July 1, 2024
Dear Campus Community:
Recently, I participated in the WSCUC Commission Meeting that took place June 26-28, 2024. During this meeting, WSCUC held a panel to review the Visit Team’s report and recommendations for reaffirmation of accreditation. The team reported that they were impressed with º£½ÇÉçÇøCI’s focus on rebuilding enrollment with an eye towards enhancing student success in all decisions, that faculty and staff were collaborative and supportive, and that students were pleased with the approachability of faculty and small class sizes. Furthermore, they reported that there was a strong commitment to shared governance and a culture of assessment.
º£½ÇÉçÇøCI received six commendations and six recommendations for areas of development from the visit team. The team commends º£½ÇÉçÇøCI for the following:
- Undertaking initial steps to transition campus culture toward integrated planning processes aligned with the maturation of the institution.
- Using and sharing data transparently to inform decision making.
- Valuing and deepening connections with surrounding communities, particularly related to enrollment and student outcomes.
- Demonstrating commitment to and shared engagement in DEIA efforts throughout the campus.
- Exemplifying passion for and commitment to the core mission of serving students.
- Building centralized resources and infrastructure to support faculty and staff engagement in meaningful learning outcomes assessment.
The team recommends that the institution respond to the following areas for development with associated :
- Continue to prioritize multi-year financial and enrollment planning towards achieving institutional sustainability. (CFR 3.4, 3.5)
- Develop and communicate priorities, timelines, and structures in support of academic program development that take into account enrollment and budget contingencies. (CFR 2.1, 3.4)
- Develop a plan for institutionalizing student success interventions according to data on effectiveness and potential for scaling. (CFR 2.13, 2.14, 3.10)
- Advance the integration of holistic student success approaches into academic departments and faculty development, as well as across student and academic affairs. (CFR 2.9, 3.3, 4.1)
- Fully execute the Inclusive Excellence Action Plan (IEAP) ensuring that efforts are connected in a strategic manner. (CFR 1.5, 4.8)
- Accelerate development and implementation of an integrated general education program assessment process. (CFR 2.1, 2.2, 4.1)
During the meeting, we met with the WSCUC Commission Panel and provided them with an update of activity since the institutional report was submitted last February, and had an opportunity to answer their questions. We now look forward to receiving the Commission’s action letter in late July that outlines WSCUC’s final recommendations for º£½ÇÉçÇøCI, along with the number of years granted based on this process.
An important aspect of the accreditation process is the use of the team report by the institution.To support institutional improvement, Commission policy calls for widespread dissemination of the team report and the Commission action letter to faculty, staff, and students. Therefore, once we receive the action letter from WSCUC the team report and recommendations will be made publicly available.
This Fall we will offer opportunities to learn more about the team report and recommendations, and engage the campus in an action plan outlined in º£½ÇÉçÇøCI’s institutional report. To that end, a , entitled Investing in Student Success, has been developed to expand and deepen the conversation around what we’ve accomplished and where we are headed.
Again, I am proud of the extraordinary effort the campus put into our accreditation process, and the successful visit that resulted from it. A vast amount of work has gone into º£½ÇÉçÇøCI’s accreditation process in the form of gallery tours and brown bag sessions, asynchronous feedback, steering committee engagement, and more. It was a big lift for our campus to go through this process during challenging times, and the sheer amount of participation was a good indicator of our collective work ahead to ensure our institution’s accountability to WSCUC’s recommendations.
Sincerely,
Richard Yao, Ph.D.
President