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June29, 2007
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Dr. EdwardValeau
ACCREDITING
COMMISSION
for COMMUNITY and
JUNIOR COLLEGES
SuperintendentJPresident
Hartnell College
156 HomesteadAvenue
Salinas, CA 93901
Dear PresidentValeau:
The Accrediting Commissionfor CommUl1ityand JuniorColleges,Western
Associationof SchoolsandColleges,at its meetingon June6-8, 2007,
reviev¥'ed
the institutionalself studyreport andthe report of the evaluation
team which visited HartnellCollegeon Monday, March 12-Thursday,
March .15,2007. The Commissionactedto place Hartn~ll College on
10COMMERCIAL
BOULEVARD Probation, effective immediately,andto requirethat the college submit
SUITE
204
two ProgressReportson October 15,2007, and March 15, 2008. Each
TELEPHONE:
NOVATO.(415)
CA 94949
506-0234
report will be .c1011
owed b y a VISit
.. 0f C OmtnlSSlOn
,.
representatives.
.
FAX: (415) 506-0238
E-MAIL:
accjc@accjc,org
www.occjc,org
Cha'rperson
E,JANKEHOE
CCLDIF
Vice Chairperson
LURELEAN
B.GAINES
East~
Angeles College
BAR:~~d:.~ENO
Vice President
DEBORAH
G.B~UE
VicePresident
GARMAN
JACK
POND
Associate
Vice President
LlLYOWYANG
Business
Officer
DEANNE
WILBURN
ITAS
TOMLANE
.a
Administrative Assistant
CLARE
GOLDBERG
..,
d h th C
,.
finds ha
...
d .
ro ation is issue w en e Om.tnIsslon
t t an InStitution evlates
significantly from the Commission'seligibility criteria, standards,or
policies, or fails to respondto actionsand conditionsimposedby the
Commission. The accreditedstatusof the institution continuesduringthe
nrobation~eriod, However,the institution' s accreditationwill notbe
P b
reaffirmed until the conditions which warranted probation are removed.
I also wish to infonn you thatunderU.S. Departmentof Education
regulations,institutions on sanctionare expectedto correctdeficienciesin
no more thana two-yearperiod or the Commissionmust take actionto
temrinateaccreditation
.
The Commissionnotesthat severaldeficienciesatthe collegehavethe
potentialto significantlyand negativelyaffect the long term ability of
Hartnell Collegeto carry out its educationalmission.Someof theseissues
are long standingdeficienciesandhave beenpreviouslyidentified by teams
visiting the collegeover the pastdecadeand more. The collegefailed to
resolvethreeof the recommendations
given by the lastcomprehensive
evaluationteamin the year 2000;one of thoserecommendations,on
effective governance,has beena troubling issue at the college for more than
decade,The faculty participationin the self studyprocessfor this 2007
d '..
.
Ii ' d
'
. h
If d
~
accre ltatlon VISItwas mite, as It was rn t e se stu y processlor the
2000 accreditationvisit. The Commissionwishesto remind the collegethat
the WASC membershiprequiresan institution's continuedcommitmentto
meetingthe Standardsof Accreditationand to soundeducationalpractice.
Dr. Edward Vale au
Hartnell College
June 29, 2007
Page Two
The failure of the institution to demonstrate that all constituent groups -Trustees,
Administration, Faculty and Students -are appropriately engaged in ongoing activities of
institutional self assessment,and in planning and implementing improvements, is of
significant concern to the Commission. I am therefore compelled to advise the college that
should it not make immediate and significant progress in addressing the Commission's
concerns noted below, it may face a further sanction of Show Cause at the Commission's next
meeting.
The Commission wishes to note that the first Progress Report of October 15, 2007 should
demonstrate resolution of recommendation 7 and resolution of Commission Concern 1 below,
and provide evidence of clear and significant institutional progress in resolving
recommendations 1 -6.
Recommendation 7. The team recommends that the Board of Trustees completes their Ethics
Policy by developing procedures for sanctioning those who commit ethical violations, and
that they develop a comprehensive trustee development plan that provides training focused
upon appropriate board behavior, roles and responsibilities. (Standards IV.B.l.a; IV .B.l.e;
IV.B.l.f;
IV.B.l.g;
IV.B.l.h)
The Commission wishes to express its significant concerns with the ethical behavior of the
Board. It is essential the Governing Board fuJly understand the importance of its
responsibility for "the quality, integrity, and fInancial stability of the institutions" (ER 3) and
find the means to work as a unit for the good of the institution.
Commission Concern 1: The Commission asks Hartnell College to demonstrate the way in
which it meets and commits to continuing to meet Eligibilitv Reauirement 21 which requires
the institution to ".. .comply with Commission requests, directives, decisions, and policies,
and.. .make complete, accurate, and honest disclosure."
The second Progress Report of March 15, 2008 should provide evidence of the institution's
resolution of recommendations 1 -6, below and Commission Concern 2.
Recommendation 1. The team recommends that the college develop a professional ethics
code for all personnel and use it as a foundation for conducting an ongoing, collegial, self
reflective dialogue about the continuous improvement of student learning and institutional
processes, including the governance process. (Standards I.B.1; III.A.l.d; IV .A.l)
Recommendation 2. The team reconunends that college constituencies agree upon and
implement an ongoing, systematic, integrated process for program review. planning,
budgeting and hiring, and that a means be developed to coIDffi1n1icatedecisions made in those
arenas back to the campus at large. (Standards l.B.3; l.B.5; m.A.6; III.B.2.b; ill.C.2;
ill.D.I.a; ill.D.2;
ill.D.2.b)
Dr. Edward Valeau
Hartnell College
June29, 2007
PageThree
Recommendation3. The teamrecommendsthat a planningprocessbe completedthatwill
addressthe needsfor staffing andmaintenancein newbuildings and for technologysupportin
both new and existing buildings. (StandardsI.B.3; I.B.4; I.B.6; III.A.2; Ill.A.6; m.B.l.a;
m.B.l.b; III.B.2; m.2.a; III.B.2.b; m.C.l.c; III.C.2)
Recommendation 4. The team recommendsthatthe collegeengagesin a broad-based
dialoguethat leadsto:
.The identification of StudentLearningOutcomesat the courseandprogramlevels;and
.Regular assessment
of studentprogresstoward achievementof theseoutcomes.
(StandardsU.A.l.c; II.A.2.a; II.A.2.b; II.A.2.e; II.A2.f; II.A.2.g; II.A.2.h; Il.A.2.i;
Il.A.3)
Recommendation5. The teamrecommendsthatthe college completethe review andrevision
of all courseoutlines and ensurethat the cataloginformationregardingcurrentlyoffered
coursesandprogramsis accurate. (StandardII.A.2.c; Il.A.6.c).
Recommendation6. The teamrecommendsthe creationof anenhancedlong rangefiscal
stability/enrolhnentmanagementeffort, whichutilizes the serv'icesof the Offices of Business
and Finance,fustruction, AdmissionsandRecords,StudentServices,OutreachServicesand
other appropriatecollege resources.(StandardsIII.D.l.a; ill.D.I.b; III.D.l.c; ill.D.2.c)
Commission Concern 2: The CommissionasksHartnell Collegeto demonstratethat it
meetsEligibilitY RegyirementlO which requiresthe institution "defines andpublishesfor
eachprogramthe program' s expectedstudentlearningand achievementoutcomes.Through
regularand systematicassessment,
it demonstrates
that studentswho completeprograms,no
matterwhereor how they are offered,achievetheseoutcomes.
A revised copy of the team report is attached.Additional copiesmay now be duplicated.The
Commissionrequires you to give the teamreportandthis letter disseminationto your college
smff and to thosewho were signatoriesof your collegeself studyreport. This groupshould
include campusleadershipand the Board of Trustees.The Commissionalsorequiresthatthe
team reportand the self study reportbe madeavailableto studentsandthe public. Placing
copiesin the college library can accomplishthis. Shouldyou wantthe report electronicallyto
place on your web site or for someotherpurpose,pleasecontactCommissionstaff.
The recommendations
containedin the evaluationteamreportrepresentthe observationsof
the evaluationteam at the time of the visit. The Commissionremindsyou thatwhile an
institution may concur or disagreewith anypart of the teamreport, the collegeis expectedto
usethe reportto improve the educationalprogramsand servicesof the institution. All team
recommendationsare expectedto be fully addressedby the time of the institution's next
comprehensiveevaluationvisit; somehave beensingled out for earlierresolution.
c
Dr. EdwardValeau
Hartnell College
June 29, 2007
PageFour
All collegesare requiredto file a Midterm Reportin the third year aftereachcomprehensive
evaluation. Hartnell College should submittile Midterm Reportby March 15,2010. Midterm
Reportsindicateprogresstowardmeetingthe evaluationteam'srecommendations.The report
also includesa summaryof progresson college-identifiedplans for improvementasexpressed
in the self study.
The collegeconducteda comprehensiveself studyas part of its evaluation. The Commission
suggeststhat the plans for improvementof the institution included in that documentbe taken
into accountin the continuing developmentof Hartnell College. The next comprehensive
evaluationof the college will occur during Spring2013.
Finally, let me take this opportunityto remind you that federal legislationaffecting
accreditingagenciesrequiresthataccreditedcollegesconductsystematicassessment
of
educationaloutcomes(seeespeciallyStandardsOneandTwo). A further requirementis that
accreditingagencjespay close attentionto studentloan defaultrates.
On behalf of the Commission,I wish to expresscontinuinginterestin the institution's
educationalprogrmnsand services. Professionalself-regulationis the mosteffectivemeans
of assuringintegrity, effectivenessand quality.
Sincerely,
l~c.(..4.o(L'('~
a IJuo-BarbaraA. Beno, Ph.D.
President
BAB/tl
cc: Dr. Allan M. Hoffman, AccreditationLiaison Officer
Board President,Hartnell CCD
Dr. ChristopherMcCarthy, TeamChair
EvaluationTeam Members
Ms. Linda Henderson,U.S. DOE
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