While the two-year Majuro-based college fared well in its review by the U.S. Western Association of Schools and Colleges’ Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, other two-year colleges in U.S.-affiliated islands did not.
Northern Marianas College in Saipan was continued on “show cause,” the harshest sanction imposed and the final step before termination of accreditation.
American Samoa Community College was placed on “probation,” while the College of Micronesia in Pohnpei had its follow up assessment report rejected by the commission.
The College of the Marshall Islands was one of seven institutions that were removed from “warning” status and had their accreditation reaffirmed.
Since the college’s former business manager was charged in 2002 with embezzling more than $600,000, the Majuro college has been under sanction by WASC. By 2006, WASC put the college on “show cause,” and was close to terminating accreditation, which would have cut off access to U.S. federal funding. U.S. funding injects more than $3 million annually to the college.
But a revamping of the college’s board of regents by government in 2006 in response to WASC requirements, and the board’s subsequent hiring of current President Wilson Hess put the college on its road to recovery.
“Led by a reconstituted and revitalized board and with strong support from the government, the College has focused on implementing best practices designed to improve institutional effectiveness,” Hess said.
“In the Fall 2008 semester just reviewed (by WASC), CMI had 64 percent of its first year students return from the previous fall — 10 percent higher than the U.S. community college average of 54 percent,” Hess said. “In a U.S. national survey of student engagement, the College of the Marshall Islands scored higher than any other community college accredited (by WASC). This means 200 more students are attending CMI than just two years ago and they are succeeding in unprecedented numbers.”
CMI’s board, administrators, faculty, and staff cannot bask in their freshly minted accreditation for long. In less than a month, the biggest-ever team from WASC — a group of nine educators — will descend on the Majuro campus to audit every activity of the college. Because of CMI’s improving status, WASC did not send a review team in 2008. But next month’s
WASC group will more than make up for the visit layoff.
“This is not a time to relax, but rather time to continue our efforts to bring quality higher educational opportunities to the people of the Marshall Islands,” Hess said Wednesday.
