ACCJC to review college’s self-evaluation

City College prepares for 27-member visiting team on Nov. 16

By Tom Hsu

The Guardsman

Another chapter in the ongoing accreditation saga facing City College will be written when the a visiting team of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges makes its presence known from Nov. 16 to Nov. 20.

The 27-member team will review the college’s 533-page self-evaluation document titled “The Institutional Self-Evaluation Report in Application for Restoration Status” that was submitted on Oct. 15.

A recommendation on the status of the college will likely be based on the team’s assessment of the document that took 12 weeks to prepare.

The accrediting commission and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges accredits community colleges and other associate degree granting institutions in the Western region of the U.S. They will be evaluating City College to see if the school can maintain its accreditation.

The team is also expected to interview college officials, faculty and possibly students about the college’s mission and effectiveness, student learning and programs/ services, college resources and college leadership and governance.

The college’s self-evaluation report is available on the college website, www.ccsf.edu, for public review.

“The purpose of their visit will be to conduct an examination of the institution’s compliance with standards, eligibility requirements and policies,” Chancellor Arthur Tyler wrote in an Oct. 14 memo to the college community.

“The team will also analyze the college’s demonstrated ability to meet or sustain compliance and whether the college can come into compliance and sustain compliance with each of the standards and commission policies within the two years of Restoration Status.”

He added: “I am confident that our City College will be prepared for the accreditation visit and demonstrate that it can sustain meeting standards, and implementing improvement plans over the next two years to retain our accreditation.”

Currently the college employs 668 full-time and 877 part-time instructors with a student body of 74,000 credit and noncredit students.

Dr. Esther Nzewi, a faculty member in the psychology department, welcomes the visit.

“It’s good; we’re looking forward to it. We carry out our goal to train students and get them ready for degrees and careers…And we think we’ve been very successful.”

She added:  “The college and faculty have worked really hard to address all areas, in improvement, so we believe that the outcome should be positive based on the level of work we’ve done in addressing the accrediting body’s concern.”

Student Chris Caceras said, “I think it’s a good idea, sort of a check and balance. It shows at some level that everyone is doing their job.”

A decision on the recommended status of the college is expected by the early part of the Spring 2015 semester.