MCC Receives Continued Accreditation

McHenry County College Board and staff received welcome news this past week. The Higher Learning Commission has recommended the reaffirmation of the College’s Accreditation. This news was provided to the Board of Trustees at Thursday evening’s Board meeting.

MCC President Vicky Smith provided the news to the Board noting that “A Program Review Panel evaluated our documents and rated us on each one of the Higher Learning Commission’s five criteria. Following their recap of our accomplishments for each criterion they reported that each component was met with no follow-up recommended”.

President Smith provided a direct quote from their report:

“The Reaffirmation Panel notes that McHenry County College has been responsive to feedback and counsel received through its Systems Appraisal and Quality Checkup visit, clearly demonstrating the institution’s commitment to continuous quality improvement. This responsiveness is evident in the institutional changes that have occurred since the Systems Portfolio was written such as its commitment to train faculty, staff, and administrators in quality concepts. Emphasis has been given to institutional effectiveness and assessment, as noted by current Action Projects focusing on institutional effectiveness and student success. “

What is the meaning of accreditation for students as well as residents of the MCC District.?

Accreditation is an assurance that education provided by McHenry County College meets acceptable levels of quality. Accrediting agencies have no legal control over institutions or programs. However, they promote certain standards and approve or renew membership of institutions that apply and meet the accreditation standards or criteria.

Certain licensing programs may require an institution to go through a course of study with specialized accreditation, because it ensures that the course is being taught by faculty qualified to teach in that field.

The US Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) each maintain and publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies, and most institutions attain eligibility for Federal funds by holding accredited or pre-accredited status with one of the recognized accrediting agencies.