Walking the P.A.T.H. to accreditation

Pierce commitee prepares for accreditation review with town hall meeting

Henry Walker / Roundup

The Accreditation Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, (ACCJC), will review the college during March 2013.

The commission will make a judgment on whether or not Pierce will maintain its accredited status. This determines if the classes that students take will remain transferable to state colleges and universities.

This process happens at every public university in order to ensure high educational standards.

In preparation for the review the college has been reviewing many of its policies and procedures along with forming an accreditation committee

The Pierce College accreditation town hall was hosted Thursday afternoon in the Great Hall.

The ACCJC will review “budgets, facilities, technology and human resources,” according to Mia Wood, faculty accreditation coordinator, and an assistant professor of Philosophy.

“Pierce College faces recruitment and enrollment issues that don’t typically plague selective colleges,” said Wood.

The bad economy, high fees at other universities, fewer course offerings, and changes in the philosophical approach to education, challenge our community to maintain excellence, she said.

“The role of community colleges is changing in people’s lives,” said Kathleen Burke-Kelly, Pierce College President.

Another major hurdle is that student’s needs don’t always match state educational policy, which makes it difficult to plan, she explained.

“If we let the budget drive our planning, we will never be in control of our course offerings and programs,” said Wood, in her report

The counseling department is overloaded with a large number of students, and faculty members don’t always guide students toward their goals, according to Wood.

“Retention and completion is increasingly difficult,” said Wood. “We know some of the reasons why, but we don’t know all of them.”

Wood blames the California Educational Code for the difficulty in providing classes for new students.

She cites in her report the other official entities working for better enrollment management.

“Pierce College faculty, staff, administrators, and students have to say what they think, do what they say, and focus on whether or not we think we’re getting things right,” said Wood.