2 community colleges make accreditation progress
A commission has lifted the warning status on accreditation for Honolulu and Hawaii community colleges but not for Windward Community College.
In a letter received yesterday, Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges President Barbara Beno informed the schools that at its meeting last month, the commission accepted the recommendation of an evaluation team that visited all seven UH community colleges in November.
Accreditation shows the school meets recommended standards.
The commission put six UH community colleges on warning status in January 2005 over concerns about program review, governance and budgeting at both the system and community college level. Hawaii Community College was put on warning status in June.
A warning is the mildest sanction issued by the commission. Accreditation continues during the warning period.
Four community college campuses -- Kapiolani, Kauai, Leeward and Maui -- were removed from warning status in June after an evaluation team visit in April.
In its report to the commission, Honolulu Community College was praised for its progress in reviewing programs and decision-making. The evaluators also cited changes on the system level.
Since January, UH also reorganized the community college system by creating an Office of the Vice President for Community Colleges, which will oversee policy-making and the distribution of money and other resources and the development of support services for the community colleges.
The action reversed a 2002 reorganization under former UH President Evan Dobelle that eliminated the office and prompted a review of community college governance by the commission.
The next accreditation visit for community colleges will occur in the fall.
At that time, Windward Community College should demonstrate further progress on assessment, institutional effectiveness and improvement, Beno said in her letter to the school.
She also cited a recommendation that the school should tie program evaluations to planning for staffing, budgets and the elimination or addition of programs.