Accreditation - February 3, 2009
· Solano Community College District (SCC) is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACCJC). http://www.accjc.org
· Since January 31, 2008, our accreditation has had a “Warning” sanction. ACCJC’s letter states, “The accredited status of the institution continues during the warning period.” This means SCC classes, past and present, are transferable to other colleges.
· The accreditation commission’s concerns to date deal with Institutional Planning, Staffing and Organizational Stability, Fiscal Integrity and Stability, and Leadership, not classes.
· Accreditation is the single most important issue that the College is actively and collectively addressing at all levels.
· Classes will not be cancelled due to accreditation issues. Accreditation is given to the institution as a whole, not to classes.
· We will keep our students, prospective student, college staff and the general public informed of our accreditation actions and progress in several ways:
- Post information on our website: http://www.solano.edu
- Post questions and answers on a blog linked on our website: http://scc-progress.blogspot.com
- Send news releases to district media
· Solano Community College’s Governing Board, administration, faculty and staff are all responsible for accreditation and improving our status. We are committed to resolving the Commission’s recommendations and to becoming accredited without sanctions.
· SCC has already taken extraordinary steps to address and resolve ACCJC’s recommendations:
- Commissioned the “Administrative Review/Fiscal Health Analysis”, December 17, 2008, by Education Management and Assistance Corporation (EdMAC), to provide specific action items regarding fiscal operations and stability, and accreditation recommendations
- Hired Special Trustee Tom Henry, CEO of EdMAC, January 8, 2009, to guide and direct the Governing Board and administration in the recovery process
- Held faculty accreditation and Board leadership workshops regarding ACCJC recommendations
- Organized our accreditation team under Shared Governance for greater communication and cooperation
- Established a “Corrective Action Matrix” plan to help ensure we address issues in a timely and comprehensive manner. This will be posted on our website weekly beginning in February.
· Questions from the media or general public can be directed to:
- Ross Beck Director of Public Information, Marketing & Communications
- Tel: 707.863.7801, ross.beck@solano.edu
- http://scc-progress.blogspot.com
What is Accreditation?
· “Accreditation is the process for evaluating and assuring the quality of education used by the American higher education community. It is a uniquely American quality assurance process through which institutions collectively set standards for good practice, conduct peer-based evaluations of institutions on a regular basis, confer accredited status on institutions, and make the results of accreditation review of institutions known to the public. Through accreditation, the higher education community shoulders the responsibility for monitoring the quality of the programs and services of member institutions. Agencies that develop and apply standards are often called accrediting commissions. Accrediting commissions were created by the collective group of institutions that wished to engage in the quality review and assurance process, and those institutions were and are referred to as the member institutions of a commission”
- ACCJC’s Web site.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Inauguration by Dean Erin Vines
From: Erin Vines, SCC Dean of Counseling
Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 2:26 PM
Subject: Inaguration
Today, January 20, 2009 was one of the most defining moments of my life. I had the opportunity to witness the Presidential Inauguration in Washington DC where President Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. The energy at the inauguration was powerful. I thought of my late father and family who grew up in the segregated south. I am so proud of the progress we have made as a country. A day I never imagined has come true. America has spoken.
Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 2:26 PM
Subject: Inaguration
Today, January 20, 2009 was one of the most defining moments of my life. I had the opportunity to witness the Presidential Inauguration in Washington DC where President Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. The energy at the inauguration was powerful. I thought of my late father and family who grew up in the segregated south. I am so proud of the progress we have made as a country. A day I never imagined has come true. America has spoken.
Power is up - we are open for classes!
Thanks to late night work by SCC facilities staff and Wulff Electric, Solano College has power and we are open for classes.
Our online registration system, email and phone servers are all working thanks to our Information Technology staff.
So SCC classes start today! It is a very good day!!! Yeah team!!
Our online registration system, email and phone servers are all working thanks to our Information Technology staff.
So SCC classes start today! It is a very good day!!! Yeah team!!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
ww.solano.edu back up, power due Monday
Our website, www.solano.edu, is back up thanks to the installation of a generator and a lot of work by our Facilities/Electrical and Information Technology staff. This means students can continue to register for spring classes or add and delete classes to their schedule.
Power is still out on the Fairfield campus, but a new underground high voltage cable is scheduled to be installed late on Monday, which will restore power.
The college is closed on Monday in observance of the Dr. Martin Luther King holiday.
Classes start Tuesday, January 20th. We will see you then!
Power is still out on the Fairfield campus, but a new underground high voltage cable is scheduled to be installed late on Monday, which will restore power.
The college is closed on Monday in observance of the Dr. Martin Luther King holiday.
Classes start Tuesday, January 20th. We will see you then!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Power Outage at Fairfield Campus
All electrical power was lost that the Fairfield campus early Saturday, January 17, 2009. This has temporarily shut down our online registration system (www.solano.edu) for classes and our telephone system. Bad luck as we are in the middle of registration for spring classes. However, we are working hard to get all systems back up as soon as possible.
Information Hot Line: (707) 580-6060
We have a set up an information hot line that will be updated frequently to let you know when various systems are back up.
We have informed local media (newspaper and radio) and will let everyone know when we are back online for registration and phones.
Until the power is restored, the campus is closed. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Information Hot Line: (707) 580-6060
We have a set up an information hot line that will be updated frequently to let you know when various systems are back up.
We have informed local media (newspaper and radio) and will let everyone know when we are back online for registration and phones.
Until the power is restored, the campus is closed. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Special Trustee Tom Henry Hired
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - January 13, 2009
Tom Henry Selected as Special Trustee at SCC
FAIRFIELD, CA – Solano Community College District has announced the hiring of Mr. Tom Henry, CEO/President of Education Management and Assistance Corporation (EdMAC), as their special trustee to advise and guide the governing board and administration in resolving issues related to accreditation (see blog below), fiscal stability, and operational practices.
Jack Scott, Chancellor of the California Community College system, recommended that the SCCD Board hire a special trustee during his presentation at their special Board meeting January 5th. The Board passed a resolution to that affect at their special January 7th meeting.
“We are very pleased Mr. Henry will be working with us to quickly address the serious issue we are facing,” states Dr. Lisa Waits, Interim Superintendent/President. “Mr. Henry’s expertise and experience, along with his success at Lassen and Compton Community Colleges, provides us with a much needed resource. This is a critical milestone on our path to recovery!”
The contract between Solano Community College District and EdMAC will be brought before the SCCD Governing Board for ratification at their regular January 21st meeting. Henry’s contract began January 8, 2009 for approximately 18 months at a cost of $200/hour. He is expected to be working at the Fairfield campus two to three days per week.
“I am pleased to be able to assist the Board, administration, faculty, staff and educational community with institutional leadership and recovery,” states Henry. “The students, faculty and staff deserve our best effort in restoring quality education.”
The Education and Assistance Corporation (EdMAC) provided the December 17, 2008 SCCD report “Administrative Review/Fiscal Health Analysis” requested by Dr. Lisa J. Waits, SCCD Superintendent/President. This report included a detailed review of the College’s administrative operations and fiscal health, and provided numerous recommendations.
Mr. Henry was appointed through legislation and the State Chancellor’s Office at Compton Community College and appointed at Lassen Community College through a “resolution agreement.” Mr. Henry was instrumental in maintaining a community college presence at Compton and moving Lassen Community College to recognized accreditation progress and status. He served on the Governor Schwarzenegger’s Advisory Committee on Education Excellence.
Solano Community College (SCC) serves approximately 20,000 students annually at their Fairfield campus and Vallejo and Vacaville Centers. Programs in biotechnology, nursing, early childhood education, speech and debate, and theatre have regional, statewide, and national reputations for excellence. Additional information about the college is online at http://www.solano.edu/.
# # # #
Tom Henry Selected as Special Trustee at SCC
FAIRFIELD, CA – Solano Community College District has announced the hiring of Mr. Tom Henry, CEO/President of Education Management and Assistance Corporation (EdMAC), as their special trustee to advise and guide the governing board and administration in resolving issues related to accreditation (see blog below), fiscal stability, and operational practices.
Jack Scott, Chancellor of the California Community College system, recommended that the SCCD Board hire a special trustee during his presentation at their special Board meeting January 5th. The Board passed a resolution to that affect at their special January 7th meeting.
“We are very pleased Mr. Henry will be working with us to quickly address the serious issue we are facing,” states Dr. Lisa Waits, Interim Superintendent/President. “Mr. Henry’s expertise and experience, along with his success at Lassen and Compton Community Colleges, provides us with a much needed resource. This is a critical milestone on our path to recovery!”
The contract between Solano Community College District and EdMAC will be brought before the SCCD Governing Board for ratification at their regular January 21st meeting. Henry’s contract began January 8, 2009 for approximately 18 months at a cost of $200/hour. He is expected to be working at the Fairfield campus two to three days per week.
“I am pleased to be able to assist the Board, administration, faculty, staff and educational community with institutional leadership and recovery,” states Henry. “The students, faculty and staff deserve our best effort in restoring quality education.”
The Education and Assistance Corporation (EdMAC) provided the December 17, 2008 SCCD report “Administrative Review/Fiscal Health Analysis” requested by Dr. Lisa J. Waits, SCCD Superintendent/President. This report included a detailed review of the College’s administrative operations and fiscal health, and provided numerous recommendations.
Mr. Henry was appointed through legislation and the State Chancellor’s Office at Compton Community College and appointed at Lassen Community College through a “resolution agreement.” Mr. Henry was instrumental in maintaining a community college presence at Compton and moving Lassen Community College to recognized accreditation progress and status. He served on the Governor Schwarzenegger’s Advisory Committee on Education Excellence.
Solano Community College (SCC) serves approximately 20,000 students annually at their Fairfield campus and Vallejo and Vacaville Centers. Programs in biotechnology, nursing, early childhood education, speech and debate, and theatre have regional, statewide, and national reputations for excellence. Additional information about the college is online at http://www.solano.edu/.
# # # #
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Accreditation
We are accredited!
Solano Community College has been accredited since our founding in 1945. We are accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC): http://www.accjc.org/
Currently, SCC is accredited with a warning status. Details on why are available on our website: http://www.solano.edu/institutional_research/accreditation.html.
Everyone should understand that SCC is accredited through the review process, even with a warning status. Students can be assured our classes are transferable to four-year colleges. Even as we address a number of serious accreditation issues, we do have excellent programs, faculty and staff.
What are we doing about improving our accreditation status?
Dr. Lisa J. Waits, Ed.D., Interim Superintendent/President, and Dr. Robin Steinback, Vice President of Academic Affairs, will be appearing before the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) on Friday, January 9, 2009. They will inform the commission that Solano Community College is serious about addressing the commission's concerns, including SCC retaining a special trustee this year to assist us. We hope this special action will result in our being re-accredited without a status beyond our current warning. We expect to receive the commission's final report on January 31, 2009, which will be posted to our web site.
Additional information about progress with our accreditation is provided by Academic Senate President Jeff Lamb on his blog at
http://www.sccsenate.blogspot.com
Once we receive the final report with the list of recommendations, we will put an action plan together, assign responsibilities, and begin the detailed work to resolve concerns. We plan to keep our students and the public informed of our progress.
Solano Community College has been accredited since our founding in 1945. We are accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC): http://www.accjc.org/
Currently, SCC is accredited with a warning status. Details on why are available on our website: http://www.solano.edu/institutional_research/accreditation.html.
Everyone should understand that SCC is accredited through the review process, even with a warning status. Students can be assured our classes are transferable to four-year colleges. Even as we address a number of serious accreditation issues, we do have excellent programs, faculty and staff.
What are we doing about improving our accreditation status?
Dr. Lisa J. Waits, Ed.D., Interim Superintendent/President, and Dr. Robin Steinback, Vice President of Academic Affairs, will be appearing before the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) on Friday, January 9, 2009. They will inform the commission that Solano Community College is serious about addressing the commission's concerns, including SCC retaining a special trustee this year to assist us. We hope this special action will result in our being re-accredited without a status beyond our current warning. We expect to receive the commission's final report on January 31, 2009, which will be posted to our web site.
Additional information about progress with our accreditation is provided by Academic Senate President Jeff Lamb on his blog at
http://www.sccsenate.blogspot.com
Once we receive the final report with the list of recommendations, we will put an action plan together, assign responsibilities, and begin the detailed work to resolve concerns. We plan to keep our students and the public informed of our progress.
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