黑料吃瓜

Earlier this month, 黑料吃瓜 President Elliot Hirshman received notification that the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) has reaffirmed 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 accreditation for 10 years 鈥� the maximum allowable under federal guidelines.

The WSCUC is the regional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as certifying institutional eligibility for federal funding in a number of programs, including student access to federal financial aid. Based on standards agreed to by its members, the commission encourages continuous institutional improvement and assures the membership and its constituencies, including the public, that accredited institutions are fulfilling their missions in service to their students and the public good.

鈥淭his reaffirmation is a testament to the extraordinary excellence of our faculty, staff and students,鈥� said Hirshman in a memo to the campus community. 鈥淚t is also a reflection of the efforts that they, our alumni and our community supporters undertake on behalf of our university鈥檚 educational, research and service missions.鈥�

Campus-wide effort

To facilitate and coordinate the reaffirmation of accreditation process, which took 10 months, 黑料吃瓜 formed a steering committee made up of representatives from across campus. The committee was responsible for producing all required documents on behalf of the campus and coordinating the Offsite Review and Accreditation Visit. Members included:

鈥�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;  Cathie Atkins, associate dean, College of Sciences
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;  Edmund Balsdon, associate dean, Graduate Research and Affairs
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;  Suzanne Bordelon, professor, rhetoric and writing studies
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;  Shawn Flanigan, interim associate dean, Division of Undergraduate Studies
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;  Frank Harris, III, associate professor, administration, rehabilitation and postsecondary education
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;  Kurt Lindemann, associate professor, School of Communication
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;  Reynaldo Monzon, director of assessment and research, Division of Student Affairs
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;  Nina Potter, director of assessment, College of Education
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;  Christy Samarkos, associate vice president of campus life, Division of Student Affairs
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;  Stephen Schellenberg, interim/associate Dean, Division of Undergraduate Studies (chair and accreditation liaison officer)

Dedication to excellence

As part of the reaffirmation process, WSCUC presented the university with nine commendations:  
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;  The deep dedication of faculty, staff, administrators, and student leadership to collaboration and transparency and to working in partnership to lead student success.
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;  Improvements in retention and graduation rates while increasing the diversity of the student body and closing achievement gaps.
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;  Development of a comprehensive strategic plan with broad participation from university stakeholders.
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;  Remarkable success in fundraising.
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;  Capital improvements designed to strengthen student success, particularly the facilities for addressing the needs of commuter students.
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;  Maintaining a high volume of research grants and contracts in a very competitive national environment.
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;  Astute financial management to maintain the quality of the university while mitigating the deep cuts in state appropriations.
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;  Implementation of an integrated program of high-impact practices, including undergraduate research and study abroad, and adopting policies that require these experiences for undergraduates.
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;  Outreach to underserved local communities.

Moving forward

The WSCUC also presented the university with four recommendations for improvement, which will be integrated into 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 strategic plan, 鈥淏uilding on Excellence.鈥� Progress will be evaluated by WSCUC during the mid-cycle review process that will occur in the spring of 2021.

The and descriptions of the entire reaffirmation process, including 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 self-study and the WASC review team鈥檚 report, are available at .