HENRY FORD COMMUNITY COLLEGE

INNOVATION OF THE YEAR AWARD

November 15, 2010

Henry Ford Community College is proud to be in its fifth year of participation in the National League

for Innovation in Community Colleges “Innovation of the Year” competition. Each year, the League

honors outstanding innovations that have been recognized by member institutions as their choice of

Innovation of the Year. One winner will be selected from those presented by members of the HFCC

community (see attached guidelines). The originators of the winning innovation will receive a certificate

of honor from the league, have their project name inscribed on a multi-year plaque and be honored at a

campus-wide recognition event in the Spring, 2011. The Innovation of the Year Award is designed to recognize members of the College community,

whether as individuals or groups, who have designed and implemented a significant innovation. Characteristics of HFCC and national winning innovations have included:

The involvement of diverse perspectives (multiple members, cross disciplinary)

A brand new concept

A project or idea that meets most or all of the league’s criteria

Innovations with far-reaching implications for the institution

Ideas that can be “branded” by the institution

Projects that are mission driven

Criteria: An innovation should meet one or more of the following criteria:

1. Quality - Students and/or staff agree that the innovation increases “quality” in the course, program, office, or institution. Evidence of quality may include student ratings or letters of support from colleagues. 2. Efficiency - There is evidence that the innovation contributes to a more efficient way of doing things. Student ratings, perceptions of outside consultants, and pre- and post-comparison of time involved are examples of evidence. 3. Cost Effectiveness - There is evidence that the innovation adds a value to the institution while at the same time containing or reducing costs. Cost data will serve as evidence. 4. Replication - The innovation selected can be replicated in other institutions with a minimum of difficulty. 5. Creativity - The innovation should be as original as possible or the adaptation should be creative. The description of the program or letters from experts are examples of evidence. 6. Timeliness - The innovation should not be more than five years old in the institution, but it must have been around long enough to have been tested so that it meets most of the criteria.

Descriptions of previous winners and the application procedure follows:

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Last year, the winning HFCC 2010 Innovation of the Year was The Arab Cultural Studies Program, a 60

credit associate degree program anchored in a required course sequence in the Arabic language. This

new program was developed knowing that Dearborn hosts the largest contingent Arab-American

population in the US. Innovation Type: Learning and Teaching

Samples of winners at other Community Colleges across the country included:

PROJECT INNOVATION TYPE

Online Survey of Student Opinions Teaching and Learning

Bringing Resource Awareness to Veterans in Education Student Services/Activities

Accelerated Job Training Programs: Just-in-Time Training for in Demand Jobs

Workforce preparation

Greener for the 21st Century in Seattle Resource Development

Environmental Sustainability within Delta and Abroad Leadership and Organization

Column Prototype for Gas Chromatography Research, Assessment & Accountability

Increasing High School Ohio Graduation Test Success Rates Using a Predictive Model

Basic Skills/Developmental Education

All descriptions of winning projects from last year may be viewed in their entirety at:

Innovation of the Year Winners

http://www.league.org/league/competitions/innovations/application1.cfm Click on Innovation of the

Year box on left hand side of screen.

If you have additional questions about the project, please contact one of the Innovation Committee

Members:

Chairs: Lisa Jones-Harris and Janice Caie-Lawrence

Robin Adams

Sam Bazzi

Kevin Dewey

Sam Greko

Janet Hazamy

Elizabeth Preston

Marlene Wojtowicz

This year, applicants will have an opportunity to present their projects in person to the Innovations

Committee on either February 24 or 25 for a 5 minute time period between 9 AM – 12 PM.

The Application deadline is Friday, February 4, 2011

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HENRY FORD COMMUNITY COLLEGE

LEAGUE FOR INNOVATION IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE “INNOVATION OF THE YEAR” APPLICATION

Application Deadline: Friday, February 4, 2011

Applications should be completed as an MS Word document and sent either by email to empreston@hfcc.edu or hard copy to Elizabeth Preston, Financial Aid Specialist, Office of Financial Aid, Learning Resource Center. Nominating Contact: First Name: Last Name: Title: Email Address: Campus Address: Telephone: Project Information: Project Name: Project Innovators: Project Date/Year: Please Classify Innovation Type (Check one) □ Learning and Teaching

□ Student Services and Activities □ Resource Development

□ Workforce Preparation and Development □ Leadership and Organization

□ Basic Skills and Developmental Education □ Research, Assessment and Accountability

□ Other Please select the criteria your project has met (Check all that apply) □ Quality □ Cost Effectiveness □ Timeliness □ Efficiency □ Creativity □ Replication □ Other Please describe the project in detail (100 words or less)