Although her contract will not expire until the middle of 2014, the outgoing McHenry County College Board plans to extend it until June 30, 2015, tonight at 6:30. Public comment will precede the action.

Yesterday on the front page of its internet edition, the Northwest Herald noted that tonight at 6:30 the McHenry County College Board will vote on whether or not to extend President Vicky Smith’s contract through June 30, 2015.

Not that the end of the contract is up or anything. Currently it expires in the middle of 2014.

It’s just that the old board, on whose last agenda the contract extension is 24th of 26 items, doesn’t want the three brand new Board members elected a little over two weeks ago–Molly Walsh, Chris Jenner and Tom Wilbeck–to have a say in the person they will have to oversee for the next over two years and two months.

I’ve read the internet NWH edition and I see quotes like

• “She has done a wonderful job.”
• “She has done a fabulous job.”
• “The cafeteria is much better.”

Nary a word of criticism of her performance.

I didn’t go looking for something to balance off the positivity of the article–published the same day as a full-page, full-color ad by MCC–but I did have the something in my in-box, which you can see below.

Not that there hasn’t been some criticism. Consider the public comments of James Gould of the Philosophy Department, which you can read here.

A friend of McHenry County Blog wrote:

“I read the article in the Northwest Herald yesterday about the MCC faculty who were so enthusiastic about President Vicky Smith.

“I hope that readers recognized that both instructors teach in the Math and Science Department, and thus, would benefit from new classrooms, labs, and offices. ‘
“One instructor was quoted as saying that the President had ‘put the college in a positive light.’ I

“I disagree – Vicky’s administration creates the toxic environment that a faculty member spoke of at the MCC Committee of the Whole Meeting on April 16.

“Employees describe how Vicky and a few of her administrators make decisions without consulting affected faculty and staff, and then everyone is expected to live with the decisions.

“Most employees do not feel that they can question her policies without putting their jobs in jeapardy.

“Sadly, these stories of the unrest spill over into the community.

“The instructors who spoke in favor of Vicky are well-regarded.

“But it troubles me that they ignored the fact that she blind-sided the Theater Department by her decision to move the Robotics Lab into that space.

“Would these instructors have been so flattering if Vicky had decided to move the Robotics Lab into their lab space?

“Further evidence that Vicky is not putting the college in a positive light is the full-page ad that MCC put in the Northwest Herald yesterday.

“It appears to be the work of a delusional or desperate (or both?) administration.

“The ad, at taxpayer expense, shamelessly promotes Vicky, and the word ‘students’ only appears once!

“This ad speaks volumes to her narcissistic attempt to shore up her image.

“She states, ‘I am just like you.’

“I do not think so.”