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Philosophy and Rationale

Message from President Packard - August, 2006

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On December 15, 2005 I was notified of McHenry County College's acceptance into AQIP. This method of accreditation fits with the College's commitment to continuous improvement. The AQIP approach replaces the decennial reporting process and replaces it with an on-going systems approach of self-examination and process improvement.

The benefits of AQIP are many, such as the emphases on continuous improvement, teamwork, cross-organizational involvement, systems thinking, and collegial work with other institutions. Results are positive and impact the institution in a variety of ways including a focus on student engagement and strengthening the learning environment, improvements to systems and services, increased morale, and potential cost-savings.

I am excited about our acceptance into AQIP and look forward to the many opportunities this experience will afford McHenry County College in the future.

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Message from President Packard - April, 2004

For well over a year the College has been investigating the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP). Several faculty, staff and administrators participated in a meeting held on March 7, 2003, to hear Stephen Spangehl, Director at the Higher Learning Commission NCA, share information on the purposes, principles, process and expectations involved in moving to this alternative process for maintaining accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Since I joined the College last summer, discussions have continued regarding MCC becoming an AQIP institution. I formed a Vital Focus Team with cross-college representation to further study the issue. Along with me, the team attended meetings with the NCA staff to learn more about AQIP and how to involve the College community.

To begin gathering information for this approach, the College community was asked to participate in a Constellation Survey. This survey was conducted during September 2003 and captured the voices of our faculty staff and administration. This set the stage for Staff Development Day, held on October 14, 2003. The day was dedicated to conducting a "Conversation Day." All College staff had the opportunity to participate in 3 Conversations: (1) What do we agree matters most? (2) What do we agree are our strengths - the aspects about MCC that shine vibrantly - and (3) What holds the greatest opportunity for making a significant difference at MCC?

The next step after Conversation Day was taking action on items that were identified as quick fixes. I'm happy to report that many have been accomplished and communicated to you in a timely manner. At this time, the Vital Focus Team continues to work with the data from Conversation Day to identify common themes for continuous improvement.

Regarding AQIP, I have had discussions with the Leadership Council since June, with the Executive Leadership Group (ELG) on 12/12, and CAPC last week. I will meet with the Executive Board of Staff Council on Tuesday March 23rd. CAPC has made a motion to support AQIP, and tabled action pending March division meetings where they can have further discussions with their colleagues. There is support from the Leadership Council to move to AQIP.

I am interested in your opinions and the future of MCC becoming an AQIP institution. On Tuesday, April 6, please join me in the Board Room from 12:30-1:30, 2:30-3:30 or 6:00-7:00, to discuss our moving forward with AQIP. I look forward to a collegial discussion on this topic.

McHenry County College is an outstanding institution. I am interested in keeping us that way and making us even better. We owe that to ourselves and the students and communities we serve. AQIP can provide a format to move us to the next level of excellence. I'm looking forward to hearing from you on April 6.

Walt Packard
President

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• View video from the April, 2004 AQIP Discussions