AQIP Action Project Declaration Form
Your institution will complete an Action Project Declaration online in the Action Project Directory on
AQIP’s website, but the web form follows the structure below.
1. Institution Name of your college or university:
 Grand Rapids Community College
2. Planned kickoff date Default is the date of the project declaration, but you can enter
a different date:
 October, 2013
3. Target completion date:
 September, 2015
4. Give this Action Project a short title in 10 or fewer words:
 College Generated Graduation
5. Describe this Action Project’s goal:
 Students will automatically be awarded the degrees and certificates that they earn
at GRCC. Students will have the opportunity to decline these credentials.
6. Identify the single AQIP Category that this Action Project will most affect or impact:
 Helping Students Learn
7. Describe your institution’s motivation for taking on this Action Project now
 Students may not realize that they qualify for a degree or certificate and hence do
not initiate a graduation audit themselves.
8. Why this particular project and its goals are high among your institution’s current priorities

Increasing graduation rates is a high priority as part of our completion
agenda.
9. List the organizational areas most affected by or involved in this Action Project.
 Student Records/Registrar’s Office, Counseling and Career Center, Financial Aid,
Academic Departments, Transfer, IRP, IT, Printing Solutions, Student Life, Alumni, Dean
of Student Affairs (Graduation Ceremony)
10. Identify the key organizational processes or activities that your institution expects this Action
Project to change or improve.
 The Graduation process – This process will be completely changed from a student
requested graduation audit process to and automatic graduation process.
 Counseling and Career Center – Counseling staff will play a more involved role in
advising and explaining to students about the new process.
 Faculty Advisors – Faculty advisors will play a role in advising and explaining to students
about the new automated graduation process.
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Curriculum transfer articulation agreements – Articulation agreements will be built to
allow and encourage students to also get their associates’ degree before transferring.
The Graduation Ceremony – It is expected that more students will be graduating and
participating in the graduation ceremony this may require changes to the current
process.
Print Solutions - As more students graduate more diplomas will need to be printed
through our Printing Solutions Department.
Student Records/Registrar – As more students graduate more transcripts will need to be
printed though the Student Records/Registrar’s Office.
Financial Aid – Ensure new processes abide by any financial aid rules/regulations.
11. Explain the rationale for the length of time planned for this Action Project (from kickoff to target
completion).
 Year One: Development of Process Phase – Fall Semester 2013 – Summer Semester 2014
 Year Two: Pilot of Implementation Phase – Fall Semester 2014 – Summer Semester 2015
 Year Three: Assessment & Surveying Phase – Fall Semester 2015
12. Establish interim mileposts that mark progress toward the project’s ultimate goals. Please
prepare a table with planned activities for each month culminating with project finish by the
date indicated in Q. 3.
Year/Phase
One – Process Development
Two – Pilot Implementation
Three – Assessment/Surveying
Activity
Incorporate work with CAP
1.1.1 Team
Benchmark and flush out
questions and gaps
Hire and work with consultant
to extract data from
DegreeWorks and PeopleSoft
Incorporated processes with
the graduation ceremony
work
Development and
implementation of
communication plan
Test system
College Generated Fall
Semester 2014 grads and
review and make changes to
process
Test graduation ceremony
process
College Generated Winter and
Summer 2015
Survey College Generated Fall
14, Winter and Summer 2015
graduates on process
Month
September 2013
September - November 2013
December and February 2014
March - April 2014
April – August 2014
Sept – November 2014
December – February 2015
March – April 2015
April – August 2015
September 2015
Analyze, review survey results
and make process
improvements
October – December 2015
13. Describe how your institution plans to publicize and monitor its efforts on this Action Project.
Publicize
Monitor
Student orientations
Number of students attending orientation
CLS 100 classes
Number of students in CLS 100 classes
Collegiate Newspaper advertisement/article
1 article a semester
Stall Street Journal
1 announcement per semester
Ready, Set, Graduate Initiative
Support the initiative with information
Updates in school meetings and through
Once a year
Provost Updates
My Degree Path – website
Number of hits
14. Describe the overall outcome measures or indicators that will determine whether this Action
Project has been a success or failure.
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Increased number of certificates granted
Increased number of Associates’ Degrees granted