NMC attends accreditation workshop in California

Northern Marianas College Board of Regents chair Kim King-Hinds, NMC president Tony V. DeLeon Guerrero, dean Jeanette Villagomez, and faculty member Danny Wyatt attended an accreditation workshop in California last month.

The NMC officials participated in a three-day Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges Accreditation Workshop in San Francisco held from Nov. 17 to 19. The Western Association of School and Colleges Workshop was held in conjunction with the Community College League of California Annual Convention.

The ACCJC workshop, according to NMC’s weekly update newsletter, was designed to help college administrators and senior leaders prepare for the accreditation review of their institutions and outlined the Commission’s expectations for ongoing institutional self-assessment and improvement.

The presenters of the WASC workshop were Dr. Barbara Beno and Deborah Blue who provided the participants with a historical summary of the transformational changes of the accreditation standards from the 1960’s to the 2002 standards.

“Of particular importance to NMC were two particularly enlightening moments; the first was in recognizing that, as far as assessment goes, we are not that far behind any other institution when viewed as a whole, at least in California,” said Deleon Guerrero, adding that the emphasis of the accreditation process now is a proof that decisions are made following proper assessment procedures.

He said assessment is not divorced from accreditation that in fact it is all supposed to be tied together.

“Along those lines, the overall fear of the accreditation process we may feel is widespread among all institutions. Further, if one asks, “How do I write‚ or what format should I follow” the reply is invariably, “You have to decide on your own,” said the NMC president.

“The concept program‚ was discussed extensively during the workshop,” said Deleon Guerrero. He said the final recommendation was for institutions to define programs and use a certain clear definition throughout their report. A degree program, developmental studies program, student support, or any other area that produces a final product should also be considered, he said.

The accreditation team would expect to see extensive faculty and staff involvement in the accreditation and decision-making processes at the college, he said.

For a more comprehensive report on NMC’s participation in the workshop in California, interested individuals may contact Daisie Camacho at the college.