- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Yuba College and Clear Lake Campus placed on accreditation probation; chancellor expects matter to be resolved by fall
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – An accrediting body has placed Yuba College and its Clear Lake Campus on probation while school officials work to resolve shortcomings at the college and district level relating to planning, resource allocation and the assessment of student learning.
Last week the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges reaffirmed the college's accreditation but imposed the sanction of probation, according to district Chancellor Dr. Douglas Houston.
The accreditation commission offered 11 recommendations to Yuba College, covering areas such as institutional planning, student learning assessments, allocating resources to meet institutional priorities in an integrated planning fashion and professional development, Houston said.
“It is serious? Yes,” said Houston. However, he added, “I'm absolutely confident that we will resolve all of the shortcomings.”
Yuba College – which stretches across eight counties – is one of the oldest community colleges in the state, founded in 1927. The Clear Lake Campus is located off of Dam Road in Clearlake.
One of the key tasks for Houston, who took over the district's leadership in July of 2011, is to make sure the district addresses the issues raised with its accreditation, which it has held since 1952.
Accreditation is a voluntary, peer-review accountability process that periodically evaluates institutions based on standards of educational practice and effectiveness in order to make quality improvement in the interest of student success, the district reported.
And while it's voluntary, Houston said the district has no choice but to participate in order to ensure that, among other things, students who attend are eligible for federal student aid and that their units transfer to other educational institutions.
“It's a uniquely American process of accountability,” he said.
Houston emphasized that the probation sanction does not apply to the Woodland college campus.
The probation sanction came after the commission's accreditation visit last October and the commission's meeting in early January when it reviewed evaluation visits from several dozen two-year colleges throughout California, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.
While the probation sanction was imposed, at the same time the commission commended the Yuba College faculty, staff and administrators for “the positive campus climate. The team perceived the college community to be thoughtful and very optimistic about the future of the college;” and for “the dedication and enthusiasm of its administration, faculty and staff toward the teaching and learning process, the students, and the institution.”
Campus officials said the commission also noted in its report, “Yuba College serves a wide geographic area, where many of its residents do not have convenient access to higher education opportunities; these are provided through the college’s off campus locations; the college is commended for these outreach efforts.”
The commission also commended the Yuba College library faculty and staff “while struggling with budgetary and relocation challenges to multiple off campus locations, they continue a heroic effort with success of offering services and innovation of much needed services to students; as well as all other members of the campus community;” and the Yuba College culinary arts program “for its service to the college community.”
Houston said the accreditation team’s recommendations had actually already been identified by the college’s administration, faculty and staff through a comprehensive self-evaluation process.
The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges did not respond to Lake County News' request for comment about the findings.
Budget, morale impact college's efforts
Houston, who previously worked with the Lassen Community College District to overcome a similar probation issue, said Yuba College is working to having the issues resolved by its fall deadline. “We're not going to take any chances with respect to this.”
Among the sanctions the accreditation body can take, warning is the least severe, followed by probation and then “show cause,” he said.
The probation sanction, Houston explained, is used when the accrediting body is concerned that an institution isn't taking its recommendations seriously.
In Yuba College's case, that's because the issues the college is working on now were first identified in a 2005 accreditation visit, Houston said.
The recent accreditation update process began with an 18-month self-evaluation by the college, with the commission then sending a team of educators to verify what the college's self-evaluation found, he said.
Yuba's self-evaluation acknowledged that it had not made complete progress on addressing its accreditation issues. “That's a red flag to the commission now,” Houston said.
Houston said many institutions in California have had such similar sanctions imposed on them in recent years.
“Many of us are struggling, particularly with the budget issues we've had for the last half a dozen years,” he said.
He added, “The budget has exacerbated our ability to respond to these kinds of requirements.”
Houston said the district also has dealt with morale issues, with the search process for his job focusing on finding an individual who would restore civility, harmony and collegiality. “At the very time we should have been building all of that, folks weren't working together well,” he said.
In the last year, said Houston, there has been “substantial cultural and climate change” in the district, with some new administrators, including acting dean Art Pimentel at the Clear Lake Campus, and a new president, vice president and vice chancellor.
Earlier this month Houston held a forum at the Clear Lake Campus, where he found morale high and students and staff optimistic.
“I know we're going to get this work done because the obstacles that stood in our way are actually behind us,” said Houston.
In a written statement, YCCD Trustee and Board Chair Brent Hastey said, “I’m really proud of how the administration, faculty and staff at our colleges have committed to working together to improve student success Yuba College and the Yuba Community College District is a very different institution that it was just a few years ago because of that new commitment to collaboration and yet is unchanged in its commitment to students and our communities.”
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