“The continuation of the college’s show cause status was not what we expected but it is good that we are being given the opportunity to complete work on [their recommendations],” NMC President Carmen Fernandez said yesterday,
Its current status requires NMC to show cause why its accreditation should not be revoked.
Prior to WASC’s announcement, Fernandez told Variety that they “felt positive because we’ve been getting positive responses.”
But according to WASC, NMC was not able to comply with the accreditation team’s recommendations 1 and 2 which required the college to have a “linking planning, program review, and resource allocation; and institutionalize a systematic, evidence-based process for evaluation program effectiveness.”
In a press conference yesterday, Fernandez said NMC “will continue to work together to ensure that the work is complete so that we can finally get reaffirmation” during the June meeting of WASC.
NMC, she said, has complied with the other recommendations such as student learning outcomes, the implementation of the employee evaluation process, and funding for renovating and replacing aging buildings with facilities that are appropriate to meet the current and future needs of the college.
She said NMC likewise complied with the requirement to have sufficient staff and appropriate preparation and experience to provide the administrative services necessary to support its mission and purpose.
NMC said it will submit a show cause report on April 1 this year, and this will be followed by a visit of the commission representatives.
In June, the commission will meet again to discuss NMC’s accreditation.
Fernandez said the college has made significant progress in resolving many of concerns that the commission had when it originally placed NMC on show cause status in early 2008.
“The college continues to be thankful for the outpour of support that has come from all levels of the community,” she said.
If NMC loses its accreditation, its students will no longer be eligible for federal financial aid and the course credits they earn can’t be transferred to other institutions.
