable and accessible learning opportunities, we enable students to meet their educational, career and personal goals. By sharing our knowledge and resources, we support our community’s educational, social, cultural and economic vitality.

Goals:To prepare students to transfer successfully to colleges and 1. universities,

To prepare students to enter and advance in their careers, 2.

To prepare students with the literacy and basic skills to succeed 3. and grow as learners, workers and members of society,

To promote personal development and lifelong learning for all 4. students,

To enrich the educational, social, and cultural life of the community, 5.

To address the community’s workforce needs.6.

In alignment with the College’s mission to support the community’s educational, social, cultural, and economic vitality, MCC has identified the following distinctive objectives:

Workforce and Economic Development ●Lifelong Learning and Personal Enrichment ●Community Development and Outreach ●Resource Development and Alumni Relations ●

2P1 How do you design and operate the key non-instructional processes (e.g. athletics, research, community enrichment, economic development, alumni affairs, etc.) through which you serve significant stakeholder groups?

2Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objectives

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The College’s Division of Continuing and Professional Education coordinates efforts to support Workforce and Economic Development, including:

Corporate Training ● - MCC’s Shah Center offers open-enrollment as well as customized corporate training opportunities to local businesses and industries.

Small Business Development ● - the Shah Center also houses a Small Business Development Center that provides training and consulting services for area small businesses as well as entrepreneurs looking to launch their own small business.

Professional Education Programs ● – the College offers a number of short CEU-granting courses and seminars to prepare students for a variety of careers and fields including phlebotomy technician, pharmacy technician, cosmetologist, real estate professional, professional truck driver, veterinary assistant, building code inspector, and construction work zone flagger.

McHenry County Workforce Center ● – MCC is one of three partners that operate the McHenry County Workforce Center. This center provides Workforce Investment Act (WIA) one-stop services for job seekers and business, college orientation, job-search assistance, and information about job opportunities and training. MCC is certified to provide job training for adults who are eligible for services authorized by WIA and the Trade Assistance Act (TAA). Through Adult Education and Family Literacy and Perkins funding, MCC provides a part-time career resource specialist at the Workforce Center at this facility.

The College’s Division of Continuing and Professional Education and the Division of Education and Social Sciences coordinate efforts to support Lifelong Learning and Personal Enrichment, including:

Kids and College ● is an expanded enrichment program for all students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Classes are designed to help students explore new interests, gain additional skills, and start the process of lifelong learning.

Adult Education ● programs include Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, English as a Second Language, and Citizenship courses.

Personal Development ● programs provide individuals of all ages access to educational and personal enrichment opportunities as varied as arts and crafts, financial management, fitness, computer skills, foreign languages, and music.

The Special Education District of McHenry County (SEDOM), ●in collaboration with the College, has developed a Pathways Program that includes vocational skills coursework for learners with special needs.

The ● Retired Adults Program is available to students over the age of 50 and provides a variety of non-credit classes and activities.

The ● Trips and Tours program provides educational tours regionally, nationally, and internationally.

The relationships between the College’s four distinctive objectives and the College’s goals are illustrated in the crosswalk below:

Goal 2* Goal 3 Goal 4 Goal 5 Goal 6

Workforce and Economic Development • • • •Lifelong Learning and Personal Enrichment • • •Community Development and Outreach • •Resource Development and Alumni Relations • •

*Goal 1 is addressed in Category 1: Helping Students Learn

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The College’s Division of Continuing and Professional Education coordinates efforts to support Community Development and Outreach, including:

Traffic Safety School ● – the court-mandated Traffic Safety School program is intended for McHenry County traffic violators or individuals interested in improving their defensive driving skills.

Parents, Children, and Divorce ● - The four-hour class is designed to offer parents the opportunity to learn about and discuss the effects of divorce on minor children, and is court-mandated for any parent in the process of divorce or who is involved in after-divorce proceedings in which there are minor children involved.

Conference Center ● – provides a large meeting room that seats 350, an oversized screen and projection system for state of the art video and computer imagery, and satellite downlink capability, all operated by a skilled A/V professional, four smaller conference rooms adjacent to the main facility that are ideal for break-out sessions or smaller group functions, and full service catering. The Conference Center is frequently reserved by outside groups interested in scheduling a meeting on-campus, and the Conference Center often co-sponsors events with non-profit organizations.

Lou Marchi Total Recycling Institute ● – provides county-wide leadership for recycling and environmental efforts, including publishing a McHenry County Green Guide which serves as a recycling directory for the county. The Institute also sponsors an annual Bioneers Symposium intended to share information about environmental resources.

The College serves in a coordination role for the ● Family Violence Coordinating Council, whose purpose is to establish a forum to improve the institutional, professional and community response to family violence including child abuse, intimate partner/domestic abuse, and elder abuse; to engage in education, prevention, and coordination of intervention and services for victims and

perpetrators of child abuse, domestic abuse and elder abuse; to engage in education and prevention; to coordinate intervention and services for victims and perpetrators; and to contribute to the improvement of the legal system and the administration of justice.

Center for Non-Profit Leadership ● – provides networking opportunities and professional development for the executive directors, managers, volunteers, and boards of directors of non-profit agencies and organizations.

The Friends of McHenry County College Foundation coordinate efforts to support Resource Development and Alumni Relations, with a specific focus on:

Scholarships ●

Arts ●

Technology ●

Alumni ●

2P2 How do you determine your organization’s major non-instructional objectives for your external stakeholders, and whom do you involve in setting these objectives?

College employees are empowered to set objectives utilizing a significant amount and variety of input from key external stakeholders.

Workforce and Economic Development

Identifying Current Needs ● - College employees actively participate on community advisory boards and committees, including the Workforce Investment Board, the McHenry County Economic Development Committee, and the Construction Education Advisory Committee. Through their participation, College employees are able to co-create workforce and economic development goals for the District, and are able to identify ways in which the College can support the community in alignment with those goals.

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The College sends an annual needs assessment instrument to businesses and industries in the district which asks them to identify their current and upcoming training needs. Furthermore, at the conclusion of each corporate training session, an evaluation form is distributed in which participants are encouraged to provide their recommendations for additional training opportunities.

Predicting Future Needs ● – The College has established positive working relationships with certification bodies to understand what certifications will be available in the future. This allows the College to prepare training before employers recognize the need for the training.

Responding to External Regulating Agencies ● – the College’s CEU-granting programs are certified by the International Association of Continuing Education and Training which require that programs meet a number of international standards. In addition, many of the College’s efforts to support workforce and economic development are funded by competitive state and federal grants. Accordingly, the College develops objectives based on community input and needs and in accordance with the parameters of the grant programs, and then must demonstrate progress toward those identified objectives.

Lifelong Learning and Personal Enrichment

Advisory Committees ● - College employees participate on and utilize input and feedback from an Autism Advisory Council and a Retired Adults Program Advisory Committee to select programming opportunities. Furthermore, College employees participate in the Northern Illinois Regional Consultative Council which includes Directors and Coordinators of Continuing Education from community colleges across northern Illinois to help identify programming trends. In addition, College employees participate in multiple state advisory councils for Adult Education.

Joint Advisory Council ● - Adult Education representatives serve on a regional advisory council that meets quarterly to discuss updates and areas of interest related to adult education throughout the northern region of Illinois. The advisory council also plans the annual regional adult education conference that is held every Fall. The mission of the advisory council is to promote professional development opportunities in adult education.

ESL Advisory Task Force ● - MCC’s Coordinator of Adult Education instruction serves on an ESL Advisory Task Force that focuses on advising the Illinois Community College Board about ESL issues throughout Illinois.

Community Development and Outreach

Advisory Committees ● – College employees serve on the Lou Marchi Total Recycling Institute Advisory Committee to guide the work and future initiatives of the Institute.

External Regulating Agencies/Court Mandates ● – The College works in coordination with the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court of McHenry County to offer the Parents, Children, and Divorce Program and Traffic Safety School. In addition, the College serves on the 22nd Judicial Court Family Violence Coordinating Council to seek input about programming needs.

Area Planning Council #528 ● – Adult Education, along with the Illinois Migrant Council and other area-wide social service agencies, serves on and chairs this committee. APC #528 plans the delivery of adult education services within the College district to ensure there is not a duplication of adult education services. APC #528 meets twice each fiscal year to create bylaws and an area plan that is submitted to the Illinois Community College Board for approval.

Resource Development and Alumni Relations

Foundation Strategic Plan ● - The Foundation has developed a strategic plan which contains goals, objectives, and measurable milestones. The plan is updated to reflect the needs of the College with input from Foundation staff, the College President, and the Trustee Liaison.

Foundation Board ● – The Foundation Board consists of community leaders from business and industry interested in working on fundraising efforts to support the College and assisting with donor outreach.

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2P3 How do you communicate your expectations regarding these objectives?

The College communicates its expectations regarding its other distinctive objectives through a variety of methods, including course schedules, newsletters, the College’s website, and reports to the Board of Trustees.

Workforce and Economic DevelopmentThe College communicates course opportunities and offerings for business and corporate clients through The Catalyst, a quarterly publication. The College also utilizes targeted email campaigns to communicate information about upcoming seminars and workshops to potential clients. In addition, information about services offered related to workforce and economic development opportunities are posted on a designated portion of the College’s website (http://www.shahcenter.mchenry.edu).

Lifelong Learning and Personal EnrichmentA non-credit course schedule is published three times a year and mailed to tens of thousands of district residents. The schedule contains specific information for individuals interested in Personal Development Classes, Kids and College as well as the Retired Adults Program. Information about non-credit courses is available on the College’s website (http://www.mchenry.edu/coneducation/).

Adult Education courses are advertised via flyers that are created in English, Spanish and Polish and are distributed throughout the community. In addition, information about all of the College’s offerings in Adult Education is available at http://www.mchenry.edu/esl/

Community Development and OutreachThe College communicates information about events and activities related to community development and outreach via news releases distributed to local media outlets, as well as via information on various locations on the College’s website, including http://www.mchenry.edu/ConferenceCenter/ and http://www.mchenry.edu/Recycling/

Resource Development and Alumni RelationsThe Foundation sends a newsletter to alumni and donors, Connections, on a quarterly basis. The newsletter provides an overview of Foundation initiatives and College news, and recognizes donors. The Foundation also provides a monthly written report to the College’s Board of Trustees. In addition, the Foundation has a separate website to communicate expectations and results (http://www.supportmcc.org).

2P4 How do you assess and review the appropriateness and value of these objectives, and whom do you involve in these reviews?

Workforce and Economic DevelopmentCollege employees in the Division of Continuing and Professional Education review course enrollment data, satisfaction surveys, number of clients served, and revenue generated to determine the appropriateness and value of objectives related to Workforce and Economic Development. College employees also review results with advisory committees for additional input and guidance.

Lifelong Learning and Personal EnrichmentCollege employees in the Division of Continuing and Professional Education and the Division of Education and Social Sciences review course enrollment data and satisfaction surveys to determine the appropriateness of objectives related to Lifelong Learning and Personal Enrichment. College employees also review results with advisory committees for additional input and guidance.

Community Development and OutreachThe College works in close collaboration with the 22nd Judicial Court of McHenry County to ensure that objectives are appropriate and are being met with respect to court-mandated programs, such as Traffic Safety School and Parents, Children and Divorce. College employees also review results with advisory committees for additional input and guidance.

Resource Development and Alumni RelationsThe Foundation staff works in collaboration with the Foundation Board and College staff to review objectives and ensure that they are appropriate and are being met.

2P5 How do you determine faculty and staff needs relative to these objectives and operations?

2P6 How do you incorporate information on faculty and staff needs in readjusting these objectives or the processes that support them?

MCC’s planning and budgetary processes systematically address the needs associated with its distinctive objectives. The Division of Continuing and Professional Education, the Division of Education and Social Sciences, and the Foundation participate in standard annual processes including budget requests, equipment requests, personnel requests, and remodeling requests. College staff who work in support of each of the identified distinctive objectives review and assess their needs for the upcoming year, and request appropriate resources through the standard College budgetary processes.

Category 2: Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objectives35


2R1 What measures of accomplishing your major non-instructional objectives and activities do you collect and analyze regularly?

Measure Comparable Frequency Focus

Number of enrollees/attendees Yes AnnualWorkforce and Economic Development ●Lifelong Learning and Personal Enrichment ●Community Development and Outreach ●

Student Success Yes Annual Lifelong Learning and Personal Enrichment ●Student Satisfaction No Annual Workforce and Economic Development ●

Dollars Raised Yes Annual Resource Development and Alumni Relations ●Dollars Awarded No Annual Resource Development and Alumni Relations ●

2R2 What are your performance results in accomplishing your other distinctive objectives?

Workforce and Economic DevelopmentThe College serves 23 of the 25 largest employers in McHenry County, and makes a significant impact in terms of workforce and economic development with its corporate training and small business development initiatives. In FY 2009, the College served 40 different organizations with customized training and 176 organizations with open-enrollment job training. Furthermore, the College worked with 313 clients through its Small Business Development Center, resulting in eight new companies and 25 new jobs.

In addition to corporate training opportunities and small business development consulting, a number of community members take advantage of the College’s professional education programs. In FY 2008, more than 1,000 community members completed short-term, CEU-granting continuing professional education courses.

Table 2.2 Professional Education Programs - FY 2009Number of programs Number of enrollees

Welding Boot Camp 13 62Flagger Training 9 44

Continuing Professional Education 125 1,161

In addition to serving large numbers of clients, workshop attendees are overall very satisfied with the training they receive. In fact, over the last year, 94% of workshop participants either agreed or strongly agreed that the material they learned was applicable to their job, 93% responded that the course exercises were useful, and 96% would recommend the course to others.

Table 2.1 Shah Center Programs - FY 2009

Center For Corporate Training

Contract/Customized Job Training

Organizations Served (unduplicated) 40

Courses Provided 90

Employees Trained (duplicated) 2,013

Open Enrollment Job Training

Organizations Served (unduplicated) 176

Courses Provided 257

Individuals Trained (duplicated) 1,180

Illinois Small Business Development Center

Direct Counseling Clients 313

Companies Started 8

Companies Expanded 1

Jobs Created 25

Jobs Retained 35

Investments (Capital procured) $1,671,000

Courses Provided 68

Individuals Trained (duplicated) 499



Lifelong Learning and Personal Enrichment

As illustrated in Table 2.3, the College reaches thousands of community members annually through its lifelong learning and personal enrichment programs.

In FY 2008, 472 students enrolled in Adult Basic Education and Adult Secondary Education courses, and 67 attained a GED. In addition, 1197 students enrolled in English as a Second Language courses. The percentage of students successfully completing various levels of Adult Education and English as a Second Language coursework is listed below.

Table 2.3 Personal Development Programs - FY 2008Number of programs Number of enrollees

Personal Development 273 2,214Pathways Program 9 20

Retired Adults Program 51 1,120Trips and Tours 25 952

Table 2.4 Students Successfully Completing Adult Education and ESL Levels - FY2009

Total Enrolled Number Completing Level % Completing Level Federal TargetABE Beginning Literacy 6 1 17% 47%

Beginning 12 6 50% 44%Intermediate Low 46 21 46% 40%

Intermediate High 107 45 42% 35%ASE ASE Low 89 23 26% 37%

ASE High 94 28 30% n/aESL Beginning Literacy 117 65 56% 51%

Low Beginning 423 78 18% 48%High Beginning 116 32 28% 49%

Intermediate Low 58 22 38% 47%Intermediate High 126 29 23% 36%

Advanced 116 25 22% 17%



Resource Development and Alumni Relations

The Friends of MCC Foundation awards a number of scholarships to MCC students. Information about scholarships awarded by the Foundation is outlined in Table 2.6.

Table 2.6 Scholarships Awarded by the Friends of MCC Foundation

Number of Scholarships Awarded Number of Students Receiving a Scholarship Total Scholarship Dollars Awarded

FY 2007 Summer 2006 9 10 $4,009.49Fall 2006 54 77 $40,780.53

Spring 2007 24 61 $29,576.00

Total 87 148 $74,366.02

FY 2008 Summer 2007 8 19 $6,565.23Fall 2007 42 80 $36,685.67

Spring 2008 29 51 $24,181.64

Total 79 150 $67,432.54

FY 2009 Summer 2008 11 14 $4,334.96Fall 2008 43 77 $40,217.42

Spring 2009 27 44 $23,312.78

Total 81 135 $67,865.16

Community Development and Outreach

As illustrated in Table 2.5, the College served thousands of district residents in FY 2008 through its Conference Center programs as well as through its court-mandated programs.

In recognition of MCC’s outstanding programming, the National Safety Council has named the McHenry County College Traffic Safety School a Best Practice Award Winner. The program received the honor as a result of exemplary 2008 Defensive Driving Course training. The award is presented to those training centers that lead the field in training safer motorists in their service area.

Table 2.5 Community Development and Outreach Programs - FY 2008

Number of classes/programs Number of enrollees

Conference Center 14 1,334

Traffic Safety School 384 13,601

Parents, Children, and Divorce 49 1,425

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Table 2.7 Dollars Raised - Friends of MCC Foundation

Total Dollars RaisedFY 2007 $392,031FY 2008 $1,474,855FY 2009 $1,379,017

2R4 How do your performance results of your processes for Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objectives strengthen your overall organization? How do they enhance your relationships with the communities and regions you serve?

As a comprehensive community college, MCC’s other distinctive objectives are aligned with the institution’s mission and goals. Accordingly, the College’s distinctive objectives are an integral component of supporting the “community’s educational, social, cultural and economic vitality.” Furthermore, the College’s vision is to “be the community’s first choice for a lifetime of learning,” and the College’s other distinctive objectives are in alignment and support of this vision. While traditional credit courses may not be the right choice for everyone, through the wide array of workforce and economic development, lifelong learning and personal enrichment, and community development and outreach programs, the College truly does offer something for everyone.

The College’s other distinctive objectives also support and enhance relationships with a number of organizations within the College’s district, including the Workforce Investment Board, the McHenry County Economic Development Corporation, Area Planning Council #528, businesses and industries, and local, state, and national advisory committees. The relationships developed as a result of the College’s other distinctive objectives, in turn, strengthen the College overall. For example, businesses and industries served by the College’s corporate training programs can serve as resources for advisory committees for credit programs. MCC’s distinctive objectives support a broader impact throughout the community than credit programs alone, which helps to build an awareness of and support for the College district-wide.

2R3 How do your results for the performance of these processes compare with the performance results of other higher education organizations and, if appropriate, of organizations outside of higher education?

The College does not have substantial comparable data with regard to its other distinctive objectives, and recognizes this as an opportunity for improvement. However, MCC participated for the first time in the National Community College Benchmarking Project in 2009, and found that the College’s market penetration for non-credit courses (8.58%) ranks above the 95th percentile of all colleges participating in the benchmarking project.

As illustrated in Table 2.7, the Friends of MCC Foundation raises significant funds to support College students and programs. While the Foundation consistently raises several hundred thousand dollars per year, over the last two years donations have exceeded one million dollars. This significant increase in fundraising has primarily been due to the MCC Promise. The MCC Promise, launched in Fall 2009, provides free tuition for four semesters to all students who graduated from an in-district high school in Spring 2009.

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2I1 What recent improvements have you made in this category? How systematic and comprehensive are your processes and performance results for Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objectives?

2I2 How do your culture and infrastructure help you to select specific processes to improve and to set targets for improved performance results in Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objectives?

The College is frequently called upon by its community partners to develop programming in response to an emerging need. For example, in response to a need for welding professionals in the community, the College established a non-credit welding “boot camp” which has been successful in terms of enrollment and student success. Based on this success and demand for broader basic manufacturing skills, the College pursued and was awarded a grant to establish the “Shifting Gears” program intended to build a pathway from Adult Education to employment and then to a credit-based career and technical education. Based on the success of the Shifting Gears program and additional community needs, the College applied for and was awarded a Flexible and Sustainable Training (FAST) program grant to develop intensive, short-term occupational training in specific fields identified by employers through their participation on the McHenry County Workforce Investment Board (WIB). With respect to Category 2, the College is very agile in terms of its ability to respond to changing needs in the community.

While the College is proud of its ability to be responsive to changing needs, this should not imply that all programming decisions are purely reactive. On the contrary, the College actively seeks input from its community partners to foresee future needs and plan accordingly. The College’s culture and infrastructure support the flexibility and agility required in alignment with MCC’s other distinctive objectives.

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Category 3: Understanding Students’ and Other Stakeholders’ Needs40


Category 3: Understanding Students’ and Other Stakeholders’ Needs

3P1 How do you identify the changing needs of your student groups? How do you analyze and select a course of action regarding these needs?

3Understanding Students’ and Other Stakeholders’ Needs

The College utilizes a variety of data to identify and analyze changing student needs. Each semester, the College’s Office of Institutional Research prepares a “10th Day Enrollment Report” which presents an overview of the characteristics of current students as well as an analysis of how those characteristics have changed over time. Included in this analysis are student age, gender, ethnicity, and academic load.

Over the last five years, the College has seen a significant increase in the proportion of students 19 years old or younger. In 2004, 36% of all credit students were under the age of 19; in 2009, 46% of all credit students are under the age of 19. The median age has dropped from 21 to 20 over the same period of time (see Figure 3.1).

Figure 3.1 Change in age of MCC Students

0%

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30%

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While the overall proportion of students of different ethnicities has not varied much over the last five years (see Figure 3.3), the College has seen a significant increase in the number of students of color. Since 2004, there has been a 13% increase in the number of Asian students, a 21% increase in the number of Native American students, a 78% increase in the number of Hispanic students, an 84% increase in the number of black students, and a 220% increase in the number of non-resident alien students.

Figure 3.3 Ethnicity of MCC Students, Fall 2009

As part of the New Student Enrollment Form, students are required to declare their educational objective. The Office of Institutional Research analyzes the educational objective of current students each semester to identify changing student needs or interests. Over the past five years, the College has experienced an increase in the number of students with an objective of transferring to a four-year college or university, and a decrease in the number of students attending for a current or future job (see Figure 3.4). This change likely corresponds with the broader change in student demographics in which there has been an increase in the number of students under the age of 24, and an increase in the number of students who attend MCC on a full-time basis.

Figure 3.2 Part-time and full-time students enrolled in credit courses

White

Hispanic

Black

Asian

Native American

Non-resident

In addition to an increase in the number of younger students at MCC, more students are enrolling on a full-time basis. While only 38% of students enrolled on a full-time basis in 2004, more than 45% of students are enrolled full-time in 2009 (see Figure 3.2).

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Asian 96 108 12.5%

Native American 14 17 21.4%

Black 38 70 84.2%

Hispanic 320 571 78.4%

White 4,791 5,578 16.4%

Non-resident Alien 35 112 220.0%

Table 3.1 Ethnicity of MCC Students, 2004 - 2009

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%

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Educational Objective of MCC Students

For current or future job

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Personal development

Figure 3.4 Primary educational objectives declared by MCC students

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In addition, the report includes an analysis of enrollment data to highlight emerging student interests and needs both in academic areas as well as in course delivery methods. The number of students enrolled in evening classes has declined over the past five years. In 2004, evening courses represented 32% of all enrolled credit hours; in 2009, evening courses represent 22% of all enrolled credit hours (see Figure 3.5). There has been a corresponding increase in the proportion of students enrolled in courses during daytime hours, which likely aligns with the increase in full-time students and students under the age of 19.

Figure 3.5 Credit hours by delivery method

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The number of credits earned via asynchronous courses has increased over the past five years by nearly 40%. There has been more than a 150% increase in the number of credit hours generated by online courses, while there has been more than a 60% decrease in the number of credit hours generated by telecourses. Due to this sharp decline in telecourse credit hour generation, faculty and administration have begun analyzing the relevancy and effectiveness of telecourses. This analysis is being done through the Curriculum Promotion and Renewal (CP&R) Standing Committee of CAPC.

The 10th day enrollment report is distributed to all employees each semester via an employee newsletter and is posted on the College’s intranet site. College faculty and administrators utilize the analysis to plan course offerings and enhance student services based on changing student needs.

3P2 How do you build and maintain a relationship with your students?

The College strives to establish relationships with prospective students via proactive recruiting efforts in all high schools within MCC’s district. The College employs a full-time recruiter who visits all high schools in the District twice per year to meet with students who are interested in attending MCC. In addition, through the High School Plus program, MCC offers a number of opportunities for current high school students to complete College credit courses (see 1P10). Furthermore, a number of the College’s occupational programs coordinate “open houses” with area high schools. Prospective students are able to attend these open houses during the school day as they are designated as school-sponsored field trips. Each Fall, the College hosts MCC Night to which all high school juniors and seniors, as well as their parents, are invited. The College sends a letter to the parents of all juniors and seniors attending high schools within MCC’s district to invite them and their student to attend MCC Night. At this special event targeted for prospective students, all academic areas within the College set up display booths and tables to highlight their courses and programs, while a number of student services areas give presentations to inform prospective students about the support and opportunities that are available to them at the College.

The Advising and Transfer Center oversees New Student Orientation. Once prospective students submit a New Student Enrollment form, they are invited to attend a New Student Orientation session. Full-time students are required to complete an orientation session before they are allowed to enroll in more than seven credits in a given semester. The majority of orientation sessions are organized by high school, so that all prospective students from the same high school attend the same New Student Orientation session. These orientation sessions are scheduled on school days, and students are given an excused absence from their high school to attend. Prospective students who are not current high school students may attend a number of general New Student Orientation sessions, or may complete an online orientation. Prospective part-time students are guided to complete an online orientation and follow up individually with an Advisor to plan classes.

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The College consistently monitors students’ academic performance in an effort to provide an early warning and intervention system for students who struggle academically. MCC’s Making Academic Progress Policy (MAPP) requires that students who have a cumulative GPA of less than 2.0 after completing 12 credit hours meet with a counselor and develop an individual success plan before registering for additional coursework.

The Departments of Student Life and Multicultural Programs and Student Leadership play a significant role in sustaining positive relationships with students. During the first week of classes, Student Life sponsors a “Welcome Week” with a variety of activities and free food offered throughout the week. Within the first few weeks of the semester, Student Life sponsors a Student Organization Fair in which all student organizations have an opportunity to advertise their events and recruit new members. In addition, Multicultural Programs and Student Leadership sponsors a number of activities throughout the academic year to promote cross-cultural awareness and provide opportunities for students to develop their leadership skills.

3P3 How do you analyze the changing needs of your key stakeholder groups and select courses of action regarding these needs?

3P4 How do you build and maintain relationships with your key stakeholders? The College utilizes a variety of methods to analyze changing needs and build and maintain relationships with its key stakeholders:

Community MembersDuring Spring 2009, MCC launched MAP, a comprehensive community engagement effort intended to initiate discussions contributing to an updated Strategic Plan in support of the College’s mission and goals. A MAP Facilitating Team was established consisting of key community leaders, two College trustees, several College employees, and a consultant. The Facilitating Team organized seven community engagement sessions in which all community members throughout the district were invited to learn more about the College and participate in small group activities designed to solicit their input and feedback. The Facilitating Team reviewed all of the input and feedback and developed general agreements representing a compilation of the discussions and feedback collected during each of the sessions.

During the orientation, representatives from Recruitment, Student Life, and Multicultural Programs provide students with an overview of services offered by a variety of departments including the Advising and Transfer Center, the Counseling Center, Career Services, Financial Aid, Sage Learning Center, Special Needs, Student Life, and Multicultural Programs. Advisors also present information about placement testing, the degrees and certificates offered by the College, information about transferring to a four-year college or university, how to navigate the College Catalog and course schedules, prerequisites, the honors program, distance education offerings, and the services offered by a variety of departments including the Advising and Transfer Center, the Counseling Center, Career Services, Financial Aid, Sage Learning Center, Special Needs, Student Life, and Multicultural Programs. Upon completion of the orientation, Advisors guide students through the process of registering for courses via the College’s online registration system.

Before the Fall 2009 semester, MCC piloted a second-phase orientation intended to provide students with “just-in-time” information the week before classes started. Break-out sessions in these second-phase orientation sessions included tips for being a successful student offered by advisors, counselors, and representatives from the Special Needs Department, Testing Center, and Sage Learning Center, an orientation of MCC Technology including network login information and information about accessing ANGEL, the College’s learning management system, and an overview of Student Life at MCC including information about student organizations, leadership development, and athletics. In addition, new students had an opportunity to “walk their schedule” to find the location of each of their classrooms, and to purchase their textbooks for the semester. The pilot program was an overwhelming success, as more than 740 new students took advantage of the opportunity.

Once students begin their coursework at MCC, the College strives to maintain a strong relationship in an effort to support their success. For example, all first-time, full-time students are required to complete a one-credit College Experience course (MCC 101) that is designed to help students make the transition to college successful by focusing on academic goals, skills, and an understanding of the resources MCC has to offer. Also, each Fall and Spring semester, a letter is sent to all first semester students outlining the Advising, Counseling and Career services that are available to students.

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The next steps planned for the community engagement process include several focus groups and one-on-one interviews to clarify issues and opinions collected during the engagement sessions. Community residents, students, employees, and key community leaders will be invited to participate in the process of identifying strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement. In addition, a community survey will be professionally administered to gather consensus opinion from a statistically meaningful sample of district residents. Furthermore, a Listener’s Bureau is planned to expand outreach into the larger MCC community. Members of the Facilitating Team plan to meet with a variety of local community organizations to solicit additional feedback and input from active and invested members of the community.

The results of these efforts will be communicated to the Board of Trustees and will play an integral part in helping to shape the College’s next Strategic Plan.

Local K-12 School DistrictsMCC maintains a close relationship with local school districts. College recruiting staff attend a monthly meeting with all of the Directors of Guidance to learn about changing needs of area high schools and their students, as well as to answer questions that the high schools may have about the College. In addition, the College hosts a biennial information sharing breakfast for all high school guidance counselors in the county. Furthermore, the College’s Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs regularly attends meetings held by the Regional Office of Education in which all county superintendents come together to discuss issues and challenges and talk about the emerging needs of the community. Each of these regular meetings helps keep the College informed about changing needs and helps to establish positive relationships with the educational organizations that provide a significant number of incoming students.

Other Colleges and UniversitiesThe College employees a full-time Articulation and Transfer Coordinator who works to build relationships with other colleges and universities by attending Transfer Coordinator meetings, articulation conferences at senior institutions, joint agreement meetings, u.select meetings, and by participating on an Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) panel. The Coordinator

maintains an active relationship with the Illinois Community College Board Director for Transfer Programs and Illinois Board of Higher Education Assistant Director Academic Affairs, both of whom are liaisons with IAI panels.

The IAI is a statewide system for articulating courses and programs, providing a voluntary agreement between all Illinois community colleges, all state universities, and over 40 private schools. IAI faculty panels were created to identify common, lower-division, foundational courses and are composed of faculty representing participating institutions. There is a panel for each of the areas commonly represented in general education programs and for particular baccalaureate majors. MCC faculty and the transfer coordinator serve on a number of IAI panels which allows the College to identify changing needs and requirements of transfer institutions as well as build and maintain positive relationships with other colleges and universities.

MCC has also collaboratively established a number of formal transfer agreements, program transfer guides, and joint educational agreements that support the College’s relationships with dozens of other colleges and universities.

Business and IndustryEach of the College’s occupational areas have an advisory committee consisting of experts from the community who share information about emerging and changing needs. College faculty utilize this information to inform decisions about course and curricular design, as well as to identify opportunities for new courses and programs.

MCC also offers WorkKeys to employees in a variety of industries as well as to high school students. WorkKeys is an assessment system measuring job skills that employers believe are critical to job success. Individuals who complete the test can earn a National Career Readiness Certificate which facilitates entry into the workforce.

The College also maintains strong relationships with the business community through its workforce and economic development efforts (see 2P2). MCC strives to understand and respond to the needs of local

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3P5 How do you determine if you should target new student and stakeholder groups with your educational offerings and services?

The College has a standard process for the development of new programs (see 1P3) which includes a feasibility analysis. The feasibility analysis typically must address the program’s purpose, the type of jobs for which it would train graduates, the target population, relationship of the program to existing curricula at the college, labor market need, and enrollment projections. Ideas for new programs emerge as the result of expressed student interest, through a review of the College’s Joint Agreements, or from one of the many relationships and partnerships the College has established. A Joint Agreement is a formal agreement between two community colleges, allowing students desiring an occupational degree or certificate program not offered at their community college to complete the degree or certificate at the partner college, but pay in-district tuition rates.

For example, the College recently launched a Nursing Program and a Culinary Management Program as a result of expressed student interest and consistent data from Joint Agreements that showed that a large number of MCC students were attending other local community colleges to participate in these specific programs when they were not yet offered at MCC.

The College also utilizes input and feedback from its community partners to establish new educational offerings. For example, this year the College received a federal earmark to establish a non-credit training program in Computerized Numerical Control in order to respond to a need identified by the county’s Workforce Investment Board. The College will first pilot this program as a non-credit opportunity, and depending upon the success of the program, may look to later establish a credit program.

3P6 How do you collect complaint information from students and other stakeholders? How do you analyze this feedback and select courses of action? How do you communicate these actions to your students and stakeholders?

MCC values input from students and stakeholders as opportunities for improvement. Reported complaints are investigated and resolved at the lowest level of intervention possible.

Grade AppealsThe College has established a formal policy for student complaints related to final grades, and has published this policy in the College’s Catalog:

Step 1 ● : The student confers with the instructor. If the instructor no longer works at MCC, the student contacts the department chair to discuss the problem and seek a mutually acceptable solution.

Step 2 ● : If dissatisfied with the outcome of Step 1, the student composes and submits a written statement outlining the nature of the problem, and arranges to meet with the faculty member’s immediate supervisor/department chair to review the problem and seeks its resolution.

Step 3 ● : If the problem remains, the student submits a written appeal outlining the problem, steps taken to resolve it, and the outcome of these efforts to the Dean/Executive Dean.

Step 4 ● : Following receipt of a written response from the Dean/Executive Dean, and if still dissatisfied, students contact the Dean of Students to request an appeal to the Student Appeals Board. The decision of the Student Appeals Board is final.

Complaints Due to MisconductAny member of the College community may file a complaint against any student for misconduct. Complaints must be presented in writing to the Dean of Students or his or her designee and should be submitted within fifteen business days of the occurrence of the alleged misconduct. Within five business days of receiving a complaint, the Dean of Students or his or her designee will notify the accused student in writing of the complaint and

businesses and industries through its corporate training, small business development, and professional education programs. MCC administrators have two votes on the local Workforce Investment Board (LWIB). In addition, several other MCC administrators are active members of LWIB committees. Furthermore, MCC is an operating partner for the local Workforce Network and shares staff with this agency through a memorandum of understanding.

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afford the student an opportunity to meet with the Dean of Students or his or her designee in order to respond to the complaint and/or evidence provided in relation to the complaint.

The Dean of Students or his or her designee will conduct a preliminary investigation to determine if the complaint has merit and/or if the complaint can be disposed of administratively or by mutual consent of the parties involved. The Dean of Students shall conference with the student (and his or her advisor), inform the student of his or her options and rights, and take any of the following actions: make findings of fact on the nature of the complaint; dismiss the case; refer the student for counseling; or refer the case to a formal disciplinary hearing panel and give the student proper notice. If the complaint can be disposed of at the preliminary investigation stage, such disposition will be final and there will be no subsequent proceedings. If deemed necessary the Dean of Students or his or her designee may, within five business days after meeting with the student, notify the student in writing that the charged misconduct will be referred for a formal disciplinary hearing by the Conduct Review Committee. In matters which result in suspension or expulsion, the accused student may appeal the decision of the Dean of Students to the Conduct Review Committee within ten business days of the date of the decision. Appeals must be presented in writing to the Dean of Students or his or her designee, who will notify the accused student of an appeal hearing within seven business days of receiving the student’s appeal request.

The accused student may request, or the Dean of Students may require, that the charges be resolved at a formal hearing provided by the Conduct Review Committee, which is a sub-committee of the Student Appeals Board. The Conduct Review Committee is composed of a cross section of the College community and may include members of the administration, staff, faculty and/or student body. The Conduct Review Committee will hear cases and make decisions on appropriate sanctions. The Conduct Review Committee may also hear appeals of determinations that resulted in suspension or expulsion. The

Dean of Students shall serve as non-voting Secretary and advisor to the Conduct Review Committee. No Conduct Review Committee member may sit on the Committee during a hearing if that member is a complainant, witness, has a direct or personal interest in the outcome of the hearing, or has previously acted in an advisory capacity to the accused student.

Hearings are closed to the public and both the accused student and the complaining parties may present evidence, including witnesses and written statements. The Chair of the Conduct Review Committee will determine the format of the hearing, the admissibility of witnesses or written statements, and may elect not to hear such testimony if deemed redundant or irrelevant. Determination of violations shall be made based on the preponderance of evidence and decisions by the Conduct Review Committee shall be by majority vote of the members present for the hearing. The Dean of Students shall notify the accused student of the Conduct Review Committee’s findings via certified mail no later than ten business days after the hearing.

Informal ComplaintsCollege administrators are responsible for the effective resolution of informal complaints from stakeholders. Administrators are responsible for involving appropriate College employees to investigate the complaint and follow-up, as well as communicate with relevant employees and the stakeholder.

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3R1 How do you determine the satisfaction of your students and other stakeholders? What measures of student and other stakeholder satisfaction do you collect and analyze regularly?

Measure Frequency Comparable? FocusCCSSE Every Three Years Yes Student EngagementRetention Rates Annual Yes Building RelationshipsGraduate Survey Annual No Stakeholder SatisfactionPercentage of High School Graduates Enrolling at MCC Annual Yes Building RelationshipsStudents Participating in Joint Agreements Annual No Building Relationships

Every three years, MCC participates in the Community College Survey of Student Engagement which provides valuable data with regard to student satisfaction. The College last participated in CCSSE in 2007, and all results presented are from 2007. Table 3.2 CCSSE Results for Overall Student Satisfaction, 2007

MCC CCSSE CohortHow would you evaluate your entire educational experience at this college? (1 = Poor, 2 = Fair, 3 = Good, 4 = Excellent) 3.04 3.15

Students were also asked to assess their satisfaction level with specific student services (1 = Not at all, 2 = Somewhat, 3 = Very). As illustrated in Table 3.3, MCC student satisfaction is consistent with the CCSSE Cohort. Table 3.3 CCSSE Results for Student Satisfaction with Student Services

MCC CCSSE CohortAcademic Advising/Planning 2.19 2.21Career counseling 2.01 2.04Job placement assistance 1.73 1.82Peer or other tutoring 2.19 2.14Skill labs 2.06 2.25Child care 1.94 1.76Financial aid advising 1.99 2.18Computer lab 2.48 2.49Student organizations 1.92 1.96Transfer credit assistance 2.04 2.06Services to students with disabilities 2.01 2.00

3R2 What are your performance results for student satisfaction?

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Each semester, students taking an online course are asked to assess their level of satisfaction with technology support provided by their instructors as well as the Distance Education department. Students overall were satisfied with the ease of use of ANGEL, the College’s Learning Management System, and support provided by instructors. While it appears the College has an opportunity for improvement with regard to support from the Distance Education Department, it is unclear if students simply did not require support from Distance Education (see Figure 3.6).

Figure 3.6 Student Satisfaction - Online Courses

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Summer 2009 Distance Education Support -- Evaluation Highlights

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Student retention serves a good measure of the effectiveness of the College’s processes for building relationships with students. Of the Fall 2008 cohort of first-time full-time freshmen, 63% maintained full-time status in the Spring 2009 semester, and 88% were retained overall (see Table 3.4).

In addition to fall to spring retention, another important retention measure is the percentage of full-time students who return for their second year (see Table 3.5)

CCSSE results also provide an effective measure of the College’s processes for building relationships with students as one of the items on the survey asks students to assess the quality of relationships with people at the College. As illustrated in Table 3.6, MCC’s results are slightly lower than the CCSSE cohort.

Table 3.5 Fall to Fall Retention of Full-Time Students

Cohort RetentionFall 2005 to Fall 2006 63.6%Fall 2007 to Fall 2008 61.5%

Table 3.6 CCSSE Results for Building Relationships, 2007

MCC CCSSE Cohort

Relationships with other students 5.30* 5.47

Relationships with instructors 5.61 5.65

Relationships with administrative office personnel 4.89 4.93 *(1=Unfriendly, unsupportive to 7=Friendly, supportive, sense of belonging)

Table 3.4 Fall to Spring Retention of Full-Time Students

Fall First-Time Full-Time Cohort

Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008

n % n % n %Not Retained 47 8.2% 69 12.6% 71 12.0%

Retained (Full-time or Part-time) 523 91.8% 478 87.4% 520 88.0%Retained Full-time 390 68.4% 312 57.0% 370 62.6%

Total 570 100.0% 547 100.0% 591 100.0%

3R3 What are your performance results for building relationships with your students?

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Each year the College conducts a survey of its occupational program graduates which includes measures of satisfaction with different areas of the College. The percentage of graduates responding that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the College’s support services are: Table 3.7 Occupational graduate satisfaction with student services

FY2004 FY2005 FY2006 FY2007 FY2008

Financial Aid 94.4% 92.3% 91.4% 94.1% 92.9%

Academic Advising 86.1% 77.6% 85.5% 83.8% 82.0%

Career Planning 87.7% 72.3% 77.4% 78.9% 84.1%

College transfer planning 85.0% 80.0% 80.0% 87.1% 71.4%

Counseling 83.0% 76.8% 86.8% 84.8% 76.7%

Tutoring 88.0% 84.0% 81.1% 85.3% 83.3%

Library/audio visual 100% 98.9% 100% 99.0% 99.2%

Student activities 97.3% 92.6% 87.5% 95.5% 89.5%

3R4 What are your performance results for stakeholder satisfaction?

The College also conducts a survey of graduates specifically to assess their satisfaction with the Library. As illustrated in Figure 3.7, nearly 100% of graduates indicate that they were very satisfied or satisfied with Library/AV Services.

Additional satisfaction data with regard to the Library is presented in Figure 1.6.

FY04 FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08

61.0 71.9 69.0 74.5 80.0

39.0 27.0 31.0 24.5 19.2

Percent of Graduates Satisfied with Library/AV Services, FY04-FY08

Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied

Figure 3.7 Graduate satisfaction with Library/AV Services

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3R5 What are your performance results for building relationships with your key stakeholders?

One measure of the College’s relationships with key stakeholders is the percentage of high school graduates from within College’s district that apply and enroll at MCC. This Fall, more than half of all high school graduates applied to MCC, and of those, more than 75% enrolled in courses at the College. Table 3.8 District high school graduates applying and enrolling at MCC

Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009Percentage of high school graduates to applicants 35% 35% 34% 34% 55%Percentage of high school applicants that enrolled 81% 80% 78% 79% 77%

Another measure of the College’s relationships with key stakeholders is the number of MCC students attending other community colleges via Joint Agreements. This relationship allows students to take advantage of educational programs that MCC does not offer at other community colleges while paying in-district rates:

Table 3.9 MCC students enrolled at other community colleges through joint agreements

Semester Number of Students Number of Credit HoursSummer 2008 134 612.5

Fall 2008 324 2936Spring 2009 316 2767.5

3R6 How do your results for the performance of your processes for Understanding Students’ and Other Stakeholders’ Needs compare with the performance results of other higher education organizations and, if appropriate, of organizations outside of higher education?

In general, the College’s CCSSE performance results tend to be equal to or slightly below the 2007 CCSSE Cohort mean scores in relation to Category 3. The College plans to administer CCSSE in Spring, 2010 and looks forward to the results as MCC has made a number of recent improvements in this Category.

3I1 What recent improvements have you made in this category? How systematic and comprehensive are your processes and performance results for Understanding Students’ and Other Stakeholders’ Needs?

3I2 How do your culture and infrastructure help you to select specific processes to improve and to set targets for improved performance results in Understanding Students’ and Other Stakeholders’ Needs?

In an effort to strengthen its relationships with students, the College participated in Foundations of Excellence in 2007, and established MCC101 as a required course for all first-time, full-time freshmen. This improvement was designed in response to the increasing number of students attending MCC directly out of high school and the identified need to help students successfully make the transition from high school to college.

Because of the influx of high school students this Fall, the College offered for the first time a “just-in-time” follow-up student orientation the week before classes began. The follow-up orientation was a resounding success, with over 740 students taking advantage of the opportunity.

In order to systematically collect and analyze information regarding the changing needs of the community, the College launched a formalized community engagement project in Spring, 2009. The effort was intended to solicit input and feedback from the community to help inform the College’s next Strategic Plan. The College is in the emerging stages of establishing a culture of continuous improvement, and does not yet have the infrastructure in place to select specific performance targets. The College recognizes this as an opportunity for improvement.

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Category 4: Valuing People52


Category 4: Valuing People

MCC utilizes distinct processes to identify the specific credentials, skills, and values required for faculty, staff, and administrative positions. All new full-time positions must be approved by the Board of Trustees.

Full-time faculty: Faculty Department Chairs, Executive Deans, and the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs collaborate annually to update the minimum qualifications for each of the full-time faculty positions at the College. In this document, specific degrees, credentials, and work experiences are identified as minimum qualifications for faculty positions based on institutional experience, input from advisory committees, and review of peer institutions. When a vacancy in a full-time faculty position is expected, a position description is developed by the Faculty Department Chair and Executive Dean which includes the minimum qualifications as well as additional preferred qualifications specific to the needs of the department. This process allows for consistency and ensures the College is meeting state requirements regarding minimum qualifications of faculty, but also allows for flexibility to address growing demand in specific program areas.

Part-time faculty: Faculty department chairs collaborate with their Executive Deans to identify minimum qualifications for part-time faculty, which are based upon the Full-Time Faculty Minimum Qualifications document.

Staff and Administrators: The administrative supervisor for each staff and administrative position develops a position description that includes specific credentials, skills, and values required of the position. All position descriptions are reviewed by the Assistant Vice President of Human Resources.

4P1 How do you identify the specific credentials, skills, and values required for faculty, staff, and administrators?

4 V a l u i n g P e o p l e

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Recruiting: All vacant positions are advertised on MCC’s website and are posted throughout the College on in-house vacancy notices. In addition, vacancies are advertised in various publications appropriate to the position. For example, positions are frequently advertised in:

local newspapers (particularly staff positions) ●

national publications, such as ● The Chronicle of Higher Education, Community College Times, Community College Week, and Diverse Issues in Higher Education (faculty and administrative positions)

publications of professional organizations, such as Association for ●Institutional Research, American Marketing Association, etc. (as appropriate for position)

national web databases, such as careerbuilder.com and ●HigherEdJobs.com

In a few instances, the services of national search firms have been utilized to identify and attract top talent nationwide for key administrative positions.

Hiring: See 4P2

Retaining: The College retains its employees through its generous benefits package (see 4P11 and 4P13), opportunities for advanced placement, salary adjustments, and tuition waivers/reimbursement (see 4P9), annual salary increases (which are collectively bargained for full-time and part-time faculty and classified and professional staff, and set by the Board of Trustees for administrative employees), and recognition programs (see 4P11).

4P3 How do you recruit, hire, and retain employees?

All applicants for a position are requested to submit an Application for Employment, current resume, and names and contact information for three references. Applicants for faculty and administrative positions are also required to submit college transcripts.

MCC’s Human Resources Office may review applications that are submitted and, at the request of the hiring supervisor, screen applications from individuals who do not meet the minimum qualifications listed in the position description.

A search committee is established that generally consists of the supervisor of the vacant position, 2-4 current employees, and an employee who has completed training in Affirmative Action. Each member of the search committee individually reviews and evaluates the applications using a rubric to assess the applicant’s related experience, skills, and characteristics in accordance with the job requirements, and any value-added characteristics the candidate might possess. Each committee member then individually ranks each of the applicants. The committee meets and reviews each member’s applicant rankings, and generally selects the top 3-6 applicants to invite to campus for an interview. The Director of Employment Services/Affirmative Action Coordinator reviews processes for compliance utilizing the established recruitment guidelines.

The committee collaborates with Human Resources to develop a set of interview questions to help to make certain the individual chosen for employment possesses the credentials, skills, and values required of the position. In addition to the interview, applicants may also be asked to:

complete a skills demonstration (most often for staff positions); ●

participate in an “open-time,” which is a question and answer session ●open to all College employees (for upper-level administrative positions);

present a teaching demonstration (for faculty positions). ●

4P2 How do your hiring processes make certain that the people you employ possess the credentials, skills, and values you require?

Once all interviews are complete, the search committee discusses each of the applicants and makes a recommendation to the hiring supervisor on whether an employment offer should be extended and to whom. If the committee believes that none of the candidates possess the credentials, skills, and values required of the position, the hiring supervisor may choose to re-open the search to invite additional applications. A criminal background check is completed for all new College employees.

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4P4 How do you orient all employees to your organization’s history, mission, and values?

All new employees are introduced to MCC’s history, mission, and values through a series of orientation activities:

First-day Orientation ● – all new employees meet with Human Resources on their first day of employment to review major College policies and employee benefits. New employees are also provided an Employee Reference Manual and New Employee Checklist.

Journey For Success ● – all new employees are invited to attend “Journey for Success,” a 2-hour workshop in which key personnel from across the College share information about College resources, benefits, and services available to students, employees, and community members

Breakfast/Lunch with the President ● – all new employees are invited to a breakfast or lunch workshop in which the President welcomes new employees to the College and provides an overview of the College’s mission and values

Required Workshops ● – all new full-time employees are required to complete five Professional Development Workshops/Trainings: Preventing Sexual Harassment, MCC Safety and Security, Workplace Ergonomics, MCC Network Survival, and Introduction to Continuous Improvement at MCC.

In addition, all new full-time faculty are required to participate in a one-year New Faculty Orientation program, facilitated by the Faculty Development Chair and Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, in which new faculty meet for monthly workshops with key College personnel to discuss topics such as learning outcomes assessment, academic freedom, classroom management, and continuous improvement.

4P5 How do you plan for changes in personnel?

With the recent sunsetting of an Early Retirement Program in combination with a large proportion of employees with many years of service at the College who qualified for the Early Retirement Program, MCC prepared for significant employee turnover in FY 2009. In preparation for these retirements, the College established:

an 28-member Organizational Review Committee which examined ●the organizational structure of the College’s former Learning and Student Support Services area and collaboratively developed a revised structure to better position the College to meet future needs of students and stakeholders. Revisions to the organizational structure included the elimination, redesign, and creation of multiple staff, faculty, and administrative positions.

a Community College Operations Overview program, offered ●each semester to a select number of current full-time and part-time faculty, staff, and administrators who submit an application to participate. A team of administrators, faculty, and staff review applications and select a group of employees to participate in the program which consists of a series of six two-and-a-half hour workshops facilitated by current MCC administrators that provide an overview of community college governance, finance, mission, stakeholders, and accreditation.

In addition, requests for new positions are submitted and reviewed on an annual basis through the budget process. Requests for new and replacement full-time faculty are submitted to the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, and these requests are prioritized by the Vice President’s Academic Council. Requests for new administrative and staff positions are submitted to the Vice President for Administrative Services/Treasurer. The two vice presidents review and prioritize all requests for new positions and make recommendations to the President regarding the creation of funding of new positions. The President reviews the recommendations, makes necessary modifications, and forwards the recommendations to the Board of Trustees for approval.

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4P9 How do you train and develop all faculty, staff, and administrators to contribute fully and effectively throughout their careers with your organization? How do you reinforce this training?

The mission of MCC’s Professional Development department is: “Professional Development supports the mission of McHenry County College through planning and implementing workshops, seminars, and educational opportunities for College employees. The emphasis is on encouraging College employees to develop their professional and personal skills and attributes and achieve excellence in their job performance, thereby enhancing service to students and student learning.” In support of this mission, the department offers a variety of workshops for employees throughout the year. In 2008, MCC’s Professional Development department offered 159 workshops for College employees; overall, 1106 employees (duplicated headcount) attended these workshops. In addition to these Professional Development workshops, the Professional Development Department is responsible for organizing two Faculty Workshop days (at the beginning of each semester) and a College-wide Professional Development Day for all employees in October.

Faculty Workshops are organized by MCC’s Faculty Development Chair in collaboration with MCC’s Faculty Development Committee and the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs. A contractual day for all full-time faculty, Faculty Workshops are intended to serve as an energizing kick-off to the semester and provide an opportunity for both full-time and part-time faculty to participate in a variety of training sessions related to topics such as effective teaching methodologies, outcomes assessment, emerging educational technologies, and strategies for effective communication. Department and Division meetings are also scheduled during this day, providing faculty the opportunity to collaboratively prepare for the new semester.

The College’s Professional Development Day is designed by a cross-representational Professional Development Day Committee which solicits input from all employees regarding suggested workshops and presentations. Because the College is closed to the public and no classes are held on Professional Development Day, every full-time employee is

4P6 How do you design your work processes and activities so they contribute both to organizational productivity and employee satisfaction?

Work processes and activities are generally designed at the departmental level, and department supervisors are charged with the responsibility to maximize both organizational productivity and employee satisfaction. In many departments, professional and classified staff are empowered to collaboratively modify work processes and activities in order to enhance organizational productivity. These opportunities to be creative in one’s work in turn enhance employee satisfaction, as illustrated in MCC’s 2008 PACE Survey results (see Table 4.5 and 4.6).

4P7 How do you ensure the ethical practices of all of your employees?

In 2004, the College adopted an Ethics Ordinance as a Board Policy, and all employees are expected to act in accordance with all Board and College policies as a condition of employment. MCC’s Vice President of Administrative Services/Treasurer has been designated as the College’s Ethics Officer, to whom all employees may report concerns of unethical practices or activities.

4P8 How do you determine training needs? How do you align employee training with short- and long-range organizational plans, and how does it strengthen your instructional and non-instructional programs and services?

Training needs are determined by a number of formal and informal processes. MCC relies upon both a Staff Development Committee and a Faculty Development Committee whose primary charge is to identify professional development needs of their respective employee groups. In addition, administrators are frequently provided the opportunity to identify training needs at monthly Leadership Council meetings. Furthermore, each attendee at a Professional Development workshop is requested to complete a workshop evaluation; the evaluation includes a question which asks for the employee’s suggestions for future training. Individual training needs are established as part of the annual personnel evaluation process, and every employee has the opportunity to contact the Director of Professional Development to suggest or request training at any time throughout the year.

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4P10 How do you design and use your personnel evaluation system? How do you align this system with your objectives for both instructional and non-instructional programs and services?

MCC utilizes distinct personnel evaluation systems for faculty, staff, and administrative positions.

Non-Tenured Full-Time Faculty: An evaluation process for non-tenured faculty was collaboratively developed through collective bargaining with the MCC Faculty Association. Following this evaluation process, every new faculty member develops an “Action Plan” at the outset of his/her service with the College which addresses: instructional and professional development goals; strategies; support needed; target dates; and mid-year and end of year reviews.

During each year of the faculty member’s probationary period, the Executive Dean or supervisor will conduct a minimum of two pre-arranged class visits per semester. The purpose of the visits in observing and documenting performance in all teaching components with the goal of improving the instructional process including: organization; scholarship; presentation; and, classroom relationships. Within one week of each classroom visit, the Executive Dean or supervisor meets with the faculty member to review observations and offer specific written suggestions designed to aid the instructor in overcoming identified deficiencies and to build upon noted strengths. In addition, the Executive Dean or supervisor reviews the Student Evaluation of an Instructor forms completed by the students in each of the instructor’s classes and provides a written summary of the feedback to the faculty member.

expected to attend and participate. The day begins with a “State of the College” presentation in which a variety of employees provide updates on College initiatives, including the work of Action Teams. Employees are then asked to meet with their departments for approximately two hours to review and update departmental goals for the upcoming year. In the afternoon, employees are invited to select from a variety of workshop sessions which are offered in a conference format and range in topics from effectively utilizing classroom assessment techniques, identifying threatening student behaviors, using Microsoft Office, winter car care, health and nutrition, and a tour of the College’s facilities. The 2008 Professional Development Day schedule is available at http://www.insidemcc.mchenry.edu/PDD/2008-program-final.pdf

The Executive Dean or supervisor meets following the first semester of each academic year with his/her non-tenured faculty members to review progress made on priorities included in the instructor’s Action Plan, discuss student perceptions of instructor effectiveness as reflected in the Student Evaluation Instruments completed during the semester, and update, as appropriate, personal/professional development goals reflected in the individual’s Action Plan. Near the end of each academic year, the Executive Dean or supervisor will meet with each non-tenured faculty member to review the instructor’s completed Self Evaluation Instrument, review progress made toward completion of the instructor’s Action Plan and formulate an updated Action Plan for the following academic year, and review out-of-class performance indicators, including demonstrated commitment to the mission and goals of the College, demonstrated interest in promoting the continued improvement of program quality, and demonstrated ability/willingness to become a contributing and productive team member.

Tenured Full-Time Faculty: On an annual basis, each full-time faculty member is to update his/her Action Plan and review the plan with his/her supervisor. In addition, full-time faculty members are to administer the Student Evaluation of an Instructor forms in each of their courses, review the feedback, and provide the forms completed by the students in one course section of their choice to their supervisor.

Every three years, tenured full-time faculty members are to complete a self-evaluation form and meet with their supervisor who completes an evaluation. Performance areas include: remaining current in the field; enthusiasm toward work at the College; ability to communicate effectively with peers and staff at the College; demonstration of positive attitude toward students and peers; involvement in College affairs; respect for College policies; and, understanding of and commitment to the institution’s community college mission.

Part-Time Faculty: All part-time faculty must administer the Student Evaluation of an Instructor form in each of their classes, and the results are reviewed and summarized by lead instructors. Each semester, the lead instructor must provide written (and when possible face-to-face) feedback to every part-time faculty member about student evaluations for their classes. This written feedback must be forwarded to the executive dean/supervisor for accountability purposes. Furthermore, during a part-time

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faculty member’s first three semesters at the College, lead instructors will conduct classrooms evaluations which assess organization; scholarship; and classroom relationships.

Professional and Classified Staff: A performance appraisal process was collaboratively agreed upon through collective bargaining with the MCC Staff Council. On an annual basis, every staff member is to have a written evaluation completed by his/her supervisor. A standard evaluation form is utilized which considers performance of the duties assigned to the employee with respect to the following factors: knowledge/experience; training on the job; responsibility; judgment and initiative; accountability; communication skills; supervision given; working environment/physical and emotional demands; attendance/punctuality; quality of work; quantity of work. As part of the performance appraisal process, staff members are asked to review their job description and to develop annual goals and an educational action plan in collaboration with their supervisor.

Administrators: Each administrator completes an annual written self-evaluation of his/her work performance. Performance areas include: job knowledge; planning; teamwork; initiative; professional development; leadership; supervision and personnel management; institutional commitment; decision-making and problem-solving; and, communication/interpersonal skills. In addition, the evaluation includes a review of the administrator’s progress toward his/her annual goals and objectives as well as suggested goals and objectives for the following year.

The self-evaluation and goals are submitted to the employee’s supervisor for review. The supervisor schedules a meeting with the employee to review the employee’s job description, discuss the self-evaluation and progress toward goals and objectives plus any other matters considered relevant to the employee’s work performance. During this meeting, the supervisor and the employee will also discuss and agree upon goals and objectives for the next year. After the meeting, the supervisor prepares a written evaluation of the employee which includes the employee’s goals and objectives for the following year. The employee and supervisor meet mid-year to review progress toward goals.

4P11 How do you design your employee recognition, reward, compensation, and benefit systems to align with your objectives for both instructional and non-instructional programs and services?

The College offers a generous benefits package to both full-time and part-time employees designed to attract and retain exceptional employees (see Tables 4.1 – 4.4). The College’s compensation and benefit systems for full-time faculty and professional and classified staff are collectively bargained with the MCC Faculty Association and Staff Council, and set by the Board of Trustees for exempt and administrative employees.

MCC also offers several employee recognition programs, including:

Service Awards ● – employees are recognized at the annual President’s Reception for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 years of service to the College.

STAR Award ● – any employee at the College may nominate another employee for outstanding service or performance. STAR Awards are published in Bagpipes, a quarterly employee newsletter.

Faculty of the Year Award ● – faculty who receive this award receive a medallion that is to be worn at graduation ceremonies.

Professional Staff of the Year Award ● – employees who receive this award receive a plaque at the annual President’s Reception.

Classified Staff of the Year Award ● – employees who receive this award receive a plaque at the annual President’s Reception.

NISOD Excellence Award ● – employees who receive this award are invited to attend the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Conference at the University of Texas at Austin and receive a medallion.

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Table 4.1 - Eligibility for Insurance Benefits

Employee Classification

Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance for Employee

and DependentsLife

Insurance

Flexible Spending Account Health Care &

Dependent CareVoluntary

Life InsuranceVoluntary Long-Term Disability Insurance

Full-Time Faculty All All All All All

Part-Time Faculty - - - - -

Professional Staff, Full-Time All All All All All

Professional Staff, Part-Time If employee works >20 hr/week - - - -

Classified Staff, Full-Time All All All All All

Classified Staff, Part-Time If employee works >20 hr/week - - - -

Administration All All All All All Table 4.2 - Sick, Vacation, Personal, Bereavement and Holiday Leave Benefits

Employee Classification Sick LeaveEligibility to Participate

in Sick Leave Pool Vacation Leave Personal LeaveBereavement

Leave Holiday Leave

Full-Time Faculty 12 days/year All - 2 days/year 5 days -

Part-Time Faculty 2 days/semester - - - - -

Professional Staff, Full-Time 12 days/year All

<20 years of service: 21 days/year

2 days/year 5 days 14 paid holidays≥20 years of service:

24 days/year

Classified Staff, Full-Time 12 days/year All

>20 years of service: 24 days/year

2 days/year 5 days 14 paid holidays

11-20 years of service: 21 days/year

4-10 years of service: 18 days/year

≤ 4 years of service: 12 days/year

Classified Staff, Part-Time

≥30 hr/week: ¾ day/month

All

≥30 hr/week: ¾ day/month

≥30 hr/week: Two ¾-day/year

5 days

≥ 20 hr/week: Paid regularly scheduled hours

20-29 hr/week: ½ day/month

20-29 hr/week: ½ day/month <30 hr/week:

-

≥ 30 hr/week: Dec. 25 – Jan. 1: 18 hrs pay

10-19 hr/week: ¼ day/month

10-19 hr/week: ¼ day/month

20-29 hr/week: Dec. 25 – Jan. 1: 12 hrs pay

Administration 12 days/year All

<20 years of service: 21 days/year 2 days/year

5 days 14 paid holidays≥20 years of service:

24 days/year

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Table 4.3 - Professional Development Benefits

Employee ClassificationMCC Tuition Waivers

for Employee

MCC Tuition Reimbursement for

Dependents

Tuition Reimbursement for Employee at Other Colleges/Universities Salary Adjustment Eligibility for Sponsored Leave

Full-Time Faculty All All $1,900 / year

Advance one lane in salary

matrix for every 15 credit hours

of pre-approved coursework.

After 4 years of service: 1 semester at 2/3 salary

After 6 years of service: 1 semester at full salary or

2 semesters at ½ salary

Part-Time Faculty All - - - -

Professional Staff, Full-Time All All $2,000/year

$1,200 upon completion of 15 credit hours

of pre-approved coursework (up to

4 adjustments).

After 4 years of service: up to ½ year at 2/3 salary or

up to 1 year at 1/3 salary

After 6 years of service: up to ½ year at full salary or

up to 1 year at ½ salary

Professional Staff, Part-Time >20 hr/week: 6 credit hours/semester for employee or dependents - - -

Classified Staff, Full-Time All All $2,000/year

$1,200 upon completion of 15 credit hours

of pre-approved coursework (up to

3 adjustments).

After 4 years of service: up to ½ year at 2/3 salary or


After 6 years of service: up to ½ year at full salary or


Classified Staff, Part-Time >20 hr/week: 6 credit hours/semester for employee or dependents - - -

Administration All All $2,000 / year

$1,400 upon completion of 15

credit hours of pre-approved course-

work.

After 4 years of service: Up to ½ year at 2/3 salary or


After 6 years of service:up to ½ year at full salary or


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Table 4.4 - Post-Employment Benefits

Employee ClassificationEligible for State Universities

Retirement System (SURS)Eligible for College Insurance Program (state insurance program for retirees)

Eligible to Participate in Voluntary Supplemental Retirement Savings Plans (403b)

Full-Time Faculty All All SURS Annuitants All

Part-Time Faculty All - >20 hrs/week

Professional Staff, Full-Time All All SURS Annuitants All

Professional Staff, Part-Time All - >20 hrs/week

Classified Staff, Full-Time All All SURS Annuitants All

Classified Staff, Part-Time All - >20 hrs/week

Administration All All SURS Annuitants All

4P12 How do you determine key issues related to the motivation of your faculty, staff, and administrators? How do you analyze these issues and select courses of action?

Two formal processes for identifying and addressing issues of concern include grievance procedures as well as faculty and staff contract negotiations. In addition, the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs meets on a regular basis with the Faculty Association President, and the Vice President of Administrative Services/Treasurer meets on a regular basis with the Staff Council President to discuss issues of concern to faculty and staff. The two Vice Presidents share these concerns, as appropriate, with the Executive Council and/or Leadership Council who consider and select appropriate courses of action.

4P13 How do you provide for and evaluate employee satisfaction, health and safety, and well-being?

MCC is proactive in addressing employee health, safety and well-being. It is the primary responsibility of MCC’s Department of Campus Public Safety to provide for the safety of students and employees. A Safety Officer is present on MCC’s main campus 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, who is trained in CPR and basic first aid, as well as certified to use one of the automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) located throughout the campus. Furthermore, MCC’s Campus Public Safety Officers will escort students and employees to their cars on request, and are equipped to jumpstart disabled vehicles.

MCC’s cross-representational Safety Committee meets regularly to discuss campus safety concerns and forward recommendations to the Vice President of Administrative Services/Treasurer. In addition, MCC has established a Campus Response Team (CRT) that is composed of more than a dozen employees across the campus that are trained to direct employees to safe locations in the event of a fire or tornado warning. Furthermore, as the result of a Spring 2007 Action Team, MCC has implemented an emergency mass notification system that can alert all employees and registered students of a College emergency within minutes via telephone, text message, or email.

With regard to employee health and well-being, a variety of wellness activities are organized throughout the year, including annual flu shot clinics, health fairs and workshops, and an on-campus Weight Watchers program. All new full-time employees are required to complete a Workplace Ergonomics workshop, and may request a workstation ergonomics evaluation. All employees are eligible for a discounted membership to the on-campus Fitness Center, and many employees enroll their children in MCC’s on-campus Children’s Learning Center. Furthermore, an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is available to all College employees that provides confidential counseling and referral services to employees and their family members.

In terms of evaluating employee satisfaction, the College administered the PACE survey for the first time in 2008, and plans to administer the survey on a bi-annual basis. In addition, the College examines issues of employee satisfaction through exit interviews which every employee is requested to complete upon resignation or retirement.

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4R1 What measures of valuing people do you collect and analyze regularly?

The following measures of valuing people are collected and analyzed regularly:

Measure Frequency Comparable FocusPACE Institutional Climate Survey 3 years Yes Institutional Climate

Professional Development Day Evaluation Results Annual No Satisfaction with Event

Faculty Workshop Evaluation Results Each Semester No Satisfaction with EventSalary Comparisons with Illinois Community Colleges 3 years Yes Employee Compensation

4R2 What are your performance results in valuing people?

The Spring 2008 PACE survey results revealed that MCC has a healthy institutional climate overall. MCC’s overall mean climate score was 3.51, which indicates that the College has a “consultative” climate.

As indicated in Table 4.5, none of the items related to Valuing People had a mean score which fell into the “Coercive” (mean score between 1-2) or “Compet-itive” (mean score between 2-3) categories, which are the least desirable. The majority of items had a mean score which fell into the “Consultative” (mean score between 3-4) category or near the “Collaborative” category (mean score between 4-5). Table 4.5 - Items on PACE Climate Survey Related to Valuing People

Item on PACE Climate Survey MCC Mean Score (Scale 1-5; 5 being highest)

The extent to which I feel safe on campus 4.07The extent to which I am given the opportunity to be creative in my work 3.99The extent to which professional development and training opportunities are available 3.96The extent to which this institution provides a comprehensive employee benefits package (e.g., medical insurance, leave, flexible schedule, tuition reimbursement)

3.78

The extent to which this institution has been successful in positively motivating my performance 3.28The extent to which this institution has a fair employment recognition and rewards program 3.12

4R3 What evidence indicates the productivity and effectiveness of your faculty, staff, and administrators in helping you achieve your goals?

The College does not collect measures of productivity or effectiveness at this time. MCC recognizes this as an opportunity for improvement.

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4R4 How do your results for the performance of your processes for Valuing People compare with the performance results of other higher education organizations, and, if appropriate, of organizations outside of higher education?

The PACE Climate Survey allows MCC to compare its institutional climate factors to a “norm base” consisting of 45 community colleges across North America. Table 4.6 illustrates that MCC’s climate scores for items related to valuing people are above the norm base score.

Table 4.6 MCC Mean Score and Norm Base Score on PACE Survey Items Related to Valuing People

Item on PACE Climate SurveyMCC Mean Score

(Scale 1-5; 5 being highest)Norm Base Score

(Scale 1-5; 5 being highest)

The extent to which I am given the opportunity to be creative in my work 3.99 3.93

The extent to which professional development and training opportunities are available

3.96* *indicates significant difference 3.60

The extent to which this institution has been successful in positively motivating my performance 3.28 3.24

(The three items listed in Table 4.5 that are not listed in Table 4.6 were custom items included in MCC’s PACE Survey that are non-standard survey items; therefore, Norm Base Scores for those items are not available.)

4I1 What recent improvements have you made in this category? How systematic and comprehensive are your processes and performance results for Valuing People?

4I2 How do your culture and infrastructure help you to select specific processes to improve and to set targets for improved performance results in Valuing People?

The College’s long-time Assistant Vice President of Human Resources retired in 2004. After several unsuccessful searches for a replacement, an individual was hired for the position but only remained in the position for a few months before accepting a position at another university. The College was unable to immediately hire a replacement Assistant Vice President, and the position once again was vacant for nearly a year. Accordingly, the Human Resources department has focused its efforts on maintaining its operations and has not been in a position set systematic targets for improvement.

Nevertheless, despite these challenges the employees working in the Human Resources department have made significant efforts to continue to improve the services offered to College employees. As an example, the Human Resources department researched and implemented a full-service Internet-based Flexible Spending Account system which provides automated direct-deposit payments and more convenient account management for employees.

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Category 5: Leading and Communicating63


Category 5: Leading and Communicating

The College’s current strategic plan, finalized in September 2005, was developed through an inclusive process involving the Board of Trustees, community leaders, employees, and students. The committee began by reviewing the College’s mission, goals, and mandates, and then considered the College’s strengths and opportunities for improvement. From this review emerged seven strategic directions, and a number of related objectives and activities. Collectively, these elements constitute the College’s blueprint for action.

On an annual basis, every employee, in collaboration with his/her supervisor, sets individual goals that are in alignment with department plans and the College’s overall strategic plan. These goals serve as a basis for the employee’s annual performance review the following year.

Furthermore, all employees at the College have an opportunity to recommend continuous improvement action projects. The Continuous Improvement Steering Committee reviews these recommendations and selects new action projects based on need as demonstrated by data submitted with the action project recommendation. Action teams, which are comprised of a representative mix of faculty, staff, and administrators are charged with clarifying the opportunities for improvement through research and data collection, and for making recommendations for improvement to the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee reviews the action teams’ recommendations to ensure they are aligned with the College’s mission, vision, values, and strategic plan. Once recommendations for improvement are approved, members of the action team are responsible for continuing collaboration with involved departments to ensure that the recommendations are implemented and to assess their effectiveness.

5P1 How do your leaders set directions in alignment with your mission, vision, and values that are conducive to high performance, individual development and initiative, organizational learning, and innovation? How do these directions take into account the needs and expectations of students and key stakeholder groups and create a strong focus on students and learning?5Leading and

Communicating

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As members of professional organizations and boards, College employees often generate ideas about potential future opportunities. Furthermore, program advisory committees often provide insight into the needs of the community and how the College might best respond. Ideas for future opportunities are carried forward to the appropriate administrative level for review and action. For example, ideas for new credit courses and programs are shared with the appropriate Executive Dean and undergo a thorough review by CAPC (see 1P3); ideas for non-credit and workforce development programs are shared with the appropriate Executive Dean and are given consideration in terms of market demand. MCC also prides itself on being open to consider requests and proposals from the community, while at the same time rigorously evaluating their feasibility through established College processes.

Community oradvisory group

identifies need orsubmits proposal

Employeesidentify need or

opportunity

Employeesexplore

opportunity

Employeessolicit feedback

from internaland externalcommunity

Administratorsreview feasibility

of pursuingopportunity

Employees makerecommendation

Administratorsreview

recommendation

College pursuesopportunity

College decidesnot to pursueopportunity

Collegeconsidersmodified

opportunity

Figure 5.1 Process for seeking and reviewing future opportunities

With regard to building and sustaining a learning environment, the College has made a significant investment in providing and supporting professional development opportunities for employees. In 2004, MCC established a Professional Development department with a dedicated classroom and technology lab space, as well as personnel focused on coordinating faculty and staff development opportunities to ensure that employees have the opportunity to remain current in their field. Furthermore, tuition reimbursement and advanced placement opportunities encourage employees to participate in professional development and support a learning environment.

5P3 How are decisions made in your institution? How do you use teams, task forces, groups, or committees to recommend or make decisions and carry them out?

MCC has a variety of structures in place to support participative, collaborative decision-making processes:

College-wide Planning and Continuous Improvement EffortsIn 2005, the College established a cross-representational Continuous Improvement Steering Committee which oversees and reviews the recommendations of Action Teams. Each Action Team is responsible for creating a Gantt chart with a proposed timeline and identification of responsible personnel for the implementation of approved recommendations. Action Teams are responsible for updating the Steering Committee each semester on their progress and providing measurable evidence of improvements.

Academic Policies and Procedures and Curriculum DevelopmentThe College recognizes that the development of curriculum and related academic policies and procedures is a shared responsibility of the faculty and administration and this responsibility is coordinated through CAPC. The objectives of CAPC include:

To assure a balance of educational program opportunities for area 1. residents. To evaluate the need, justification, and structure of proposed and 2. existing courses and programs.

5P2 How do your leaders guide your institution in seeking future opportunities and building and sustaining a learning environment?

MCC strives to anticipate future community needs and to position itself to appropriately respond to those needs. As illustrated in Figure 5.1, leaders at MCC collaborate with the community to seek future opportunities, both by seeking feedback on initiatives originating from within the College as well as considering and responding to proposals and requests from external stakeholders.

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Board of Trustees

Administrative Services, Learning and Student Support Services

Executive Council

Department or Division

Employeesand

stakeholdersprovide input

Supervisorconsiders

recommendations

Decisionbeyond departmental

or divisionalscope?

Supervisormakes decision

Communication todepartment,division, and

Leadership Council

Employeesprovide input

V.P. considersrecommendations

Decisionaffects entire

College or requiresBoard approval?

V.P. makesdecision

Communication viaVPAC,

AdministrativeServices Group, andLeadership Council

Executive Councilrepresentative

forwardsrecommendations

Executive Councilconsiders

recommendations

DecisionrequiresBoard

approval?

Presidentmakes

decision

Communicationvia LeadershipCouncil, Union

Executive Boards

President forwardsrecommendations

Board of Trusteesconsiders

recommendations

Board of Trusteesvotes on

recommendation

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Iden

tific

atio

nof

Opp

ortu

nity

Typical Decision-Making Process(decisions that are not within scope of CAPC orContinuous Improvement Steering Committee)

Figure 5.2 Typical decision-making process

To provide direction, instruction, and oversight for outcomes 3. assessment, program reviews, and curricular transformation. To develop and implement a long-range academic plan. 4. To establish academic policy and planning procedures for such areas 5. as academic and advanced placement credit; grading procedures and appeals; the academic calendar; course scheduling procedures; student placement, orientation, and assessment; student withdrawals; interdisciplinary curriculum development; faculty review and recognition; and instructional equipment and facilities. To provide a platform for debate of pedagogy and academic policy.6.

Six standing committees composed of faculty and administrators consider and make policy and procedure recommendations to CAPC; CAPC in turn acts on those recommendations, ultimately making recommendations to the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs.

College-level DecisionsAs illustrated in Figure 5.2, College administrators are empowered to make operational decisions in their respective areas, while the ultimate authority for College-level decisions resides with the President and the Board of Trustees.

The Executive Council meets weekly with the President to discuss College-wide issues and review recommendations to ensure alignment with the College’s mission and strategic plan. When appropriate, policy, purchasing, and personnel recommendations are presented to the Board for approval.

5P4 How do your leaders use information and results in their decision-making process?

With recent emphasis on a culture of continuous improvement, the College is beginning to make more explicit use of information and results in decision-making processes. For example, all continuous improvement action teams must present data that support their recommendations to the Steering Committee. Decisions regarding the development of new programs and modifications to existing programs are based on data that demonstrate community need and student success.

In addition, MCC established an action team to oversee the development of college-level Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and a Balanced Scorecard. The Executive Council will begin to monitor the College’s KPIs on a quarterly basis to review progress toward meeting strategic objectives and to guide decision-making.

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5P5 How does communication occur between and among institutional levels?

MCC has a variety of systems intended to facilitate both top-down and bottom-up communication, including regular print and electronic communications, and regularly scheduled meetings (see Table 5.1). Communication occurs via a variety of formal and informal channels between and among institutional levels including:

InsideMCC (http://www.insidemcc.mchenry.edu) – includes meeting ●minutes and agendas, policies and procedures, forms, employee tutorials, and departmental-specific information

Email – frequently used to send a message to all emails or specific ●groups of employees

Meetings - departmental meetings, divisional meetings, ●administrative meetings, and all-employee meetings

Furthermore, the College provides opportunities for less-formal communication through social activities, such as:

Coffee with Colleagues - a weekly event where bagels, doughnuts, ●and coffee are served in the Cafeteria or in different areas of the campus to encourage employees to engage in dialogue with their colleagues.

“Harmony” events - special events such as “Dog Days of Summer” ●cookout and a Halloween costume party to build morale and camaraderie among employees.

5P6 How do your leaders communicate a shared mission, vision, values, and high performance expectations regarding institutional directions and opportunities, learning, continuous improvement, ethics and equity, social responsibilities, and community service and involvement?

College leaders strive to communicate a shared mission, vision, values, and high performance expectations in a variety of ways, both explicitly and implicitly. To communicate the College mission with students and stakeholders, the mission statement is posted at numerous locations in hallways and in offices throughout the campus and the Student Trustee reads the mission statement at the beginning of each regular meeting of the Board of Trustees. Furthermore, the College sends an annual report to all residents in the district which outlines the College’s vision and highlights new initiatives as they relate to the College mission. In addition, the Friends of MCC Foundation sends a quarterly newsletter to donors and alumni highlighting community involvement. Likewise, at the beginning of each semester, the College President addresses all employees describing key initiatives and their alignment with the mission and goals of the College, and underscores the importance of MCC’s continuous improvement efforts. High performance expectations are most directly communicated through employee performance reviews, in which supervisors collaborate with employees to assess their performance and institutional involvement, and establish professional goals and an educational action plan for the coming year. The College’s robust professional development offerings and advanced placement opportunities implicitly communicate the institution’s support for employee growth and learning in order to facilitate the achievement of high performance expectations.

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Table 5.1 Key Communication Systems PRINT OR ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

Communication Vehicle Description Author Frequency

InsideMCC College-wide intranet that contains links to meeting agendas, minutes, newsletters, policies and procedures, forms, and resource documents All employees Updated on a daily basis

Employ-E-Newsletter An electronic newsletter sent to all employees; all employees may submit items All employees Twice per week

Email A variety of different email groups exist to facilitate communication to all employees, all administrators, all faculty, or specific committees All employees As needed

Board Highlights Email Email with updates from monthly Board meeting, including explanations of decisions regarding policies, personnel, and purchases. President Monthly

Newsletters A variety of College-wide newsletters are posted on InsideMCC Various Departments Typically monthly or quarterly

MEETINGS

Meeting Purpose Facilitator Attendees Frequency

Board Meetings Review of operations, programs, personnel, and plans for the continued development of the College. Board Chair Trustees, Employees, Public Monthly

Committee of the Whole Meetings

To discuss issues of importance to the College in an environment which provides for in-depth review. Board Vice Chair Trustees, Employees, Public Monthly

Leadership Council Meetings

Discuss monthly meetings of the Board of Trustees, as well as College-wide operational and procedural issues. President & co-chair(s) Administrators Monthly

Vice President’s Academic Council

To advise the Vice President of Academic and Student Services on academic matters and to share information.

Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs Executive Deans and Deans Twice a

Month

Administrative Services Meetings

Discuss information related to the areas of Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Buildings and Grounds, and Security.

Vice President of Administrative Services

Assistant Vice Presidents and Directors Monthly

Faculty Association Meetings

Discuss issues of relevance to full-time faculty and exercise such powers as is consistent with the Constitution and Bylaws of the MCCFA. Faculty Association President Faculty Monthly

Staff Council Meetings Discuss issues of relevance to full-time and part-time staff and exercise such powers as is consistent with the Staff Council Agreement. Staff Council President Staff Quarterly

Professional and Classified Staff Meetings Discuss monthly meetings of the Board of Trustees. Assistant Vice President of

Human Resources Staff Monthly

Academic Division Meetings Provides an opportunity for Executive Dean to share information with and solicit input from divisional faculty. Executive Dean Division Faculty & Support

Staff Monthly

Department Meetings Provides an opportunity for supervisors to share information with and solicit input from departmental employees.

Supervisor or Chair of Department Department Employees As needed

Continuous Improvement Steering Committee

Review recommendations and progress of continuous improvement action teams.

Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness

Steering Committee, Action Team Members

Twice a month

Faculty Workshops A contractual day that encourages professional development through a series of activities that promotes educational growth and collegiality. Faculty Development Committee Faculty (with activities for all

employees) Twice a year

Professional Development Day

A day in October devoted to promoting the professional development of all staff, faculty and administrators.

Professional Development Committee All employees Annually

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5P7 How are leadership abilities encouraged, developed, and strengthened among faculty, staff, and administrators? How are leadership best practices, knowledge, and skills communicated and shared throughout your institution?

5P8 How do your leaders and board members ensure that your mission, vision, and values are passed on during leadership succession? How is your leadership succession plan developed?

In 2007, a continuous improvement action team reviewed MCC’s succession plan and recommended that a “Community College Operations Overview” program be created to provide current employees with an opportunity to learn about the community college system and to prepare employees to potentially move into positions of greater leadership. This recommendation was developed based on survey results that indicated that 77% of current employees were interested in moving up to a position of increased responsibility at MCC and 95% of employees agreed that MCC should offer a professional development program to help employees prepare for possible promotions.

The Community College Operations Overview program is offered each semester to a select number of current full-time and part-time employees who submit an application to participate. A team of administrators, faculty, and staff review applications and select a group of employees to participate in the program which consists of a series of six two-and-a-half hour workshops facilitated by current MCC administrators that provide an overview of community college governance, finance, mission, stakeholders, and accreditation. In addition, the College also sponsors a “mentoring” program that is available to all employees, in which one College employee serves as a mentor to another for the purposes of professional development and career growth. The College provides assistance with matching interested mentors/mentees and release time for approved professional development experiences that occur during the normal workday.

5R1 What measures of leading and communicating do you collect and analyze regularly?

In Spring, 2008, McHenry County College administered the Personal Assessment of the College Environment (PACE) survey. All employees were invited and encouraged to complete the survey. As illustrated in Figure 5.3, in the PACE model, leadership motivates four climate factors: institutional structure, supervisory relationships, student focus, and teamwork. These climate factors, in turn, affect student success and institutional effectiveness.

Category 5 Draft – Leading and Communicating 8

Figure 5.3 PACE Model

5R2 What are your results for leading and communicating processes and systems?

The PACE survey consists of a 46 standard items organized by four climate factors. MCC also chose to include nine customized items. Respondents were asked to rate each of the items on a five-point satisfaction scale, where “1” indicated low levels of satisfaction and “5” indicated a high degree of satisfaction.

The Spring 2008 PACE survey results revealed that MCC has a healthy institutional climate overall. MCC’s overall mean climate score was 3.51, which indicates that the College has a “consultative” climate. As indicated in Table 5.2, no items had a mean score which fell into the “Coercive” category, which is the least desirable. The majority of items had a mean score which fell into the “Consultative” category.

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5R3 Regarding 5R1, how do your results compare with the results of other higher education institutions, and, if appropriate, organizations outside the education community?

Overall, MCC’s Spring 2008 PACE Survey results reveal that the College’s institutional climate is very similar to that of other two- and four-year institutions. MCC’s climate scores, as well as the average climate scores of 65 other two- and four-year institutions included in the PACE norms, are shown in Figure 5.4.

Figure 5.4 PACE Results - MCC Employees and Norm Base

5I1 What recent improvements have you made in this category? How systematic and comprehensive are your processes and performance results for Leading and Communicating?

MCC has established several continuous improvement action teams related to communication and institutional decision-making including a team to develop key performance indicators and a balanced scorecard, a team to develop a culture of continuous improvement, a team to improve internal communication, a team to improve email communication, and a team to increase awareness of employee roles and responsibilities.

5I2 How do your culture and infrastructure help you to select specific processes to improve and to set targets for improved performance results in Leading and Communicating?

Table 5.2 PACE Climate Categories and MCC’s Results

PACE Climate Categories

Mean Score Range Climate Category Number of Items within Mean Score Range

1 – 2 Coercive 0

2 – 3 Competitive 7

3 - 4 Consultative 45

4 – 5 Collaborative 3

Because the PACE Survey results are so recent, the College is just beginning to look at how to improve its current processes and systems related to leading and communicating. As a first step, the Office of Institutional Research has scheduled a series of presentations to help the College community understand the results of the PACE Survey, as well as two workshop sessions on Professional Development Day to provide employees an opportunity to discuss steps that MCC could take to improve its institutional climate.

0

1

2

3

4

5

Supervisory Relationships

Institutional Structure

Teamwork Student Focus

Overall

Mea

n Sc

ore

MCC

Norm

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Category 6: Supporting Institutional Operations70


Category 6: Supporting Institutional Operations

StudentsStudent support service needs are identified through a variety of the analyses discussed in 3P1 as well as examining the performance results outlined in Category 1. The Assistant Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs works collaboratively with the deans and directors of the College’s student services areas to review and analyze data to inform decisions about students’ needs:

Data analyzed: Informs decisions about…

Student enrollment Sage Learning Center, Testing Center, Computer Labs, Supplemental Labs, Advising and Transfer, Counseling, Financial Aid, Children’s Learning Center

Student characteristics Special Needs, Multicultural Programs, Advising and Transfer, Counseling, Financial Aid, Career Services, Children’s Learning Center

Student success Sage Learning Center, Advising and Transfer, Counseling

Student retention Student Life, Counseling, Advising and Transfer, Sage Learning Center, Financial Aid

The Curriculum and Academic Policy Council (CAPC) also serves a key role in identifying student support needs. CAPC is committed to enhancing student learning and success by providing continual comprehensive planning, oversight and review for academic development, curricular assessment and transformation in accordance with the educational mission and goals of the College. The mission of CAPC includes establishing academic policy and planning procedures for such areas as grading procedures and appeals; the academic calendar; course scheduling procedures; student placement, orientation, and assessment; student withdrawals; curriculum development; and instructional equipment and facilities.

6P1 How do you identify the support service needs of your students and other key stakeholder groups (e.g., oversight board, alumni, etc.)?

6 Supporting Institutional Operations

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The following Standing Committees serve to assist CAPC in identifying student support service needs by considering and making policy and procedural recommendations to CAPC in the areas listed, as well as other areas designated by CAPC:

Student Placement, Advising and Support (SPAS) 1. student placement a. student orientation b. student counseling and advisement c. enrollment recruitment d. adult re-entry e.

Technology (TECH) 2. instructional equipment and facilities a. distance education programming (telecourses, on-line courses, b. etc.) emerging educational technologies c. technology as a tool for pedagogy, academic assessment and d. transformation

Curriculum Promotion and Renewal (CP&R) 3. interdisciplinary curriculum development a. multiculturalism, diversity and accessibility b. international studies c. non-traditional methods of teaching and learning, including d. learning communities and service learning.

All student support services areas complete a program review process similar to that conducted for academic programs (1P13). In the program review, the scope, purpose, and extent of services are analyzed, progress toward stated goals and objectives are reviewed, the quality and cost effectiveness of the student support service area are analyzed, and recommendations for the area are made. This cyclical review process provides the College an opportunity to assess how well the different support service areas are meeting the needs of current students, and recommend adjustments and improvements as necessary.

6P2 How do you identify the administrative support service needs of your faculty, staff, and administrators?

A primary method for identifying the administrative support service needs of faculty, staff, and administrators is through the College’s annual budgetary process. At the beginning of the calendar year, the Assistant Vice President of Finance and the Vice President of Administrative Services/Treasurer collaboratively develop a Five-Year Financial Plan which projects revenues and expenditures for five years into the future. Once this plan is established, administrators and department chairs are invited to develop a budget for their department for the next fiscal year and provide justification for requested funds based on need. In addition to developing a departmental budget, administrators and department chairs are also invited to submit equipment, remodeling, and personnel requests annually. These requests must include a justification of need and are reviewed and evaluated as part of the budget approval process.

The Program Review process (see 1P13 and 6P1) also serves as a formalized process to identify the administrative support service needs of faculty, staff, and administrators. As part of a Program Review, departments must analyze the cost effectiveness of their programs and services as well as assess if their budget is adequate to deliver those programs and services effectively. Departments are also asked to make recommendations for improvement including identifying administrative support service needs.

Other Key StakeholdersBusiness and Industry ● – The College’s Shah Center sends an annual needs assessment to local businesses and industries to understand the emerging support service needs in the business community. In addition, MCC’s many relationships on advisory boards and committees allow the College to accurately identify and understand local workforce and economic development needs (see 2P2).

Board of Trustees ● – On every agenda for meetings of the Board of Trustees, there is a standing item labeled “Open for Board Members” during which Trustees have the regular opportunity to identify support service needs. Furthermore, the College President and the Board Liaison serve as the primary points of contact for the College’s Board of Trustees, and support service needs are also identified informally through individual conversations with trustees.

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6P3 How do you design, maintain, and communicate the key support processes that contribute to everyone’s physical safety and security?

The College’s Department of Campus Safety holds primary responsibility for designing, maintaining, and communicating key support processes that contribute to everyone’s physical safety and security. The Department includes a full-time Director as well as several full-time and part-time Officers. Campus Safety personnel are on campus 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, and can be reached by dialing “22” from any campus phone. Campus Safety personnel are trained in CPR, basic first aid, and are AED certified. They are available to escort students, employees, and community members in the parking lots, and can jump start cars when needed.

Campus Safety personnel are responsible for monitoring the campus for suspicious activity. In addition to conducting patrols throughout the campus and the parking lots, Campus Safety personnel also rely on call boxes and video surveillance cameras to identify potential safety and security issues. There are 17 emergency call boxes posted on lampposts throughout the parking lots that allow students, employees, or community members to immediately communicate with a Campus Safety Officer if they are in need of assistance. In addition, as the result of a recent federal earmark, the College was able to purchase and install surveillance cameras at the College’s primary entrances that allow Campus Safety personnel to monitor activity throughout the campus from a centralized Campus Safety office.

Students and employees are provided with a “Safety & Security at MCC” brochure that outlines what to do in an emergency and how information will be communicated to students and key stakeholders during a crisis (http://www.insidemcc.mchenry.edu/safety/safetysecurity.pdf ). In addition, all new full-time employees are required to complete a “Safety and Security at MCC” workshop offered by the College’s Professional Development Department so that they are aware of proper responses during a variety of emergency situations that might arise on campus.

The College has recently recognized a number of opportunities for improvement with regard to communicating with key stakeholders in an emergency, and has established a number of Action Projects to address these opportunities. For example, in Spring 2008, an Action Team was established to evaluate and make a recommendation to purchase a mass

notification system to communicate with all students and employees quickly during an emergency. As a result of the work of this Action Team, the College has implemented MCC Campus Alert, an emergency mass notification system that has successfully been used to communicate College closings. The College conducts a test of the mass notification system once per semester to ensure that appropriate employees are trained on how to utilize the technology, and to provide students and stakeholders with an opportunity to view how the technology works in a non-emergency situation.

In Fall 2008, another Action Team was established to review options for digital signage on campus that could be used to communicate during an emergency. As a result of the work of this Action Team, the College now has 11 LCD Monitors and 24 scrolling LED monitors installed throughout the campus. The College collaborated with the Crystal Lake Police Department and Crystal Lake Fire Department to select ideal locations for each of the monitors so that they can be used to communicate the need to evacuate the building or take shelter.

In Spring 2009, an Action Team was established to develop a Comprehensive Emergency Response Plan for the College. The Director of Campus Safety, Director of Professional Development, and faculty members from Criminal Justice and Fire Science collaborated with the Crystal Lake Police Department to develop a response plan that is consistent with the National Incident Management System (NIMS). The team constructed emergency response flip charts that have been distributed to all employees. The flip charts include detailed instructions for appropriate response in a variety of emergencies including fire, tornado, earthquake, a hazardous materials spill, or violence on campus. As a result of the Action Project, MCC has also established an Emergency Operations Team that would serve as the College’s primary leadership team in the event of a crisis. The Emergency Operations Team conducted its first tabletop drill in April 2009.

In collaboration with the Crystal Lake Police Department, the College conducted its first active shooter drill with faculty members in Fall, 2009. MCC plans to conduct a series of drills with all employees at a College-wide Professional Development Day in Fall, 2009. The College has committed to conducting one emergency drill with students in session each semester beginning in Spring, 2010.

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6P5 How do you document your support processes to encourage knowledge sharing, innovation, and empowerment?

Each semester, all employees are invited to submit recommendations for Action Projects. The College’s AQIP Steering Committee reviews Action Project recommendations and selects which Action Projects to establish. One of the first tasks of any Action Team is to document the College’s current process, which allows the Team to identify opportunities for process improvement. All Action Teams include this documentation of the current process, as well as documentation of the recommended process improvements, in their final reports to the Steering Committee which are available at http://www.insidemcc.mchenry.edu/aqip

In preparation for the College’s conversion to an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, representatives from Information Technology worked with key student services areas to develop process maps of key student support processes. Also, as part of the ERP conversion, the College participated in an extensive Business Requirements Review process that resulted in the development of a comprehensive Business Requirements Document. The College’s process maps and Business Requirements Document have served as a valuable resource for the design and configuration of the College’s new ERP system as well as for identification of potential process improvements.

6P4 How do you manage your key student, administrative and organizational support service processes on a day-to-day basis to ensure that they are addressing the needs you intended them to meet?

Each of the College’s support service areas are overseen by Directors, Deans, or Assistant Vice Presidents who provide day-to-day management and assessment of services provided. The administrator providing oversight for each area is responsible for assessing the area’s performance on a day-to-day basis and making adjustments as necessary.

Table 6.1 Assessment and Oversight of Key Support ServicesService Area Oversight Data Assessed

Financial Aid Director of Financial Aid Students served, student satisfaction

Counseling Dean of Student Success Students served, student satisfaction

Advising and Transfer Center Dean of Student Success Students served, student satisfaction

Sage Learning Center Dean of Student Success Students served, student success

rates, student satisfaction

Special Needs Dean of Student Success Students served, student success rates, student satisfaction

Testing Center Dean of Student Success Students served

Career Services Dean of Student Success Students served, student satisfaction

Student Life Dean of Students Student participants

Multicultural Programs Dean of Students Student participants

Bookstore Director of Bookstore Sales, revenue, buyback

Human Resources Assistant Vice President of Human Resources

Employee satisfaction, ability to fill vacant positions

Information Technology

Assistant Vice President of Information Technology

Employee satisfaction with IT, availability and quality of network services

Buildings and Grounds

Assistant Vice President of Buildings and Grounds

Stakeholder satisfaction, appearance and safety of grounds, maintenance

Finance Assistant Vice President of Finance

Stakeholder satisfaction, audit opinions

Institutional Research

Director of Institutional Research

Employee satisfaction, project completion rates

Professional Development

Director of Professional Development Employee satisfaction

Marketing and Public Relations

Director of Marketing and Public Relations Stakeholder satisfaction

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6R1 What measures of student, administrative, and organizational support service processes do you collect and analyze regularly?

Measure Frequency Comparable Focus

Retention of Students with Special Needs Annual Yes Student Support Services

Success Rates of Students with Special Needs Annual Yes Student Support Services

Retention of Minority Students Annual Yes Student Support Services

Financial Aid Awards Annual Yes Student Support Services

Students Visiting Advising and Transfer Center Monthly No Student Support Services

Students Attending New Student Orientation Each Semester No Student Support Services

Success of Students Attending Sage Learning Center Annual No Student Support Services

Satisfaction with Library Services Annual No Student Support Services

Graduate Survey Annual No Student Support Services

Parents Attending Orientation Each Semester No Student Support Services

Audit Annual No Administrative Support Services

Textbook Sales Data Annual Yes Administrative Support Services

6R2 What are your performance results for student support service processes?

MCC monitors the retention and graduation rates of underrepresented groups and their success at MCC on an annual basis. It is important for an institution to enhance its recruitment initiatives of the underrepresented groups, but it is equally important for an institution to monitor the groups it has recruited.

The College’s Special Needs Departments strives to establish relationships with students with disabilities to support their success. Over the past three years, the retention of students with special needs has closely mirrored overall student retention. In FY 2008, retention of special needs students exceeded overall student retention (see Table 6.2).

Table 6.2 Retention of students with special needsFiscal Year Students with Special Needs All Students

2006 59.3% 63.6%

2007 65.7% 70.0%

2008 68.6% 59.3%

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The College also measures the rate of successful course completion by students with special needs. In FY 2008, special needs students completed more than 65% of courses with a grade of A, B, C, or S, while students overall successfully completed nearly 71% of courses (see Table 6.3).

Table 6.3 Successful course completion by students with special needsSpecial Needs All Students

Fiscal Year # Successful* % Successful # Successful % Successful

2008 2286 65.6 26,959 70.7 *Success rate is defined as a student receiving a final grade of A, B, C or S.

The College’s Department of Multicultural Programs strives to establish a relationship with students of color to support their success at the College. Accordingly, the College monitors retention of students by ethnicity. As illustrated in Table 6.4, the small headcount of minority students makes retention comparisons difficult. However, the retention rates of Latino, African American, and Asian American students closely mirrors or exceeds the overall institutional retention rate.

Table 6.4 Fall-to-fall retention of first-time full-time credit students by ethnicity Fall 2006 to Fall 2007 Fall 2007 to Fall 2008

Number Returning Percent Returning Number Returning Percent Returning

Asian American 5 100% 6 86%

Native American 1 50% n/a n/a

African American 10 77% 2 50%

Latino or Hispanic 35 74% 25 70%

White 501 70% 286 59%

Foreign 5 38% 5 36%

Total 557 70% 324 59%

In alignment with the College’s mission to provide affordable and accessible learning opportunities for District residents, the College tracks the number of students that are awarded financial aid as well as the total dollar value awarded. Table 6.5 clearly illustrates the important role that Financial Aid serves to nearly 3,700 students annually.

Table 6.5 Number of students receiving select financial aid awards and total dollars awarded overallFY2007 FY2008 FY2009

Recipients Value Recipients Value Recipients Value

Pell 743 $1,354,048 773 $1,562,241 860 $1,960,257

Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants 119 $34,000 160 $47,882 129 $36,000

Federal Work Study Program 33 $50,547 31 $61,979 30 $55,730

Monetary Award Program (MAP) 524 $503,392 535 $513,734 574 $568,973

Illinois Veterans Grants 126 $79,396 111 $82,341 123 $96,484

Institutional Scholarships 141 $80,764 125 $64,264 108 $62,235

Talent Waivers 155 $164,805 126 $153,731 136 $177,262

Student Employment 66 $106,305 64 $128,165 65 $138,948

Grand Total 3,710 $4,075,982 3,695 $4,428,737 Not yet available Not yet available

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0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

2004-5

2005-6

2006-7

2007-8

2008-9

2009-10

Advising and Transfer Center Student Visits

The Advising and Transfer Center (ATC) utilizes AccuTrack to track the number of students that visit the center each month. This longitudinal data informs the College about staffing needs in the ATC throughout the year.

Figure 6.1 Student visits to the Advising and Transfer Center

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The College also tracks attendance at New Student Orientation sessions. Figure 6.2 illustrates the increased demand for orientation over the last five years. Data from 2009-2010 only includes attendance at Fall orientation sessions; the other years include both Fall and Spring sessions.

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2004-5 2005-6 2006-7 2007-8 2008-9 2009-10

Attendance at New Student Orientation

Figure 6.2 Attendance at New Student Orientation

In addition to New Student Orientation, the College offers Parent Orientation. As illustrated in Figure 6.2, attendance at Parent Orientation sessions has grown significantly over the past four years, which coincides with the increase in traditional-age high school graduates who have chosen to enroll at MCC (see 3P1). Data from 2009-2010 only includes attendance at Fall orientation sessions; the other years include both Fall and Spring sessions.

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

2006-7 2007-8 2008-9 2009-10

Attendance at Parent Orientation

Figure 6.3 Attendance at Parent Orientation

The College collects other measures of performance related to student support services, including student and graduate success and satisfaction. Those measures are presented in 1R5 (Sage Learning Center, Library), 3R2 (student satisfaction with services and Library), and 3R4 (graduate satisfaction with student services and Library).

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6R3 What are your performance results for administrative support service processes?

FinanceState statute requires an annual audit by independent certified public accountants. The College has been issued a clean and unqualified audit opinion for 12 consecutive years. The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) awarded a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to McHenry County College for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008. This is the eighth consecutive year that the College has been granted this prestigious award.

BookstoreThe College’s Bookstore generates a benchmarking report to compare its results against results of other college and university bookstores. Overall, MCC has a higher sales total per square foot and per employee than comparable bookstores. In addition, MCC students spend significantly less on new textbooks than at other colleges, but more on used textbooks. In addition, the average amount that MCC students receive for buyback is much higher than at other institutions. This is likely the result of a recent Action Team intended to increased used book availability and buyback options to provide a more cost effective textbook solutions for students.

Table 6.6 Bookstore data for stores with sales $1,000,000 to $2,999,999Mean Median MCC

General InformationAverage Sales (in dollars) $1,979,873 $1,978,965 $2,409,968

Average # of FTE Students 3,033 2,549 3,820Sales per FTE Student $805 $757 $631

Space DataAverage space in sq. ft. 5,173 4,964 4,138

Average sq. ft. of selling space 3,773 3,442 2,786Sales per sq. ft. of selling space $665 $590 $865

Staff Data# of FTE Employees 7.6 7.0 6.0

Sales per FTE Employee $301,639 $294,058 $401,661 Textbook Sales Data

New Textbook Sales per FTE Student $375 $372 $289 Used Textbook Sales per FTE Student $144 $151 $258

Buyback as a % of Sales 8.1% 11.1% 19.0%Average Buyback Paid per Unit $28 $27 $29

Average Buyback per FTE Student $58 $55 $119

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6R4 How do your key student, administrative, and organizational support areas use information and results to improve their services?

As an institution in the beginning stages of its continuous quality improvement journey, MCC’s student, administrative, and organizational support areas are developing processes to utilize information and results effectively to improve services. The College’s Program Review process for key student support service areas (6P1) provides sound opportunities for the use of information and results to inform recommendations for improvement.

6R5 How do your results for the performance of your processes for Supporting Organizational Operations compare with the performance results of other higher education organizations and, if appropriate, of organizations outside of higher education?

With the exception of the Bookstore benchmark reports, the College currently does not have comparable data with regard to the performance of processes for Supporting Organizational Operations. MCC recognizes this as an opportunity for improvement.

In 2009, the College participated for the first time in the National Community College Benchmarking Project in an effort to begin collecting and analyze comparable data. Table 6.7 outlines the ratio of students to professional student services staff in a number of key areas, and demonstrates that MCC’s staffing levels are consistent with most other community colleges participating in the project, with the exception of Career Services, Student Activities, and Testing & Assessment Services. These comparable data provide an opportunity for the College to explore student support needs in these areas.

Table 6.7 Ratio of students to professional student services staffRatio Percentile

Career Services 6,510 83%

Counseling and Advising 704 43%

Recruitment, Admissions, Registration 868 50%

Financial Aid 1,302 52%

Student Activities 6,510 84%

Testing & Assessment Services 1,532 19%

6I1 What recent improvements have you made in this category? How systematic and comprehensive are your processes and performance results for Supporting Organizational Operations?

6I2 How do your culture and infrastructure help you to select specific processes to improve and to set targets for improved performance results in Supporting Organizational Operations?

The College’s culture and infrastructure, particularly the College’s continuous improvement processes, AQIP Steering Committee, and Action Team structure, facilitate the identification of specific processes to improve related to supporting Organizational Operations. All employees have an opportunity to recommend Action Projects each semester, and many recommendations focus on improving key support services for students and employees. Table 6.8 illustrates a number of key Action Projects that the College has initiated since 2006 related to improving institutional operations.

Table 6.8 MCC Action Projects related to Supporting Institutional Operations

Action Project Project Statement

Common DriveTo improve the productivity and usability of MCC's common drive for everyday users, as measured by the elimination of duplicated data, obsolete data and sensitive data.

Organizational Understanding

To improve MCC employees' familiarity with each others' roles and responsibilities as measured by improved access to organizational information and improved awareness of roles.

TextbooksTo improve the textbook purchasing process as measured by estimated cost savings to students, feedback by faculty focus groups, and student satisfaction with the process.

PurchasingTo strengthen internal control mechanisms of the purchasing process through a reconciliation of existing procedures with best practices in expenditure of College monies.

Duplication Guidelines

To improve the printing and duplicating process as measured by containing costs and more effective use of output devices.

Internal Communications

To improve the internal communication process as measured by increased accessibility to information, increased opportunity to share and receive inter-departmental information, and decreased submissions of all-employee emails.

Digital MonitorsTo improve campus-wide communications as measured by increasing opportunities to disseminate timely information and extending to our emergency notification system.

Crisis Communications

To improve the safety of the College community through internal and external crisis communications as measured by compliance with state and federal mandates.

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Category 7: Measuring Effectiveness80


Category 7: Measuring Effectiveness

MCC has a variety of means for selecting, managing, and distributing data and performance information. The primary means of gathering performance information for instructional programs are the program review and assessment processes. Non-instructional programs and services use a modified version of the program review process. As illustrated in Tables 7.1 and 7.2, both instructional and non-instructional programs request ad hoc research from the Office of Institutional Research, and both types of programs can be the subject of a Continuous Improvement Action Team.

Table 7.1 Data for instructional programsDescription Cycle How Selected How Managed How Distributed

Program Review 5 years

ICCB recommendations and MCC Program Review Committee

Program Review Committee

and Office of Institutional

Research

Workbooks distributed electronically to department chairs

Assessment Semester or annual Department faculty

Assessment Team and

department

Presented to Assessment Team, entered in TracDat system

Student evaluations of instructors

Semester By contractDeans and

department chairs

Results given to deans or department chairs, who then communicate with faculty as needed

Continuous Improvement Action Projects

Semester or annual Steering Committee

Action Teams, Team Leaders, Team Sponsors

Shared with Steering Committee, posted on InsideMCC

Ad hoc research requests

Varies

Discussion between program and Office

of Institutional Research

OIR and the requestor

Results sent electronically to requestor and other parties as appropriate

7P1 How do you select, manage, and distribute data and performance information to support your instructional and non-instructional programs and services?

7 Measuring Effectiveness

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Table 7.2 Data for non-instructional programs and services

Description Cycle How Selected How Managed How Distributed

Program Review 5 years

ICCB recommendations and MCC Program

Review Committee; data is largely

customized to needs of individual area

Program Review Committee

and Office of Institutional

Research

Data/results distributed electronically to department manager

Continuous Improvement Action Projects

Semester or annual Steering Committee

Action Teams, Team Leaders, Team Sponsors

Shared with Steering Committee, posted on InsideMCC

Other department-specific data (e.g., number of applications received in Enrollment Services)

Varies Departmental needDepartment

manager and designates

Varies

Ad hoc research requests

Varies

Discussion between program and Office

of Institutional Research (OIR)

OIR and the requestor

Results sent electronically to requestor and other parties as appropriate

7P2 How do you select, manage, and distribute data and performance information to support your planning and improvement efforts?

A key component of MCC’s institutional planning and improvement efforts are Continuous Improvement Action Projects. Ideas for potential new Action Projects are brought to the attention of the Steering Committee by individual employees or groups of employees. When an idea is congruent with one or more of the 10 AQIP Principles and eight AQIP Categories, and is in alignment with the College’s mission, goals, and Strategic Plan, the Steering Committee approves it as an Action Project. An Action Team is created; the leader of the team is often, but not always, the employee who brought the issue to the Steering Committee’s attention. Each team is also assigned a sponsor from the Steering Committee. The role of the sponsor is to assist the team leader in organizing the team, gathering, interpreting, and organizing data, and presenting progress reports to the Steering Committee. The data gathered by the teams are shared with the Steering Committee and with other relevant groups on campus, and then posted on InsideMCC to be accessible to all employees.

This fiscal year is also MCC’s first year participating in the National Community College Benchmarking Project (NCCBP). The NCCBP gathers information regarding student performance and goal attainment, course retention and success rates, market penetration, cost per credit hour, and other important performance metrics. In 2009, 210 community colleges from across the nation participated in the NCCBP. MCC has just received performance results and the College is beginning initial discussions about the best way to share the findings and involve faculty, staff, and administration in the process.

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7P3 How do you determine the needs of your departments and units related to the collection, storage, and accessibility of data and performance information?

Data collection needs are often determined by reporting requirement, either external (e.g., ICCB) or internal (e.g., CAPC). Interpretation of changes in reporting requirements is done by data stewards. Data is stored in the administrative computing system to the extent that the system allows (storage space, variable format, etc.), and local SQL databases are used to expand upon storage and reporting capacity. Data is stored predominantly in the main system, with local databases used when necessary. Access to data is governed by security forms which are used to manage access to sensitive information. In order to access data, users need permission granted by the appropriate data steward (e.g., the Director of Enrollment Services controls access to student academic records).

7P4 How, at the organizational level, do you analyze data and information regarding overall performance? How are these analyses shared throughout the organization?

As noted above (7P2), the College is in the early stages of interpreting and communicating results from the National Community College Benchmarking Project. In addition, in Spring 2010 the College will be administering the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) for the third time. In the past, CCSSE results were shared electronically and in meetings with special focus on ensuring that the results were shared with faculty, since faculty in the classrooms are the main drivers of student engagement.

Other performance metrics include:

Student Right to Know (SRK) results, which are posted on MCC’s ●external website and also shared with Student Affairs personnel;

Results of CAAP (critical thinking) testing, which are shared with the ●Assessment Team and Academic Affairs personnel;

Unit cost analysis, which is part of the standard data provided in the ●program review workbooks.

7P5 How do you determine the needs and priorities for comparative data and information? What are your criteria and methods for selecting sources of comparative data and information within and outside the higher education community?

7P6 How do you ensure department and unit analysis of data and information aligns with your organizational goals for instructional and non-instructional programs and services? How is this analysis shared?

Two of the performance metrics noted in 7P4, the NCCBP and CCSSE, allow MCC to compare its results to participating community colleges nationwide. Other metrics, such as SRK reporting, allow the College to compare its performance against other Illinois community colleges or a selected peer group within Illinois community colleges. In general, MCC prefers to have external benchmarks for performance metrics as well as MCC historical data. This allows the College to identify change in performance over time as well as how MCC may compare externally at a given point in time.

When selecting comparative data within the higher education community, MCC most often uses all Illinois community colleges (or all participating Illinois community colleges, when relevant) as a comparison group. To date, MCC has not made extensive use of comparative data from outside of the higher education community.

7P7 How do you ensure the timeliness, accuracy, reliability, and security of your information system(s) and related processes?

The timeliness, accuracy, and reliability of information systems is governed by two levels of safeguards: internally, the administrative computing system has checks built in to prevent out-of-range values from being entered into the system; externally, ICCB runs error reports on data that MCC submits to ICCB. The data must be cleaned and verified before it will be accepted by ICCB. To ensure the security of information systems, MCC requires “strong” passwords and requires that these passwords be changed every 12 weeks. In addition, access to sensitive information is controlled by data stewards as noted in 7P3.

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7R3 How do your results for the performance of your processes for Measuring Effectiveness compare with the results of other higher education organizations and, if appropriate, of organizations outside of higher education?

The College does not yet have comparative data with regard to processes for Measuring Effectiveness. The College recognizes this as an opportunity for improvement.

7I1 What recent improvements have you made in this category? How systematic and comprehensive are your processes and performance results for Measuring Effectiveness?

7i2 How do your culture and infrastructure help you to select specific processes to improve and to set targets for improved performance results in Measuring Effectiveness?

MCC currently is working on an Action Project to implement a new ERP system, which will represent a significant improvement in terms of the accuracy and timeliness, accuracy, security, and reliability of information.

The College is also exploring ways in which to make new and better uses of existing data. For example, this is MCC’s first year participating in the National Community College Benchmarking Project (NCCBP). Most of the data needed by the NCCBP is already collected by the College for other purposes. The NCCBP results, by comparing MCC to other colleges nationwide, will inform discussions regarding how the College can better support student success.

This year will be MCC’s third time administering the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE). The College has had challenges making effective use of CCSSE results in the past, but has already started discussions regarding a new approach to the data that should make the results more useful. MCC is also experimenting with new ways to present information (e.g., filtered and dynamic spreadsheets rather than static data tables) in ways that should make the information more accessible and useful to those who need it to make decisions.

7R1 What measures of the performance and effectiveness of your system for information and knowledge management do you collect and analyze regularly?

On an annual basis, the College submits all required reports to ICCB in a timely and accurate fashion. These include:

Fall Course Enrollment Data ●Fall Course Resource Data ●Fall Uniform Financial Reporting ●Spring Course Enrollment Data ●Occupational Student Follow-up Study ●Summer Course Enrollment Data ●Annual Nonreimburseable Community Education Enrollment ●Non-credit Annual Enrollment Data ●Spring Uniform Financial Reporting ●Annual Student Enrollment and Completion Data ●Square Footage and Acreage Information ●Annual Student Identification Submission ●Unit Cost Study Data ●Facility Inventory Data ●Annual Students with Disabilities ●Fall Student Data - Credit ●Faculty, Staff, and Salary Data ●Summer Graduate Reporting for IPEDS ●

At this point, the College’s measure of the performance and effectiveness of its system for information and knowledge management is the ability to submit all required reports to the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) in a timely and accurate fashion.

7R2 What is the evidence that your system for Measuring Effectiveness meets your organization’s needs in accomplishing its mission and goals?

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Category 8: Planning for Continuous Improvement84


Category 8: Planning for Continuous Improvement

MCC’s key planning processes are depicted in Figure O.4. MCC’s mission, vision, and goals, in alignment with stakeholders’ needs and the Illinois Commitment, provide an overall direction for all College planning.

MCC developed its first Strategic Plan in 1999, and has committed to engaging in the strategic planning process once every three to five years. In 2005, the College assembled a 30 member committee to develop a second Strategic Plan. The committee included the College President, 11 College administrators, nine faculty, eight staff, and a student representative.

The process began by assessing the College’s situation by reviewing the College’s mission and goals, its external mandates, its environment, and its own strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately, this process led to a SWOT analysis of the College’s position in light of its strengths and weaknesses viewed together with the opportunities and threats present in the external environment.

Based upon the SWOT analysis, the committee developed a plan which included a set of strategic issues or questions that needed to be answered to direct College activities in the coming years, a set of strategic directions and objectives, a set of activities through which these objectives could be achieved, and a set of outcomes that reflect whether the activities were successful and the objectives were advanced.

From this process emerged seven strategic directions:

Improve the learning environment1. Increase student access to education opportunities2. Improve systems and processes3. Utilize human resources effectively4. Increase external partnerships5. Improve College planning6. Increase financial resources7.

In 2008, the College began to prepare to once again engage in the Strategic Planning process. The Board of Trustees held a visioning retreat in October, 2008 to conduct a SWOT analysis and identify strategic questions for the College.

8P1 What are your key planning processes?

8 P l a n n i n g f o r Co n t i n u o u s I m p ro ve m e n t

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The strategic questions identified by the Board were:

How will MCC enhance community engagement in order to better 1. understand and respond to local educational, social, cultural, and economic needs? How will MCC encourage a holistic focus on students as 2. learners, including understanding and addressing the changing expectations of higher education, remaining current in our use of technology, and enhancing student engagement? How will MCC further promote an inclusive, supportive learning 3. environment that models and fosters the values of care, civility, respect, and collaboration? How will MCC proactively embrace the diversity within our 4. communities? How will MCC effectively utilize resources to continue offering 5. and expanding its programs and services while maintaining a commitment to affordability and accessibility? How will MCC continue to build and strengthen collaborative 6. relationships?

Based upon these strategic questions, the College conducted seven community engagement sessions in 2009 in which all district residents were invited to hear a brief presentation about specific College programs and services, and then participated in small group activities to provide feedback and suggestions related to the strategic questions. In November 2009, the College will conduct a phone survey of 500 residents to gather additional feedback, opinions, and suggestions for how to address these strategic questions. In addition, the College will host focus groups and “listeners bureau” sessions to solicit additional community input. The College plans to start work on a new Strategic Plan during Spring, 2010.

In addition to the Strategic Planning process, the College updates other key plans on a regular basis. The College’s Educational and Enrollment Plan, Technology Plan, Marketing Plan, and Human Resources plan are scheduled to be updated annually, but contain a three-year scope. Likewise, the College develops a five-year financial plan on an annual basis, and submits the plan to the Board of Trustees for approval. In addition, the College has a comprehensive Facilities Master Plan which is designed to guide the College’s expansion for the next 15 years. Because all plans are required to

be aligned with the College’s Strategic Plan, MCC recognizes that it must revisit its Educational and Enrollment Plan, Technology Plan, Marketing Plan, Human Resources Plan, and Facilities Master Plan once a new Strategic Plan is developed.

As the College prepares to engage in the Strategic Planning process, it has an opportunity to develop a plan with specific, measurable outcomes which are clearly linked to the AQIP Categories and Principles of High Performance Organizations. With the input from the community engagement process, a Systems Appraisal feedback report, and broad-based employee participation, the College will be well-positioned to develop a comprehensive and effective Strategic Plan.

8P2 How do you select short- and long-term strategies?

Long-term strategies are identified and selected in the Strategic Planning process (see 8P1) based on environmental scanning, SWOT analyses, and student, community, and employee input. Short-term strategies are identified by a variety of different processes. Each administrator at the College is to develop an annual plan for their department which includes goals, strategies, and measurable objectives. Progress toward goals and objectives are reviewed as part of the administrative evaluation process and as part of the Program Review Process. However, the College recognizes that it has an opportunity to more explicitly align department plans with the College’s Strategic Plan.

Short-term strategies are also identified through a “grass roots” Action Project recommendation process. Each semester, a formal request is sent to all employees asking for recommendations for future Action Projects. The College’s AQIP Steering Committee reviews all of the submitted recommendations, and selects which Action Projects to establish based upon alignment with the College’s mission, goals, and Strategic Plan, as well as institutional capacity for engaging in the Project. In addition to the formal process, the College has recently matured in its culture of continuous improvement to allow “ad hoc” recommendations for Action Projects. For example, in response to extremely high demand on the first day of registration for the Spring 2010 semester, an Action Team was established immediately to analyze the current process and identify opportunities for improvement.

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8P3 How do you develop key action plans to support your organizational strategies?

The College has established a robust culture of continuous improvement in which Action Projects are part of “business as usual.” When employees discuss a challenge or identify an opportunity for improvement, they often remark, “that would make a great Action Project.”

Traditional Action Teams work for a semester to analyze the current process, identify opportunities for improvement, and make specific, actionable recommendations to the AQIP Steering Committee for approval. Action Teams are required to submit a Gantt chart outlining the timeline for the proposed recommendations, as well as specific process and outcome measures. The AQIP Steering Committee is composed of the College’s President, three Vice Presidents, three faculty members, three staff, three administrators, and one member-at-large who serve on rotating three-year terms. Given that the College’s President and three Vice Presidents serve on the Steering Committee, decisions made by the Steering Committee have the full approval of the College’s Executive Council.

Each year $100,000 is budgeted specifically for Action Project recommendations. Action Teams may request funding up to $100,000 as part of their proposal to the Steering Committee. This funding has supported a number of recommendations from Action Teams including the implementation of an emergency mass notification system as well as a comprehensive digital signage system. The funding available for projects presented to the AQIP Steering Committee allows the College to make purchases which support continuous improvement that may fall outside of the traditional budget planning cycle.

Action Teams are required to report on their progress to the Steering Committee each semester. Once an Action Team has met its process and outcome measures, and can demonstrate to the Steering Committee that their recommendations for improvement have become part of the College’s standard processes, the Action Team may “retire.”

8P4 How do you coordinate and align your planning processes, organizational strategies, and action plans across your organization’s various levels?

As illustrated in Figure O.4, MCC’s planning process is designed so that the College’s Strategic Plan is in alignment with the College’s mission, vision, and goals. Specialized Plans for Academics and Enrollment, Human Resources, Marketing, Information Technology, Buildings and Grounds, and Finance are intended to align with the College’s Strategic Plan, and individualized departmental plans are intended to support Specialized Plans, the College’s Strategic Plan, and MCC’s mission, vision, and goals.

In practice, these intended interconnections and alignment between planning processes have not occurred in a systematic way. The College has identified that the current Strategic Directions and Strategic Objectives are too broad to provide meaningful direction, while designated outcome measures are mostly designed around task completion, rather than measurable results. Furthermore, the College’s budgetary process is currently disconnected from the Strategic Plan and Specialized Plans, and in many cases is also disconnected from individual departmental plans.

MCC recognizes that alignment of its planning processes is a significant opportunity for improvement. The College anticipates that the development of a new Strategic Plan with more actionable Strategic Directions and measurable anticipated results will help facilitate a stronger coordination among planning processes.

The College makes a consistent and concerted effort to ensure the Action Projects are in alignment with the College’s mission, vision, and goals as well as the AQIP Categories and opportunities for improvement identified during Vital Focus and the Strategy Forum. Figure 8.1 illustrates the alignment of the College’s first round of Action Projects.

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At this point, the processes for developing departmental budgets or for requesting equipment, personnel, or remodeling projects are not aligned with processes for strategy selection or action plans. The College recognizes this as an opportunity for improvement.

At this time, the College does not have a formalized process to address risk in planning processes. The College recognizes this as an opportunity for improvement.

8P6 How do you link strategy selection and action plans, taking into account levels of current resources and future needs?

8P7 How do you assess and address risk in your planning processes?

The College has a Professional Development Department who specializes in providing training opportunities for faculty, staff, and administrators to develop their capacities to address changing requirements demanded by organizational strategies and action plans (see 4P9). The Professional Development Department proactively identifies potential future training needs, as well as asks employees for feedback in terms of the trainings or workshops they would like to attend. In addition, a significant number of Action Projects result in specific recommendations for the creation of additional training opportunities through Professional Development.

8P8 How do you ensure that you will develop and nurture faculty, staff, and administrator capabilities to address changing requirements demanded by your organizational strategies and action plans?

Figure 8.1 MCC’s Action Projects: Spring, 2006 - Spring, 2007

8P5 How you define objectives, select measures, and set performance targets for your organizational strategies and action plans?

As part of a recent Action Project, the College has established Key Performance Indicators and a Balanced Scorecard. Objectives and measures were collaboratively established by the Action Team, the Office of Institutional Research, and the College’s Executive Council. Performance targets are selected based upon the nature of the measure and the comparative data available. For example, for the majority of measures related to Helping Students Learn, the College’s target is to be at or above the statewide average. For the majority of measures related to Stewarding Financial Resources, the College’s target is to be at or above the average of the previous five-years.

This simple process for establishing performance targets was sufficient for the last several years, but the College recognizes an opportunity to develop a more robust and thoughtful process for establishing targets in the future.

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8R1 What measures of the effectiveness of your planning processes and systems do you collect and analyze regularly?

Table 8.1 Key Performance Indicators - Helping Students LearnKey Performance Indicator Target

Percent of Adult Education students progressing to next level Prior 2-year MCC averageNon-credit student satisfaction with learning outcomes 90%1st semester successful hours Prior 5-year MCC averagePercentage of full-time, degree-seeking students graduating or transferring within three years ICCB AveragePercent of occupational graduates employed or enrolled in further study after six months Prior 5-year MCC averagePercent of students successful in subsequent course after completing developmental math Prior 5-year MCC averagePercent of students successful in subsequent course after completing developmental English Prior 5-year MCC averageFall to Spring Retention Prior 5-year MCC average

Table 8.2 Key Performance Indicators - Stewarding Financial Resources

Key Performance Indicator TargetPrimary Reserve Ratio 5-year historyFund Balance Ratio 0.175Ratio of Instructional and Academic Support to Operating Expense 5-year historyRatio of Institutional Support to Operating Expense 5-year historyInstructional Unit Cost 5-year historyCredit Tuition Revenue 5-year historyNet Auxiliary Revenue 5-year historyCommunity Service Revenue 5-year historyFundraising Revenue 5-year historyRatio of Class Size to Capacity 5-year history

Key Performance Indicators were identified for Understanding Students’ and Other Stakeholders’ Needs and for Valuing People, but the College’s legacy mainframe does not allow for efficient collection of extraction of the data necessary to calculate these measures. The College recognizes this as an opportunity for improvement.

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8R2 What are your performance results for accomplishing your organizational strategies and action plans? Table 8.3 Performance results for Key Performance Indicators related to Helping Students Learn, 2007

Indicator Actual Target

Percent of Adult Education students progressing to next level 14.0% 16.2%

Non-credit student satisfaction with learning outcomes 98% 90%

1st semester successful hours 63.3% 68.8%

Percentage of full-time, degree-seeking students graduating or transferring within three years 57.4% 54.3%

Percent of occupational graduates employed or enrolled in further study after six months 89.5% 91.2%

Percent of students successful in subsequent course after completing developmental math 23.5% 32.1%

Percent of students successful in subsequent course after completing developmental English 54.3% 55.4%

Fall to Spring Retention 59.7% 61.0%

Table 8.4 Performance results for Key Performance Indicators related to Stewarding Financial Resources, FY 2008

Indicator Actual Target

Primary Reserve Ratio 0.49 0.31

Fund Balance Ratio 0.352 0.175

Ratio of Instructional and Academic Support to Operating Expense 55.4% 57.9%

Ratio of Institutional Support to Operating Expense 30.5% 28.6%

Credit Tuition Revenue $8,168,122 $6,368,709

Net Auxiliary Revenue $163,466 $94,801

Community Service Revenue $2,388,704 $1,905,797

Fundraising Revenue $169,608 $94,801

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8R3 What are your projections or targets for performance of your strategies and action plans over the next 1-3 years?

Table 8.5 Targets - Helping Students LearnKey Performance Indicator Target

Percent of Adult Education students progressing to next level Prior 2-year MCC average

Non-credit student satisfaction with learning outcomes 90%

1st semester successful hours Prior 5-year MCC average

Percentage of full-time, degree-seeking students graduating or transferring within three years ICCB Average

Percent of occupational graduates employed or enrolled in further study after six months

Prior 5-year MCC average

Percent of students successful in subsequent course after completing developmental math


Percent of students successful in subsequent course after completing developmental English


Fall to Spring Retention Prior 5-year MCC average

Table 8.6 Targets - Stewarding Financial ResourcesKey Performance Indicator Target

Primary Reserve Ratio 5-year history

Fund Balance Ratio 0.175

Ratio of Instructional and Academic Support to Operating Expense 5-year history

Ratio of Institutional Support to Operating Expense 5-year history

Instructional Unit Cost 5-year history

Credit Tuition Revenue 5-year history

Net Auxiliary Revenue 5-year history

Community Service Revenue 5-year history

Fundraising Revenue 5-year history

Ratio of Class Size to Capacity 5-year history

8R4 How do your results for the performance of your processes for Planning Continuous Improvement compare with the performance results of other higher education organizations and, if appropriate, of organizations outside of higher education?

At this point, the College does not collect comparative data with regard to performance of processes for Planning Continuous Improvement. Furthermore, the majority of MCC’s current performance targets are based upon historical results rather than comparative data. The College recognizes this as an opportunity for improvement.

8R5 What is the evidence that your system for Planning Continuous Improvement is effective? How do you measure and evaluate your planning processes and activities?

At this point, the College does not measure and evaluate planning processes and activities. The College recognizes this as an opportunity for improvement.

8I1 What recent improvements have you made in this category? How systematic and comprehensive are your processes and performance results for Planning Continuous Improvement?

8I2 How do your culture and infrastructure help you to select specific processes to improve and to set targets for improved performance results in Planning Continuous Improvement?

Last year the College recognized the need to develop a new Strategic Plan with more specific and actionable strategic directions and objectives as well as measurable performance targets. Accordingly, the Board of Trustees participated in a visioning session to conduct a SWOT analysis and develop a series of strategic questions to establish a framework for the future plan. Based on these strategic questions, a formalized community engagement program was launched in which community members were invited to attend on-campus sessions to provide input and suggestions for the College. The College is well positioned to utilize this input, in combination with the Systems Appraisal Feedback Report, to engage in a broad-based, participative strategic planning process.

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Category 9: Building Collaborative Relationships91


Category 9: Building Collaborative Relationships

MCC’s district boundaries are formed by public high school boundaries. Accordingly, the College’s highest priority with regard to building relationships with educational organizations from which MCC receives its students is focused on the high schools within the College’s district. In addition, the College works to build a relationship with a private, Catholic high school located within the District, as well as with McHenry County homeschooling groups.

High Schools:The College strives to develop relationship with the high schools within the District through a variety of methods:

Leadership ● - The College President works with the McHenry County Superintendents Organization on a regular basis and attends meetings regularly to understand the changing and emerging needs and expectations of schools within the District. The President also serves as a member of the Board of Control of the McHenry County Cooperative for Employment Education, an Education for Employment System established by the Illinois State Board of Education, which serves to coordinate secondary Career and Technical Education.

Recruiting ● - MCC employs a full-time high school recruiter who visits all high schools within the district twice per year. The recruiter also attends the monthly DoGs meetings, which are meetings of all of the high school Directors of Guidance. The College collaborates with all high schools within the District to schedule and communicate events such as a College Fair, MCC Night, and New Student Orientations.

Articulation Agreements ● - Career and Technical Education course articulation between McHenry County College and the high schools of the McHenry County Cooperative for Employment Education (MCCEE) has been developed in order to coordinate Career and Technical Education programs between the two educational systems. Articulation Agreements are formal contracts between MCCEE and post secondary institutions allowing high school students to earn credit for college while in high school. Credits are

9P1 How do you create, prioritize, and build relationships with the educational organizations and other organizations from which you receive your students?

9 Building Collaborative Relationships

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awarded upon enrollment in the college (see 1P10 for additional information about opportunities for high school students to earn college credit).

In addition to high school students and graduates, the College serves a significant number of returning adult students. While the pathways for returning adult students to attend MCC are not as direct as for high school students, MCC strives to build relationships with organizations that can help guide returning adults to the College.

Returning Adults:

Workforce Services ● - MCC is one of three partners that operate the McHenry County Workforce Center which provides Workforce Investment Act (WIA) one-stop services for job seekers and businesses. MCC Workforce Services staff provide college orientation, job-search assistance and information concerning job opportunities and training. MCC is certified to provide job training for adults who are eligible for services authorized by WIA and the Trade Assistance Act (TAA). Workforce Services tracks WIA adult clients’ participation and program completions in college career and technical education and academic programs.

Academy for High Performance ● - The Academy provides working adults with an opportunity to continue their education. Students can earn a certificate in two years or less and an Associate in Applied Science degree in three or four years, depending on the program, by attending multiple classes one evening per week. In addition to a uniquely integrated curriculum, Academy students develop high performance skills such as communication, critical thinking, flexibility, organization, problem solving and team building. The Academy has a very high success rate with more than 90% of its students earning a certificate and/or an Associate in Applied Science degree. This high success rate is due in part to the unique structure of the program. Classes meet one night per week; students remain with their group throughout the entire program; scheduling is convenient; the classes are often offered right at the work site; and credit can be earned for work experience. Academy instructors attend a special integration training which prepares them to use creative methods to involve students in learning about each subject and its relationship to the other.

9P2 How do you create, prioritize, and build relationships with the educational organizations and employers that depend on the supply of your students and graduates that meet those organizations’ requirements?

The College strives to build and maintain strong relationships with educational organizations and employers that depend on the supply of students and graduates that meet those organizations’ requirements.

Educational OrganizationsThe College prioritizes relationships with educational organizations based on the interests and needs of students. The College reviews information with regard to the number of students transferring to different colleges and universities to determine how to prioritize and build relationships. MCC participates in a number of initiatives intended to build and maintain relationships with key four-year colleges and universities:

MCC is actively involved in the ● Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI). The IAI is a statewide system for articulating courses and programs, and is a voluntary agreement with all Illinois community colleges, all state universities, and over 40 private schools. It was initiated in 1993 and implemented in 1998 to facilitate the transfer of students and is co-sponsored by the ICCB, IBHE and Transfer Coordinators of Illinois. The Illinois General Education Core Curriculum (IAI GECC) is a “package” of coursework that is accepted as transfer in lieu of a participating school’s lower-division general education course requirements. It includes courses in the areas of Communications, Humanities and Fine Arts, Mathematics, Physical and Life Science, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. Students have the opportunity to complete the IAI General Education Core at MCC and transfer into an IAI participating institution with lower-division general education course requirements complete. The Illinois Baccalaureate Majors recommendations are recommended lower-division courses for a specific major for students who have chosen a major but have not decided which college to attend. As a resource for students who have not decided on a transfer school, major transfer guides are created using IAI major curriculum models.

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Participating institutions are responsible for identifying their courses that match IAI course descriptions and submitting them to appropriate IAI faculty panels for approval. IAI faculty panels are composed of faculty representing participating institutions and there is a panel for each of the areas commonly represented in general education programs and for particular baccalaureate majors. MCC faculty and transfer coordinator participate on IAI panels.

Course Articulation ● – In addition to course articulation through the IAI, Form 13 is used to formally articulate courses. This articulation request form is used between Illinois community colleges and senior institutions to officially define how a course will transfer. Each MCC baccalaureate oriented course is articulated with Illinois public universities. Many four-year schools create and maintain course equivalency tables or guides, showing articulation with MCC courses.

Formal Partnership Agreements ● – MCC has a number of formal agreements with other higher education institutions, many of which culminate in an associate or bachelor degree. A formal partnership is a written commitment between two institutions to work together to help students move smoothly from one to the other. It signifies a special working relationship between the two institutions and usually includes special allowances for specific programs. Administrators from both institutions sign the agreement. MCC has formal transfer agreements with:

Joint agreements are between two community colleges оand allow students desiring an occupational degree or a certificate program not offered at one school to complete the degree or certificate at the partner school at in-district rates. MCC has program specific joint agreements with 7 different community colleges and also belongs to a consortium, Comprehensive Agreement Regarding the Expansion of Education Resources (CAREER), that includes 25 Illinois community colleges.

MCC has 26 partnership agreements with 17 different оbaccalaureate granting institutions.

Dual Admission is a special partnership program with оselected four-year colleges and universities, providing students the opportunity to gain admission while attending MCC. The program allows students to take advantage of unique benefits that are intended to provide a seamless and successful transition to participating four-year schools. MCC has dual admission programs with Columbia College Missouri, DePaul University, Northern Illinois University, Roosevelt University, Southern Illinois University – Carbondale, University of Illinois-Springfield, and Western Illinois University.

Program Transfer Guides ● - MCC monitors and maintains over 200 program specific transfer and/or course equivalency guides with approximately 48 different colleges and universities. The articulation and transfer coordinator works closely with advisors, counselors, and department chairs to determine the programs for which transfer guides should be created. The transfer guides detail admission and course requirements and are approved by the cooperating school. They are reviewed annually by MCC and by the cooperating schools.

u.select ● – u.select is a web-based transfer credit evaluation and advising system being implemented as an Illinois statewide system. It is a valuable system that communicates information to students and advisors on how coursework will transfer and apply toward an undergraduate degree at a participating u.select institution. MCC actively participates as a “sending” institution, and maintains course information in the u.select system. MCC students can view course articulation at any institution participating in u.select at the “receiving” level, and can create planning guides to plan baccalaureate degree completion.

College and University Visits ● – MCC invites colleges and universities from across the state and the country onto its campus to meet with students, staff, and faculty. Each year, MCC hosts Illinois State University Transfer Day and Private Illinois Colleges and Universities Transfer Day. In addition, representatives from colleges and universities visit campus throughout the year for tabletop visits.

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Peer Relationships ● – MCC values what its employees can offer and learn from colleagues at other institutions and understands the importance of faculty, staff, and administrators being involved with organizations outside of MCC in order to strengthen collaboration and build partnerships. Following are examples of how MCC strengthens relationships with peers from other educational organizations:

Faculty and articulation and transfer coordinator оparticipation on IAI faculty panels Articulation and transfer coordinator participation with оTransfer Coordinators of Illinois Articulation and transfer coordinator participation at four- оyear colleges/universities articulation conferences

Employers The College strives to participate in a number of county-wide initiatives and programs in an effort to identify and understand the needs of local employers:

Workforce Investment Board ● – The College President serves on the McHenry County Workforce Investment Board (WIB) which is responsible for developing policy and overseeing local workforce development initiatives in partnership with the local elected officials. The WIB serves as a point of contact for business, industry and the public sector to communicate their workforce needs, assists in the development of new training programs to benefit the region’s workforce, and coordinates the economic development efforts and activities among public organizations, education agencies, and private businesses.

McHenry County Economic Development Corporation ● – The College President has a permanent seat on the Board of Directors of the McHenry County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC). The MCEDC is a non-profit private-public business advocacy group comprised of business and industry investors from throughout the county. Its mission is to encourage and develop the economic health of McHenry County through the retention, expansion and attraction of commerce and industry which is conducive to an optimal quality of life for its citizens. A non-governmental organization, the MCEDC seeks to work with local, county, state and federal legislators to foster, enhance and improve the economic vitality of McHenry County.

9P3 How do you create, prioritize, and build relationships with the organizations that provide services to your students?

The College directly provides the majority of services offered to MCC students. Unlike many colleges that have opted to outsource key services, MCC operates its own Cafeteria, Bookstore, and Information Technology department.

The College routinely reviews the needs of students and partners with a number of agencies to supplement the services offered by the College:

Counseling ● – The MCC Counseling Department works in collaboration with the McHenry County Crisis Program which is the center point of access for all behavioral health emergencies in McHenry County. The Crisis Program provides 24-hour crisis intervention as well as referral services.

Special Needs ● – The Special Needs Department has established and maintains close working relationships with the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Rehabilitation Services, the Pioneer Center, and the Special Education District of McHenry County (SEDOM).

Advisory ● Committees - Representatives from area businesses and industry are invited to serve on advisory committees for the College’s occupational credit and non-credit programs. These committees provide input and feedback with regard to emerging and changing needs of employers and allow the College to collaboratively develop programs or courses to respond to these needs. In addition, MCC employees participate in external advisory committees, such as the Construction Education Advisory Committee to provide course offerings of both non-credit and credit nature. MCC’s Construction Management Technology degree emerged from discussions with this group.

Shah Center ● – The Shah Center for Corporate Training and the Illinois Small Business Development Center play a significant role in developing collaborative relationships with the business community. The Shah Center actively seeks input from local businesses and industry with regard to their workforce needs. This input not only informs decisions related to corporate training and small business development activities, but also is shared with credit program areas to help ensure that students have the opportunity to develop the skills and expertise that employers currently seek. In addition, the Illinois Small Business Development Center has an active hand in strengthening small businesses in the county.

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9P4 How do you create, prioritize, and build relationships with the organizations that supply materials and services to your organization?

The College, through a program of centralized purchasing, is committed to obtaining maximum value for funds expended. Accordingly, appropriate business procedures and practices have been established to insure the efficient processing of supply and equipment requests in accordance with the State of Illinois statutes and local policies of the Board of Trustees. It is College policy to obtain all supplies, equipment, and services at the lowest cost to the College, consistent with quantity, quality, and availability of the items at the time of purchase. Competitive bids and quotes are solicited whenever essential or beneficial.

Purchases of $1,000.00 but than less $5,000.00 must be supported by written or catalog quotations from at least three sources. Purchases of $5,000.00 or more must be supported by written or catalog quotations from at least three sources, and prior Board approval is required before the purchase can be made. Purchases costing $10,000.00 or more require an advertised formal bid.

The Purchasing Department maintains a list of firms wishing to bid on College purchases. Invitations to bid will be solicited from the following: vendors who have requested to be placed on the bid lists, vendors who respond to local newspaper advertisement, and other vendors determined to be capable of providing the product being solicited by the College.Departments are encouraged to supply whatever information they may have which will assist the Office of Business Services in evaluating the College’s vendors. References are checked and formal interviews conducted when feasible to ascertain if bidders are qualified. Vendors are monitored for reputable service, quality of product, and timeliness of delivery. Vendors must comply with the Equal Employment Opportunity Clause for Public Contracts, the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, the Illinois Fair Employment Practices Act, and the Fair Practices’ Commission’s Rules and Regulations for Public Contracts.

In an effort to establish relationships with the organizations that supply goods and services to the College, to the extent permitted by the prevailing statute, MCC participates in joint purchases by governmental units. The College has recently joined, as active members, multiple purchasing co-ops or consortia. These consortia offer to the College volume pricing discounts on most of the products and services the College uses for its operation. The discounts being offered in most cases are better than what the College could obtain from bidding out these products and services directly.

9P5 How do you create, prioritize, and build relationships with the education associations, external agencies, consortia partners, and the general community with whom you interact?

Decisions to establish and build relationships with educational associations, external agencies, and consortia partners are prioritized based upon the potential value they would provide to the College and MCC students. Relationships are established with other organizations when those relationships can support advocacy efforts for the College, can further establish the credibility and quality of College programs, and can lead to program innovation and quality. Examples include:

Advocacy ● – MCC is an active member of the American Association of Community Colleges, Association of Community College Trustees, and Illinois Community College Trustees Association.

Credibility and Quality ● – MCC’s CEU-granting programs are certified by International Association for Continuing Education and Training, the Automotive Technology program is certified by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation, and the College is pursuing accreditation by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission for its Nursing program.

Program Innovation ● – The College is a member of a number of national and statewide organizations that promote innovation sharing, including the League for Innovation, the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development, and the North American Council for Staff, Program, and Organizational Development.

Outreach ● –MCC has a employee representative in nearly every Chamber of Commerce in the College’s district. The MCC Fitness Center offers gift in kind memberships to SEDOM (Special Education District of McHenry County) and NISRA (Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association). Participants from NISRA are people who have a physical disability such as stroke, TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), Multiple Sclerosis and Muscular Dystrophy. The staff in the Fitness Center work hands on with the participants with their training and exercise programs.

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9P6 How do you ensure that your partnership relationships are meeting the varying needs of those involved?

College employees are responsible for monitoring and evaluating partnership relationships in their respective areas to make sure that they meet the varying needs of those involved:

Table 9.1 Evaluation of collaborative partnerships

Partnership College Employees/Departments Responsible for EvaluationEducational organizations that provide supply of students Recruiting; Advising and Transfer Center; High School Plus

Educational organizations that depend on supply of students Advising and Transfer Center; Articulation and Transfer Coordinator; Academic DivisionsEmployers that depend on supply of students Career Services; Shah Center; Career & Technical Education FacultyOrganizations providing services to students Coordinator of Special Needs; Dean of Student Success

Organizations that supply materials and services Director of Business Services; Assistant V.P. of Finance

9P7 How do you create and build relationships between and among departments and units within your organization? How do you assure integration and communication across these relationships?

The College creates and builds relationships between and among departments through the key leadership groups outlined in Table 9.2.

Table 9.2 Key leadership groups at MCC

Group Purpose Meeting Frequency

Adm

in

Facu

lty

Staff Communications

GOVERNANCE

Board of Trustees Articulate and represent the public interest, establish a climate for learning, develop College policies, and monitor effectiveness of the College. Monthly - Minutes on College website;

monthly email from President

ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERSHIP

Executive Council Advise President on matters pertaining to overall College operations. Weekly 4 1 Discussions at Leadership Council

Leadership Council To communicate decisions made by the Board of Trustees as well as discuss College-wide operations and procedures. Monthly 40+ 1 Minutes on InsideMCC

Vice President’s Academic Council

To advise the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs on academic matters. Twice a Month 11 1 Minutes via email

Administrative Services Group

To discuss issues related to the areas of Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Buildings and Grounds, and Security. Monthly 6 1 Minutes on InsideMCC

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

Continuous Improvement Steering Committee To support, guide, organize, and lead Continuous Improvement process efforts. Twice a month 6 3 4 Minutes on InsideMCC

Continuous Improvement Action Teams To identify opportunities and make recommendations for improvement. Weekly Varies per

semester Recommendations on InsideMCC

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Group Purpose Meeting Frequency

Adm

in

Facu

lty

Staff Communications

CURRICULUM AND ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP

Curriculum and Academic Policy Council

Develop and review curriculum and academic policy and formulate policy recommendations to the Office of Academic and Student Affairs. Twice a month 2 11 1 Minutes on InsideMCC

Curriculum Development & Review (CD&R) - CAPC Standing Committee

To examine, discuss, and recommend for approval curriculum transformation with specific focus on courses and programs. Twice a month 1 6 3 Minutes on Inside MCC

Curriculum Promotion and Renewal (CP&R) - CAPC Standing Committee

To promote and expand the use of nontraditional methods of teaching and learning, e.g. learning communities, international studies, intercultural studies, etc.

Twice a month 1 8 1 Minutes on Inside MCC

Program Review - CAPC Standing Committee To examine, discuss, and recommend for approval program reviews. Twice a month 3 5 1 Minutes on InsideMCC

Student Placement, Advising, and Support (SPAS) - CAPC Standing Committee

To promote professional dialogue and develop programming for the assessment of students’ needs and outcomes. Twice a month 1 5 4 Minutes on InsideMCC

Technology - CAPC Standing Committee

To review and recommend the use of best practices in implementing technology that promotes teaching and learning. Twice a month 2 11 2 Minutes on InsideMCC

Assessment Team To promote and expand the culture of assessment at MCC. To provide support to divisional faculty for learning outcomes assessment. Twice a month 3 7 1 Minutes on InsideMCC

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

Faculty Association Executive Board

To foster excellence in instruction; to promote and maintain the intellectual, social, and economic welfare of the membership; and to serve as a viable resource center for the College.

Monthly 13 Minutes are circulated among members at each meeting

Staff Council Executive Board

To work toward the betterment of status, working conditions, skills, education, and equitable salaries for all members. Monthly 21 Email

COMMITTEES

Faculty Development Assist with the design of faculty workshops and training and mentoring programs for adjunct faculty and department chairs. Bi-monthly 6 Emails about upcoming workshops

and events

Facilities Review, prioritize and recommend new facility and remodeling projects. Bi-annually 5 3 3

Insurance Advisory To make recommendations to the President regarding changes in the insurance plan that would not increase cost. Quarterly 3 3 3 Minutes on InsideMCC

Staff Development To provide an ongoing, comprehensive staff development program for the classified, professional, and administrative staff. Monthly 10

Wellness Assist the Assistant Vice President of Human Resources on employee issues that impact institutional health by evaluating and promoting wellness programs. Bi-monthly 4 2 5

MCC has a variety of systems intended to facilitate both top-down and bottom-up communication, including regular print and electronic communications, and regularly scheduled meetings. A summary of MCC’s communications systems are outlined in Table 5.1.

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9R1 What measures of building collaborative relationships, external and internal, do you collect and analyze regularly?

Measure Frequency Comparable Focus

Number of high school graduates that attend MCC Annual No Relationship with educational organizations supplying students

Number of formal partnership agreements Annual No Relationship with educational organizations that depend upon supply of students

Number of transfer and course equivalency guides Annual No Relationship with educational organizations that depend upon supply of students

Number of purchasing consortia in which MCC participates Annual No Relationship with organizations that supply services

9R2 What are your performance results in building your key collaborative relationships, external and internal?

Table 9.3 High school graduates who apply to and attend MCC Fall 2008 Fall 2009

Proj

ecte

d #

of G

radu

ates

Actu

al #

of

Gra

duat

es

# of

A

pplic

atio

ns

% o

f H.S

. G

radu

ates

to

App

licat

ions

# of

Enr

olle

es

% o

f En

rolle

es to

A

pplic

atio

n

% A

nnua

l Ch

ange

A

pplic

atio

ns

Proj

ecte

d #

of G

radu

ates

Actu

al #

of

Gra

duat

es

# of

A

pplic

atio

ns

% o

f H.S

. G

radu

ates

to

App

licat

ions

# of

Enr

olle

es

% o

f En

rolle

es to

A

pplic

atio

n

% A

nnua

l Ch

ange

A

pplic

atio

ns

Alden-Hebron 40 40 17 43% 13 76% 0% 29 29 13 45% 11 85% -24%

Cary-Grove 428 407 76 19% 57 75% -16% 482 462 180 39% 146 81% 137%

Crystal Lake Central 327 302 106 35% 91 86% 5% 350 325 164 50% 118 72% 55%

Crystal Lake South 463 438 140 32% 116 83% -1% 479 466 236 51% 196 83% 69%

Foreign HS 7 5 71% 0% 7 6 86% 0%

Harvard 187 168 57 34% 47 82% 6% 172 156 72 46% 50 69% 26%

Home Schooled 20 16 80% -23% 41 32 78% 105%

Huntley 375 332 120 36% 94 78% 0% 398 376 206 55% 164 80% 72%

In District Other Illinois 9 6 67% 200% 8 5 63% -11%

Johnsburg 190 223 56 25% 43 77% -2% 218 208 114 55% 81 71% 104%

Marengo 207 208 76 37% 65 86% 41% 239 219 131 60% 103 79% 72%

Marian Central Catholic 175 168 27 16% 22 81% -4% 172 168 45 27% 40 89% 67%

McHenry East 212 223 81 36% 64 79% 5% 261 232 142 61% 110 77% 75%

McHenry West 345 347 128 37% 96 75% 16% 352 360 193 54% 154 80% 51%

Out of District Illinois 56 38 68% -15% 105 56 53% 88%

Out of State HS 29 19 66% 26% 46 23 50% 59%

Prairie Ridge 455 437 115 26% 94 82% -4% 409 382 163 43% 135 83% 42%

Richmond-Burton 201 192 63 33% 56 89% 43% 225 188 73 39% 57 78% 16%

Unknown HS 4 4 100% 0% 3 1 33% -25%

Woodstock 445 448 147 33% 104 71% -3% 444 412 240 58% 195 81% 63%

TOTAL HS APPLICATIONS 4050 3933 1334 34% 1050 79% 3% 4230 3983 2182 55% 1683 77% 64%

MCC tracks on an annual basis the number of students that graduate from each high school within the district, the number of students that apply from each high school, and the number of students that enroll:

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The College tracks the number of type of formal transfer agreements that it maintains with four-year colleges and universities:

Argosy University ●Capella University ●Columbia College Chicago ●Columbia College Missouri ●DePaul University ●DeVry University ●Franklin University ●Kaplan University ●Milwaukee School of Engineering – Rader School Business ●National-Louis University ●Northern Illinois University ●Rockford College ●Roosevelt University ●St. Anthony College of Nursing ●Southern Illinois University – Carbondale ●University of Illinois Springfield ●Western Illinois University ●

MCC also provides website access to 200 transfer planning and/or course equivalency guides with approximately 48 colleges and universities.

The College also tracks the number of students that transfer to another institution. Table 9.4 outlines details of MCC students that were enrolled in FY2005 and FY2006 that transferred to another institution.

Table 9.4 Top transfer destinations for MCC Students, FY2005 and FY2006

# of

Stu

dent

s

Perc

ent o

f tr

ansf

ers t

o th

is

type

of s

choo

l

Perc

ent o

f all

tran

sfer

s

PRIVATE 4-YEAR SCHOOLS

DePaul University 40 69.0 2.9

Bradley University 18 31.0 1.3

Total Transfers to Private 4-year Schools 58 100.0 4.2

PUBLIC 4-YEAR SCHOOLS

Northern Illinois University 284 39.1 20.5

Illinois State University 117 16.1 8.5

University Of Illinois Urbana Campus 93 12.8 6.7

Western Illinois University 78 10.7 5.6

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale 49 6.7 3.5

University Of Illinois At Chicago 43 5.9 3.1

Eastern Illinois University 34 4.7 2.5

Southern Illinois University At Edwardsville 16 2.2 1.2

Northeastern Illinois University 6 0.8 0.4

Sangamon State University 6 0.8 0.4

Total Transfers to Public 4-Year Schools 726 100.0 52.5

PUBLIC 2-YEAR SCHOOLS

William Rainey Harper College 145 24.2 10.5

Elgin Community College 129 21.5 9.3

College Of Lake County 92 15.4 6.7

Kishwaukee College 43 7.2 3.1

Rock Valley College 27 4.5 2.0

College Of DuPage 20 3.3 1.4

Parkland College 17 2.8 1.2

Oakton Community College 16 2.7 1.2

Heartland Community College 14 2.3 1.0

Waubonsee Community College 9 1.5 0.7

Total Transfers to Public 2-Year Schools 599 100.0 43.0

Total Transfers from MCC 1,383

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9R3 How do your results for the performance of your processes for Building Collaborative Relationships compare with the performance results of other higher education organizations and, if appropriate, of organizations outside of higher education?

At this point the College does not collect comparative data with regard to the performance of processes for Building Collaborative Relationships. The College recognizes this as an opportunity for improvement.9I1 What recent improvements have you made in this category? How systematic

and comprehensive are your processes and performance results for Building Collaborative Relationships?

The College actively seeks partnerships which could benefit MCC students and the institution overall. As an example, the College recently joined the Energy Network Operations Center (EnerNOC) electricity savings program in the event of a demand response for electricity. A demand response is a time period during which demand for electricity is extremely high. If there is a demand response declared, the College will begin cutting electrical energy usage to help thwart a brownout or blackout. In the event of a high demand occurrence, MCC will decrease usage, allowing businesses and homeowners the ability to have electricity. For participation in the electrical demand response reduction program, the College will receive nearly $17,500 annually.

As another example, the Center for Corporate Training located at the Shah Center has recently partnered with 28 other community college customized training programs to form “weTRaIN Illinois.” Now the largest workforce training provider in the state, the weTRaIN network provides easy and affordable access to world-class training, resources and support services. The newly designed web presence extends each partner’s reach as potential clients now have a one-stop shop to learn about core services and locate training providers.

9I2 How do your culture and infrastructure help you to select specific processes to improve and to set targets for improved performance results in Building Collaborative Relationships?

The College’s culture and infrastructure support the active pursuit, establishment, and development of partnerships to support MCC students and improve the institution overall. However, the College recognizes that it is currently building capacity to select specific processes to improve and to set measurable targets for improved performance.

The College tracks its participation in formal purchasing consortia. MCC is a member of the Illinois Community College System Procurement Consortium, U.S. Communities, Educational and Institutional Co-Op Buying Service, Illinois Public Higher Education Cooperative, and the Mid-Western Higher Education Cooperative. These memberships provide volume pricing discounts from select companies. A sample of these companies is listed in Table 9.5.

Table 9.5 Select companies participating in purchasing consortiaBuilding, Maintenance, Custodial Airguard

Georgia PacificGraybarGrainger Home Depot SupplyMilliken CarpetNeher Electric SupplyNetwork ServicesOtis ElevatorRubbermaidTepper Electric SupplyWaste Management

Computer and Technology Equipment Angel Learning CDW-GDellHewlett PackardIBM/CiscoPolyvision

Express Delivery DHL Express UPS

Furniture American SeatingCorporate ConceptsFisher HamiltonKimball InternationalKnollOffice Furniture USASteelcase

Office Machines Canon

Office Supplies 3MOffice DepotOfficeMaxXerox Corporation

Paper and Forms MidlandXpedx

Telecommunications QwestSprintVerizon Business

Travel Services AlamoAvisBudgetEnterpriseHertzNational

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Index to the Five Criteria for Accreditation

Criterion One – Mission and Integrity

The organization operates with integrity to ensure the fulfillment of its mission through structures and processes that involve the board, administration, faculty, staff, and students.Index

to the Five Criteria for Accreditation Core Component 1a. The organization’s mission documents are clear and articulate publicly the organization’s commitments.

MCC’s mission statement was reviewed by focus groups and ●approved by Board of Trustees. [Overview]

MCC’s mission, vision, and goals provide an overall direction for all ●College planning. [O5]

The College’s mission and goals serve as the primary framework for ●the design of MCC’s other distinctive objectives. [2P1, 2R4]

Alignment with mission and vision is a key component of planning ●processes. [5P1, 8P1]

Core Component 1b. In its mission documents, the organization recognizes the diversity of its learners, other constituencies, and the greater society it serves.

The College serves a variety of student groups and stakeholders. ●[O3, 1P10]

MCC is committed to an open door philosophy and admits any high ●school graduate or adult who is capable of profiting by continuing his or her education and who desires to do so. [O5, 1P8]

MCC offers a wide range of support services necessary to meet the ●unique learning needs of students wherever they are on the path of lifelong learning. [O1, O6, 1P7, 1P15]

MCC has as a General Education Goal “to identify and make ●responsible choices in a diverse world.” [1P1]

MCC is committed to promoting cross-cultural awareness. [3P2] ●

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Core Component 1c. Understanding of and support for the mission pervade the organization.

Each department at the College is responsible for developing ●and updating an annual plan with objectives that align with the College’s mission. [O5]

MCC’s distinctive objectives are aligned with the College’s mission ●and goals. [2P1]

New employees are introduced to MCC’s mission through a series of ●orientation activities. [4P4]

The College’s mission is communicated to stakeholders through a ●variety of methods. [5P6]

Action Projects are established based upon their alignment with the ●College’s mission. [7P2]

Departmental plans are required to be in alignment with the ●College’s mission. [8P2]

Core Component 1d. The organization’s governance and administrative structures promote effective leadership and support collaborative processes that enable the organization to fulfill its mission.

MCC recognizes that the development of curriculum and related ●academic policies and procedures is a shared responsibility of faculty and administration. [1P1, 5P3]

The College has a variety of structures in place to support ●participative, collaborative decision-making. [5P3]

Student support service needs are identified and analyzed through ●a number of collaborative processes. [6P1, 6P4]

The College’s AQIP Steering Committee facilitates broad-based ●participation in decision-making. [8P3]

Core Component 1e. The organization upholds and protects its integrity.

The College has developed a process to make certain that the ●people employed possess the credentials, skills, and values required by the College. [4P2]

The College has adopted an Ethics Ordinance and identified an ●Ethics Officer. [4P7]

College leaders strive to communicate a shared mission, vision, ●values, and high performance expectations. [5P6]

The College’s Strategic Plan aligns with the Illinois Commitment. ●[8P1]

Core Component 2a. The organization realistically prepares for a future shaped by multiple societal and economic trends.

The College considers the changing demographics of the District in ●its planning. [Overview]

The College has developed a Facilities Master Plan to outline future ●campus expansions. [O8]

MCC utilizes a variety of data to identify and analyze changing ●student needs. [3P1]

MCC utilizes a variety of methods to analyze changing needs of its ●key stakeholders. [3P3]

Student support services are designed by examining students’ ●changing needs. [6P1]

Criterion Two – Preparing for the Future

The organization’s allocation of resources and its processes for evaluation and planning demonstrate its capacity to fulfill the mission, improve the quality of its education, and respond to future challenges and opportunities.

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Core Component 2b. The organization’s resource base supports its educational programs and its plans for maintaining and strengthening their quality in the future.

The College identifies specific skills, credentials, and values required ●for faculty, staff and administrators. [4P1]

The College has a robust Professional Development Department to ●support professional growth of employees. [4P9]

MCC has committed to strengthen leadership abilities among ●faculty, staff, and administrators. [5P7]

MCC engages in long-term financial planning. [6P2] ●

The College consistently monitors financial performance. [8P1, 8P2] ●

MCC ensures that the capabilities of staff, faculty, and administrators ●will be nurtured and developed to address changing requirements. [8P8]

Core Component 2c. The organization’s ongoing evaluation and assessment processes provide reliable evidence of institutional effectiveness that clearly informs strategies for continuous improvement.

The College has established systematic processes to develop ●General Education Goals, program outcomes, and course-level objectives. [1P1, 1P2]

All academic programs must complete a comprehensive program ●review every five years. [1P13]

The College collects and analyzes data related to student learning ●outcomes. [1R2, 1R3, 1R4]

MCC has a formalized personnel evaluation system. [4P10] ●

The College has established Key Performance Indicators and a ●Balanced Scorecard. [8P1]

Core Component 2d. All levels of planning align with the organization’s mission, thereby enhancing its capacity to fulfill that mission.

MCC’s mission, vision, and goals provide overall direction for all ●College planning. [O5, 8P1, 8P4]

On an annual basis, employees set individual goals in alignment ●with departmental plans and the College’s Strategic Plan. [5P1]

The budgeting process is aligned with five-year financial planning ●processes. [6P2]

The College’s AQIP Steering Committee evaluates Action Projects ●based upon their alignment with the mission, goals, and Strategic Plan. [7P2, 8P3]

MCC’s collaborative relationships are built in alignment with the ●College’s mission. [9P1, 9P2, 9P3, 9P4]

Core Component 3a. The organization’s goals for student learning out-comes are clearly stated for each educational program and make effective assessment possible.

The College has adopted General Education Goals. [1P1] ●

The College has a robust process to determine specific program ●learning outcomes and course-level objectives. [1P2]

MCC communicates expectations for learning outcomes. [1P6] ●

The College’s Assessment Team encourages broad-based ●participation in the development of processes for assessing student learning. [1P18]

Criterion Three – Student Learning and Effective Teaching

The organization provides evidence of student learning and teaching effectiveness that demonstrates it is fulfilling its educational mission.

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Core Component 3b. The organization values and supports effective teaching.

Instructional effectiveness is assessed and documented as part of ●the faculty evaluation process. [1P11]

MCC recognizes outstanding teaching through a number of annual ●awards. [1P11, 4P11]

The College has a robust benefits package with significant ●opportunities to pursue professional development. [1P11, 4P11]

New faculty are required to participate in orientation activities to ●explore effective instructional strategies. [1P11]

The College financially supports a faculty mentoring program to pair ●new instructors with experienced faculty members. [1P11]

Core Component 3c. The organization creates effective learning environments.

MCC has established an effective and efficient course delivery ●system. [1P12]

MCC reviews data to inform decisions regarding ways to address the ●learning support needs of students and faculty. [1P15, 3P1]

MCC students are very successful in terms of the proportion who ●graduate or transfer within three years. [1R2]

MCC students perform better than their peers statewide on ●occupational exams. [1R3]

MCC students enjoy a high degree of success after transferring to a ●four-year institution. [1R4]

Core Component 3d. The organization’s learning resources support student learning and effective teaching.

MCC offers a number of opportunities to help students select ●programs of study. [1P7]

MCC offers many opportunities to assist students who are ●underprepared for college-level coursework. [1P8]

The College offers a variety of services to proactively address the ●needs of student subgroups. [1P10]

Rates of MCC student success have consistently been higher than ●statewide averages. [1R2, 1R3, 1R4]

MCC strives to maintain a strong relationship with students in an ●effort to support their success. [3P2]

Core Component 4a. The organization demonstrates, through the actions of its board, administrators, students, faculty, and staff, that it values a life of learning.

The College’s vision is to be the community’s first choice for a ●lifetime of learning. [Overview]

The College is committed to an open door policy and to serving ●students of all ages and backgrounds. [O5]

MCC has as a distinctive objective to support lifelong learning and ●personal enrichment. [2P1]

MCC offers employees a robust benefits package including support ●for professional development. [4P11]

The College supports employees’ professional development and ●career growth. [5P6, 5P7]

Criterion Four – Acquisition, Discovery, and Application of Knowledge

The organization promotes a life of learning for its faculty, administration, staff, and students by fostering and supporting inquiry, creativity, practice, and social responsibility in ways consistent with its mission.

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Core Component 4b. The organization demonstrates that acquisition of a breadth of knowledge and skills and the exercise of intellectual inquiry are integral to its educational programs.

The College has adopted broad General Education Goals. [1P1] ●

MCC has multiple student organizations which are aligned with ●curricular learning objectives. [1P16]

The College assesses gains in student academic proficiency in ●writing, math, reading, and critical thinking. [1R2]

MCC is supportive of professional development of its employees. ●[5P6, 5P7]

MCC supports students to continue their education through ●services offered by the Advising and Transfer Center, Counseling, and the McHenry County Workforce Center. [1P7, 9P1]

Core Component 4c. The organization assesses the usefulness of its curricula to students who will live and work in a global, diverse, and technological society.

The College’s General Education Goals are reviewed and evaluated ●every three years. [1P1]

Academic departments complete a Program Review every five years ●to assess their effectiveness. [1P13]

The College sends an annual needs assessment to employers to ●identify upcoming training needs. [2P2]

Occupational and non-credit programs utilize input from advisory ●committees. [1P3, 1P4, 1P5, 2P2]

MCC utilizes input and feedback from prospective students, current ●students, and community partners to establish new educational offerings. [3P5]

MCC is open to considering requests and proposals from the ●community while rigorously evaluating their feasibility. [5P2]

Core Component 4d. The organization provides support to ensure that faculty, students, and staff acquire, discover, and apply knowledge responsibly.

The College has identified as a General Education Goal to identify ●and make responsible choices in a diverse world. [1P1]

MCC offers a number of opportunities to help students select ●programs of study. [1P7]

MCC conducts follow-up surveys of occupational program ●graduates. [1R4]

MCC has established an Ethics Ordinance and identified an Ethics ●Officer. [4P7]

Core Component 5a. The organization learns from the constituencies it serves and analyzes its capacity to serve their needs and expectations.

MCC maintains a number of key relationships integral to the ●institution’s mission. [O9]

Advisory committees are consulted for determination of program ●learning objectives. [1P2, 2P2]

Input from advisory committees and the community is utilized to ●select new courses and program offerings. [1P3, 1P4, 2P2]

MCC analyzes the changing needs of students and stakeholders. ●[3P1, 3P3]

MCC engages the Board of Trustees, employees, and community in ●the Strategic Planning Process.

Criterion Five – Engagement and Service

As called for by its mission, the organization identifies its constituencies and serves them in ways both value.

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Core Component 5b. The organization has the capacity and the commitment to engage with its identified constituencies and communities.

MCC has launched a comprehensive community engagement effort. ●[3P3, 3P4, 3I1]

The College analyzes the changing needs of its stakeholders. [3P1, ●3P3]

The College’s Strategic Planning Process is inclusive and involves ●the Board of Trustees, community leaders, employees, and students. [5P1, 8P1]

The College has engaged the Board of Trustees in a strategic ●visioning process. [8P1]

MCC has established a significant number of collaborative ●relationships in support of the College’s mission. [9P1, 9P2]

Core Component 5c. The organization demonstrates its responsiveness to those constituencies that depend on it for service.

MCC students have demonstrated outstanding levels of success. ●[1P2, 1P4]

The College is frequently called upon to develop programming in ●response to emerging needs. [2I1]

Results for satisfaction with workforce and economic development ●programs are overwhelmingly positive. [2R2]

The College responds to the changing needs of students and ●stakeholders. [3P5]

MCC measures and analyzes the success of underrepresented ●groups. [6R2]

An increasing number of District high school graduates choose to ●apply for admission to and attend MCC. [9R2]

Core Component 5d. Internal and external constituencies value the services the organization provides.

Credit enrollment has steadily increased over the last five years. [O8] ●

The College’s programs and services have been recognized as ●exemplary by external agencies. [2R2, 6R3]

Students and graduates are satisfied with College services. [1R5, ●3R2, 3R4]

An increasing number of District high school graduates choose to ●enroll at MCC. [9R2]

MCC’s Shah Center serves 23 of the 25 largest companies in ●McHenry County. [2R2]


Date post:	04-Feb-2022
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Systems Portfolio - McHenry County College

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