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Columbia College: Accreditation warning issued
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Columbia College got a warning from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges as a result of a comprehensive evaluation done last year, which is the first of three steps to loss of regional accreditation if the college doesn’t implement changes by October 2013. Community colleges that lose their regional accreditation receive no federal funding and are no longer considered valid preparation for further educational programs or jobs. Very few schools actually lose their accreditation after being issued a warning, according to the ACCJC, the agency responsible for accrediting junior and community colleges in California and Hawaii. A team from the ACCJC visited Columbia Community College in October 2011. They issued seven recommendations for improvement, which include improving academic counseling for students in distance-learning programs and assessing student learning outcomes in all courses. In a letter sent to Columbia Community College by the ACCJC president on Feb. 1, the commission noted deficiencies in evaluation mechanisms for instruction and student support services. The warning also requires the college to review administrative services, as well as “assess the effective use of financial resources” and use that assessment “as the basis for institutional improvement.” To ensure renewed accreditation, Columbia must submit a follow-up report to the ACCJC by October of 2012 outlining the steps it will take to improve. “We’ve already started work towards corrections in each of those areas,” said Columbia College President Dennis Gervin. “The college is well aware of what we need to do to respond by October. My hope and expectation is that we’ll get back to status.” One of the concerns the ACCJC noted in its comprehensive evaluation of Columbia was a shortage of full-time faculty members, resulting in “orphan programs” taught only by part-time instructors. Gervin said he shared that concern but would like to commend the college’s existing faculty members for hard work in a time of tight budgets. “A goal for myself and the district is to increase the proportion of full-time faculty,” Gervin said. “But the few that we have make sure our programs are what they need to be. … It’s an issue that everyone is dealing with statewide.” The ACCJC declined requests for comment Tuesday because its president and vice president are out of the office “indefinitely.” In 2010, the online publication Inside Higher Ed reported that the ACCJC came under fire from community college administrators for placing 37 percent of California’s 110 two-year colleges under sanction from 2003 to 2008. That compares to a sanctioning rate of about 6 percent in other states, Inside Higher Ed reported. The commission operates under the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and gets its authority from the U.S. Department of Education. The Department of Education requires schools to have regional accreditation before receiving student financial aid funds and other federal money. At its meeting Jan. 10 through 12, the ACCJC sanctioned 18 California institutions at varying levels. Modesto Junior College, part of the Yosemite Community College District along with Columbia College, was placed on probation as a result of its comprehensive evaluation. Probation is one step further than a warning in the path to a loss of accreditation. The final step is the issue of a “Show Cause” sanction, which requires colleges to explain why they shouldn’t lose accreditation. The ACCJC placed Cuesta College of San Luis Obispo and College of the Redwoods of Eureka on “Show Cause” status this year. It reaffirmed accreditation for four of the institutions up for a comprehensive review in 2011 and removed three additional colleges from warning status. Compton Community College in Los Angeles is the only community or junior college that has lost regional accreditation in California. After having accreditation revoked in 2005, the school became a satellite campus for El Camino Community College in Torrance. By law, schools that close as a result of lost accreditation must help students transfer to other institutions. The ACCJC also encourages them to help faculty members find new employment. |
