Northwest Commission on College and Universities (NWCCU)
Annual Update for WSQA
Academic Year 2014, 2015
Due November 6, 2015
College Name: North Seattle College
Contact Person: Dr. Kristen Jones, Vice President for Instruction
Contact Phone: 206-934-3701
Contact email: Kristen.jones@seattlecolleges.edu
Name of College: North Seattle College
Accreditation recommendations to the
College and year of recommendation
The evaluation committee recommends
that the College take the steps necessary
to implement the recommendations of
the 2011 Facility Condition survey to
adequately support the academic and
support programs that are integral to
core themes (Standard 2.G.1).
[July 29, 2013 letter to NSC President
Mark Mitsui from NWCCU president
Sandra Elman]
Actions taken by the college to address
recommendations
The 2011 Facilities Condition Survey (FCS)
identified a number of items that needed
attention. The items fell into two categories:
infrastructure and buildings.
In the FCS, “infrastructure” refers to the
property outside of the building itself, things
such as drainage, walkways, parking lots,
grounds, etc. The college has not addressed the
infrastructure items identified in the 2011 FCS
because historically such items have not been
included in funding provided by the SBCTC, and
the college has not had local resources to
address the concerns. However, beginning with
the 2017-19 biennium, the FCS process will
1
Improvement results
Item: Portable freezer and refrigerator in the
kitchen need to be replaced with built-in
models.
Status: These were replaced when the kitchen
was remodeled in 2013.
Item: A deteriorating 3-pot sink needs to be
replaced.
Status: This was replaced with the kitchen was
remodeled in 2013.
Item: A concrete slab near the entry has a low
spot that allows rain water to pool. A drain
should be installed.
Status: This was completed in the 2013-15
Name of College: North Seattle College
Accreditation recommendations to the
College and year of recommendation
Actions taken by the college to address
recommendations
include funding for infrastructure items. At that
time, the college will submit a request for
funding. However, its request will have to
compete with infrastructure requests from the
other colleges in the state. Requests are
expected to exceed available funds, so the
college is not assured that its request will be
funded, either in whole or in part.
In addition to infrastructure items, the FCS (pp.
4-5) identified a number of repairs that were
needed within various campus buildings. Many
repairs have been complete, others will occur
within the current biennium (2015-17), and
others will be ongoing into 2017-19 and
beyond. The table in the next column
summarizes the status of each of the items
cited in the FCS.
Improvement results
biennium.
Item: Fire/smoke dampers in several buildings
need replacing.
Status: Two-thirds of these have been replaced.
The remaining one-third have been purchased
and will be installed in the 2015-17 biennium.
Item: Several electric duct heaters from the
original 1969 construction need to be replaced.
Status: Two-thirds of these have been replaced.
The additional ones are deferred until the 201719 biennium.
Item: Air dampers and electric actuators on four
buildings need to be replaced.
Status: Pneumatic actuators have been replaced
with electric in the College Center, Library and
Instruction buildings. Dampers have been
replaced in the College Center and Library. The
old Technology Building was completely
remodeled which effectively addressed the
problem.
Item: Pneumatic control air compressors and
refrigerated air dryers need to be replaced at
three locations in science and HVAC labs.
Status: This work has been completed.
Item: Aluminum handrails, balusters and post
bases on the elevate walkways and stairwells
need to be replaced over the next several years.
2
Name of College: North Seattle College
Accreditation recommendations to the
College and year of recommendation
Actions taken by the college to address
recommendations
Improvement results
Status: This work has been completed on the
handrails above the central courtyard. This
represents approximately 20% of the entire
project. More work has been funded and is
planned for 2015-17, and yet more work will
occur in 2017-19. The work is likely to continue
into the 2019-21 biennium.
Item: Original door hardware on several
buildings is old, worn and failing. It needs to be
replaced.
Status: Work on this item is ongoing. The worst,
most-worn hardware was replaced in 2013-15,
but funding for the remainder of the project has
been deferred by SBCTC. In the meantime,
when possible left-over RMI (repair and minor
improvement) funds will be used to continue to
address the item.
3
Name of College: North Seattle College
Accreditation recommendations to the
College and year of recommendation
Actions taken by the college to address
recommendations
The evaluation committee recommends
that for each year of operation, the
College undergo an external financial
audit and that the results from such
audits, including findings and
management letter recommendations,
be considered in a timely, appropriate
and comprehensive manner by the
Board of Trustees (Eligibility
Requirement 19 and Standard 2.F.7).
In August 2014, the college submitted an Ad
Hoc report, as requested by NWCCU, describing
actions taken in response to this
recommendation. The report noted that
addressing the recommendation required that
the college
1. Develop financial statements in
accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles
2. Contract with professional qualified
personnel to audit the financial
statements;
3. Ensure that the college administration
and board review and consider the
results of the financial statement audit
in a timely, appropriate and
comprehensive manner.
[July 29, 2013 letter to NSC President
Mark Mitsui from NWCCU president
Sandra Elman]
Develop financial statements . . .
The State Board for Community and Technical
Colleges (SBCTC) convened a pilot group
consisting of nine colleges, including North
Seattle College. In August 2014, North Seattle
completed its initial statements under the new
accounting standards. These statements were
for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013
(FY2013).
Contract with qualified personnel . . .
The Seattle Colleges contracted with the
Washington State Auditor’s Office (SAO) to
audit their financial statements. Washington
state law establishes SAO as the auditor of
public accounts. SAO employees are
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Improvement results
The following excerpts from the minutes of the
March 12, 2015 board meeting are apropos the
commission’s recommendation:
The audit determined that there have
been no material misstatements in Seattle
Colleges' financial statements, no
significant deficiencies in internal control
over reporting, no instances of
noncompliance.
Ms. Li also confirmed that this audit meets
the requirements of the accreditation
process.
Seattle Colleges is committed to improving
their financial reporting and compliance,
and is a leader in this area-being the 5th
community college in the state to undergo
this process.
As Dr. Jones noted in her August 18, 2015 letter
to NWCCU, “North Seattle College anticipates
that this audit report will meet the criteria for
accreditation requirements for
Recommendation 2, and we look forward to
receiving a report from NWCCU after the
Commission reviews this material at their
January 2016 meeting.”
Name of College: North Seattle College
Accreditation recommendations to the
College and year of recommendation
Actions taken by the college to address
recommendations
experienced in auditing public universities’
business-type activity financial statements,
having audited several public colleges since
GASB 34 became effective in 2002. The audit
of Seattle Colleges—including North Seattle, its
sister colleges, and the district office—was
conducted during Fall Quarter 2014
(September-December 2014).
Ensure timely review of audit . . .
The 2013 Financial Report, which included the
Washington State Auditor’s “Independent
Auditor’s Report on Financial Statements” was
presented to and approved by the Board of
Trustees at its meeting on March 12, 2015. The
presentation was made by Kurt Buttleman,
Seattle College District’s Vice Chancellor of
Finance & Technology, and June Li, Assistant
State Auditor.
The Financial Report and the board meeting
minutes were sent to the NWCCU on August
18, 2015, by Dr. Kristen Jones, Vice President
for Instruction and Accreditation Liaison
Officer.
The college will report on these two
recommendations in its Year Seven Self-Study
Report that it will be submitting in March 2016.
5
Improvement results