By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

AN ACCREDITATION team from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Senior Commission, will conduct a “capacity and preparatory review” from Jan. 31 through Feb. 2 at the University of Guam.
The six-member team will be evaluating UOG using the following four standards:
* Defining institutional purposes and ensuring educational objectives;
* Achieving educational objects through core functions;
* Developing and applying resources and organizational structures to ensure sustainability; and
* Creating an organization committed to learning and improvement.
According to UOG spokesperson Cathleen Moore-Lin, the capacity review is one component of the WASC re-accreditation process that examines the current state of the University of Guam, the institution’s plans to improve student learning and educational effectiveness, and how the university plans to use its resources to achieve institutional goals.
The WASC team will meet with students, faculty, and staff, as well as the governor and members of the Legislature during the three-day visit. The capacity review will be followed by an “educational effectiveness review” scheduled for 2008.
The review comes as the university announced an austerity program that would cut down its expenditures, prioritize service contracts, and freeze hiring due to the lack of funding allotments from the administration.
For fiscal year 2007, all UOG non-personnel expenditures will be limited to 80 percent of approved budgets and expenditures already exceeding that level are frozen until the 80 percent threshold is reached.
In addition, the university business office will only process emergency purchase orders, requests for proposals, and bids, with all other requested procurement actions returned to the originator.
It is not yet clear how these austerity measures may affect the university’s mission, but according to UOG president Harold Allen, the austerity measures are needed because UOG faces an “extremely problematic” financial situation.
“We must make difficult choices within the cash available and our agreed priorities,” Allen said in an open letter distributed to university personnel.
He added that should current financial conditions continue much further, the university would implement even more austerity measures.