The SVCC Learning College Model
Synergy: The phenomenon of two or
more discrete influences or agents acting in common to create an
effect which is greater than the sum of the effects each is able to
create independently.
Wikipedia
As Sauk Valley Community College responded to the two separate HLC
concerns regarding strategic planning and academic assessment that
precipitated this focused visit, we were repeatedly reminded of how
interrelated all of the College's processes and functions are. Each
approach we explored for one concern intersected with some aspect
of the other concern. The potential for synergy we saw in these
connections motivated us to address both concerns by creating a
planning structure that formally links them, along with many other
institutional activities and processes. Based on principles of
learning organization theory, we have used a systems approach to
design a comprehensive planning cycle that relies on input from all
levels of staff from all areas of the College. The most significant
change that has occurred at SVCC as a result of the HLC
recommendations lies in the structural realignments and cultural
shifts.
We believe that just as the daily practices of assessment and
strategic planning cannot occur in isolation from one another, our
Focused Visit Report can not adequately address the two topics in
isolation. To do so would invalidate the comprehensive system we
created. As a result, both focused visit concerns are addressed in
this single report.
Because of this interconnectedness, we encourage the reader to read
the entire report in order to gain a comprehensive perspective on
our planning and assessment journey. Because the process by which
we addressed the HLC concerns became a transformational event in
the life of the College, we have documented much of it in the
report, along with the specific evidence that we have addressed the
HLC directive to make specific changes. Because we have achieved
the synergy we sought, transforming the institution beyond the
separate scope of the HLC directives, we have appended a reflection
on that transformation. (See Appendix A.)
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