Next month, California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) will be visited by a team of colleagues from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges as part of our reaccreditation process. CSULB Professor David Hood, who serves as the accreditation liaison officer and co-chair of the WASC Steering Committee, offers information on the accreditation process, what accreditation means to CSULB and what students, faculty and staff can expect during the visit in March.
Q. What is WASC?
A. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC ) is one of six regional accrediting associations in the United States. WASC evaluates and accredits schools, colleges and universities in California, Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Q. Why is accreditation important?
A. The WASC accreditation process aids institutions in continuously improving the quality and effectiveness of educational programs and in developing high-quality innovative programs. WASC accreditation lends credibility to educational institutions and assures the educational community, the general public, the government, and other organizations that an accredited institution has met high standards of quality and effectiveness - and has processes in place to continue to do so.
The accreditation process provides CSULB and the campus community with an opportunity to engage in a period of self-study, reflection, and specific action to promote improvement. This is your chance to ask probing questions about how well the university is performing, identify evidence to address these questions, and contribute to efforts to improve the university. You can also participate in conversations about its future direction. In short, accreditation affects the entire campus community.
Q. Where are we in the reaccreditation process?
A. The accreditation review process consists of three stages: the Institutional Proposal; the Capacity and Preparatory Review (CPR); and the Educational Effectiveness Review (EER). Once all three stages are completed, a final decision on accreditation is made. Each step requires a report to be submitted to WASC.
The institutional proposal outlines what CSULB plans to examine during the accreditation process for improvement. It is based upon self-reflection and concerns of the institution to maintain quality and standards. CSULB will address three core commitments: organizing; staffing; and student success. Our institutional proposal was approved by WASC in December 2007.
The capacity and preparatory review examines CSULB's ability to meet WASC standards concerning structure, resources, and processes. We have submitted our self-study for the capacity review report to WASC in December, 2008 and a commission-selected visiting team will be on campus March 4-6.
The educational effectiveness review provides evidence of how well CSULB is meeting its stated mission. The educational effectiveness review report will be sent by CSULB to WASC in fall 2010. A team from WASC will visit CSULB in spring 2011. The final decision on accreditation will be made in spring 2011. The University may be accredited for a period of up to 10 years.
Q. What is taking place on Feb. 27?
A. On February 27th students, faculty and staff are invited to a a Gourmet Coffee in the University Student Union Ballrooms from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. to learn from CSULB administrators, faculty and staff more about our accreditation process and how everyone can participate.
Q. What will happen during the WASC team visit March 4 - 6?
A. The team will meet with President Alexander, senior administrators, faculty, staff and, especially, students. They will hold open meetings to which faculty, staff and students are invited. They will also meet with faculty committees, administrators and students. Their purpose is to validate the self-study, to ensure that our self-study accurately reflects the state of the campus. They are interested not only in actions but also in attitudes: is our campus actively reflecting on our mission and considering ways we may improve?
Q. What happens after the WASC team visit?
A. The team will submit both a report as well as recommendations on how we can enhance the quality of education at CSULB to the Accrediting Commission, which will act on that report at its June meeting.
Q. How can faculty, students and staff participate in WASC?
A. The campus community is encouraged to participate in the open meetings held by the visiting team. They should answer the team's question openly and fully. The Team is composed of unpaid volunteers, successful university professionals deeply committed to both the philosophy and practice of higher education. They are lending their expertise to assisting us in the goal we all share: providing the best possible educational experience for our students. They are here to help us, and we, in turn, should help them as they go about their task of assessing the quality of the education CSULB provides. We are a highly-ranked institution confident of our quality and secure in our mission, and we can be proud of our story.
