According to the Maryland Higher Education Commission, accreditation is "a voluntary process of self-regulation and peer review adopted by the educational community." This means that educational institutions have agreed to evaluate one another to determine whether each has successfully achieved their stated educational goals.
- Develop strategic plans that are directly tied to district resource allocation for all entities
- Develop a communications process to address key concerns
- Communicate results of Board of Trustee's self-evaluation process
- Develop a clearly defined code of ethics that includes board violations of the code
- Provide clear delineation of functional responsibilities
- Assess and communicate decision-making processes
The new chancellor for South Orange County Community College District, Gary Poertner, told the OC Register, "It is imperative that the colleges and district work together to collectively correct any deficiencies and strive for continual self-improvement on behalf of our students. This is both a challenge and an opportunity."
This video explains why accreditation is important when it comes to choosing a college.
Back on Track
- Fiscal stability
- Leadership and planning
- Improved board relations
- More efficient staffing
- Better communication and coordination
- Improved organization
In early 2009, Solano was put on restrictive "show cause" status, which was one step from losing accreditation entirely. Substantial progress had to be made on six items of concern in just six short months, but it took almost two years before the school made all the necessary changes to reinstate their original accreditation status completely.
SCC board president Denis Honeychurch said the improvements show "clearly that the men and women at the college care deeply about the institution."