NIU partners with MCC to offer 4-year degrees

Partnership is part of MCC’s new University Center in Woodstock

By JAMES T. NORMAN jnorman@shawmedia.com

McHenry County College in Crystal Lake will partner with Northern Illinois University to allow students and locals in McHenry County to complete bachelor’s degree-level coursework in a variety of areas, officials said.

The new partnership is the first of potentially many that will allow students and residents to pursue a fouryear degree through MCC’s new University Center in Woodstock.

Coursework will be available in psychology, business administration, computer science, health sciences and early childhood education at the University Center, according to a recent news release from the college.

A goal of the partnership is to provide an opportunity to those interested in pursuing higher education, but can’t easily travel to NIU in DeKalb, NIU President Lisa Freeman said in the release.

“We’re proud to support McHenry County College in its efforts to remove the sometimes-overwhelming barrier of having to commute or relocate to pursue a bachelor’s degree,” Freeman said in the release.

The courses will be taught by NIU professors and will be open to both students at MCC and McHenry County residents.

The partnership will allow individ- uals and families to find ways to “thrive in our county,” MCC President Clint Gabbard said.

While the arrangement is a new one, MCC is one of NIU’s largest feeder institutions, according to the release.

Originally the Aurora University Woodstock Center since 2009, MCC announced plans to buy the building and launch its own university center at the site in March. Renovations on the site are expected to begin this summer.

The $1.4 million purchase was approved unanimously by the MCC Board of Trustees on March 23. Christina Haggerty, MCC’s vice president of marketing and communications, has not responded to questions about the project’s cost, including regarding renovations to the site.

MCC also is working with Aurora University to offer coursework at the University Center as well, specifically in early childhood education and social work – occupations that are prevalent in McHenry County, college officials have said.

The goal is to partner with more four-year universities to provide similar opportunities, officials said.

The model is one similar to Harper College’s University Center in Palatine, which offers distinct degrees from several universities, Haggerty has said.

While NIU is the first to be brought in on the arrangement, MCC is in discussion with several other four-year universities to offer more programming, according to the release.

Tuition will not increase at MCC as part of the project.