Institutional Accreditation
Accreditation Basics Santa Barbara City College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACCJC). The accreditation process is cyclical, and SBCC seeks reaffirmation of accreditation from the ACCJC every seven years. More information about the ACCJC, including the accreditation standards and other publications, can be found at www.accjc.org. Accreditation has three primary purposes: To provide assurance to the public that the education provided meets acceptable levels of quality, to promote continuous institutional improvement and to maintain the quality of higher education in the United States.
Four Main Accreditation Activities 1. Internal Evaluation: In the next two years, a team made up of a broad cross-section of constituents will produce an Institutional Self Evaluation Report (ISER) that describes the college and demonstrates that we comply with the federal eligibility requirements, accreditation standards and commission policies. The report will include a quality focused essay that identifies an area on which we wish to focus improvements during the next accreditation cycle. The report will be provided electronically to the ACCJC by February, 1 2021. The report will be posted to the college’s accreditation website at www.sbcc.edu/accreditation.
2. External Evaluation: In October 2021, we will host a visit from an evaluation team made up of professional peers chosen by the ACCJC. The evaluation team reviews our ISER, and through meetings, interviews and evaluation of the evidence we provided, develops a report to SBCC and a team recommendation to the ACCJC regarding the extent to which the college meets the ACCJC accreditation standards.
3. Commission Evaluation: The ACCJC evaluates the team’s recommendation and makes a final determination of our accreditation status, along with any commendations and/or recommendations identified by the team. We expect this determination sometime in January or February 2022.
4. Self-Improvement: As part of an ongoing cycle of continuous quality improvement, we work to achieve the improvements described in our quality focused essay and the resolution of any ACCJC recommendations. 2 | Institutional Accreditation
Accreditation Standards Accreditation is a method for assuring that higher education institutions can continue to improve and offer a quality education to the men and women who will lead their communities in the future. By establishing high standards and then periodically evaluating themselves, colleges and universities can provide a degree or certificate that students and the community can trust. The ACCJC Standards consist of four fundamental areas that describe best practices for educational quality and institutional effectiveness. The standards are interrelated and the self evaluation will assess how we meet them as a whole in the report we submit to the commission.
1. Mission, Academic Quality and Institutional Effectiveness • Institutional Mission (I.A) • Academic Quality and Institutional Effectiveness (I.B) • Institutional Integrity (I.C)
2. Student Learning Programs and Services • Instructional Programs (II.A) • Library and Learning Support Services (II.B) • Student Support Services (II.C)
3. Resources • • • •
Human Resources (III.A) Physical Resources (III.B) Technology Resources (III.C) Financial Resources (III.D)
4. Leadership and Governance • • • •
Decision-Making Roles and Processes (IV.A) Chief Executive Officer (IV.B) Governing Board (IV.C) Multi-College Districts or Systems (IV.D)
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Accreditation Steering Committee Purpose: To serve the college as the guiding work team for gathering evidence in support of the college’s capacity to meet and exceed accreditation standards, and to work together to develop plans for improvement if standards are not yet met. Pamela Ralston Patricia Stark Paul Bishop Gwyer Schuyler Elizabeth Imhof Jen-Uwe Kuhn Lyndsay Maas
Priscilla Mora Ruth Morales Melissa Moreno Kenley Neufeld Alan Price Joshua Ramirez Z Reisz
Cindy Carrillo Luz Reyes-Martin Arturo Rodriguez Melanie Rogers Carola Smith Laurie Vasquez James Zavas
Timeline Spring 2019: • Steering committee and standard leads begin work
Fall 2019 - Spring 2020: • Standard teams develop draft documents
Fall 2020: • Campus constituency groups and Board of Trustees review and approve
February 2021: • Institutional self evaluation submitted to ACCJC
October 2021: •
ACCJC team visit
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