2013-06-26 Board Report

The latest Board Report is posted on the web and may be reached through Campus Connection.

This week's report is devoted exclusively to the accreditation situation at City College of San Francisco. A year ago, CCSF was put on "show cause" by the Accrediting Commission. This step is preliminary to removal of accreditation if the college does not bring itself fully into compliance with Accreditation Standards in a minimum of two years. One year has passed with at best modest progress by City College. For most of the year, trustees, managers, and faculty have resisted the changes demanded by the Accrediting Commission. Within the next week or so, the Commission will respond to a follow up report provided by CCSF. Most observers believe the response will not be good. Probably, City College will be continued on "show cause." With only a year left and much work to be done, drastic measures will be needed to prevent the loss of accreditation--which would mean closure of the college.

The attached Board Report includes these elements:

The union representing faculty has complained about the way the Accrediting Commission carries out its responsibilities and has now brought this complaint to the federal Department of Education which is the authorizing body for the Accrediting Commission. Do the union charges have merit? Will the Accrediting Commission be forced to change its practices? Will the allegations by the faculty union, if supported, affect the accreditation of CCSF?

A doctoral graduate student, writing in a dissertation about our Accrediting Commission, compares it unfavorably to two other regional accrediting bodies and clearly identifies changes that would address the issues produced by such drastic action as that contemplated for CCSF. Will the Accrediting Commission heed these recommendations and reform itself in the image of its more successful sisters in other parts of the nation?

A doctoral student has studied the characteristics of colleges which have successfully been accredited. Can colleges adopt these 12 behaviors and rescue themselves from being sanctioned by the Accrediting Commission?