Southwestern College received full reaffirmation of its accreditation status Friday by the commission that accredits all California community colleges.
The college received word of its updated status Friday, following the submission to the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) of reports and evidence showing continuous improvement in several key areas at Southwestern.
“Faculty and employees throughout the college pulled together to demonstrate Southwestern College’s commitment to serving students and helping them achieve their educational and career goals,” said Superintendent/President Dr. Kindred Murillo. “This reaffirmation acknowledges the college faculty, staff, Governing Board, and administration commitment to quality and continuous improvement.”
A team of peer evaluators had visited the college in October, 2015 and had provided 15 recommendations for meeting ACCJC standards. Since then, faculty, staff, Governing Board, and administrators from throughout Southwestern have been reviewing protocols and processes on everything from evaluating distance education courses to standardizing how student learning outcomes are monitored.
The college had 18 months to provide evidence of meeting the standards, and submitted a 76-page report in March to the commission.
Members of the same evaluation team visited Southwestern in April to validate the report. To provide further evidence of meeting standards, the college submitted a supplemental 10-page report in May reflecting the ongoing college efforts, before the commission issued their ruling. The College will begin work on its Midterm Report due in 2018.
