PR firm to help MCC redefine its mission, poll community

McHenry County College has hired a public relations firm to help with community outreach, which officials say will help the college update its mission for the 21st Century.

St. Louis-based Unicom-Arc will poll the community on how MCC can best serve its constituents.

"Our goal is to be one of the top learning environments for higher education and community learning in Illinois, if not the country," said Trustee Donna Kurtz. "It's critical that we do the work necessary to determine what it's going to take."

Unicom-Arc will be paid $137,750 for its services from January 2009 to March 2010, said MCC spokeswoman Christina Haggerty.

That's less than the $215,000 initially earmarked for the project, but MCC officials decided to do some work in house.

While Unicom-Arc will handle surveys and do most of the heavy lifting and analysis, MCC will produce a promotional video and develop and print brochures.

Breaking down the contract, MCC will pay Unicom-Arc:

•$101,000 in planning and development fees ($8,000 for each of the first three months, $7,000 thereafter).

•$14,000 in travel expenses ($1,000 a month).

•$22,750 for an initial 500-sample survey.

Unicom-Arc is known for helping school districts pass tax increases.

But officials at the Crystal Lake-based college have said they do not have a referendum planned.

They also say they hired Unicom-Arc to work only on community outreach, not to gauge if residents would embrace a future tax-rate increase.