Christine J. Sobek, Ed.D.
Fall is a wonderful time at Waubonsee. With the leaves changing colors, it is another time and opportunity for us to enjoy the Tree Campus USA designation that we earned, for the eight consecutive year, in the spring. Our four campuses are beautiful year round, but the bursts of fall colors in October adds something special.
The care that our campus operations crews put into our grounds is amazing. Those individuals take great pride in the quality of the student experience at Waubonsee. It reminds me of a quote from management consultant (among other things) William Edwards Deming: “Quality is everyone’s responsibility.”
Nowhere is that more true than at Waubonsee. Not only do the grounds and maintenance crews adopt this view, but so does everyone else at the college. Our faculty members demonstrate this every day. Their commitment to students and to the community is part of what makes the student experience at Waubonsee what it is. Several of our faculty members have written columns recently about their areas of expertise. Writing on topics like the opioid crisis, the value of asking “Why?”, the importance of being prepared for emergencies, and the purpose of technical education, our faculty has extended the reach of their knowledge beyond the classroom and into the communities.
While our faculty members demonstrate their commitment to excellence and quality through academics, Waubonsee’s athletic coaches and staff are showing that they are committed to quality, as well. Two of Waubonsee’s golfers will play in the NJCAA Division II Championship in the spring as a result of their play this fall. At the time of this writing, the women’s soccer team is 14-2-1, men’s soccer team is 11-2-1 and the women’s tennis team is 10-1. We are all very proud of these student-athletes who represent Waubonsee with excellence and we appreciate the work of the coaches and athletic staff who instill the responsibility of quality into the students.
Quality takes many forms, but it is everyone’s responsibility. That’s why it is one of our core values. For us, that means that we always work to redefine what it means to be the best with an eye towards always improving and exceeding expectations of the people we serve. In doing this, we know that we are better able to help students improve the quality of their lives through education.
