Posted: September 28, 2020Written by: Ritchie Bermudez

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Cuesta College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The ACCJC is an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education.

Member institutions participate in a self-evaluation and peer review on a regular cycle to provide assurance of quality education, promote effectiveness and continuous quality improvement, and maintain the quality of higher education in the United States. Cuesta College’s last ACCJC team visit occurred in Fall 2014 in which members visited classrooms, examined processes, and investigated college operations. As a result of that visit, Cuesta’s accreditation was reaffirmed for six years.

For Fall 2020, Cuesta College hosts a team of 11 faculty and administrators from peer colleges for a Virtual Accreditation Site Visit from Sept. 28 through Oct. 1. The current visit is based around the 2020 Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (ISER), which provides evidence of the College’s effectiveness, quality of education, and continuous quality improvement. Preparations for the ISER began in Fall 2018, and the report was submitted to the ACCJC in Summer 2020.

A brief virtual introduction to the Accreditation Site Team will occur on Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 8:00 a.m. During this session, the team will introduce themselves and describe expectations for the visit.

Two open forums are scheduled on Sept. 29 and 30 for the visiting team to receive input from college and public communities. The online forums provide an opportunity to highlight program successes and speak to activities and accomplishments that impact how the College meets accreditation standards. To ensure participants can express themselves freely, neither members of the governing board nor senior leaders of the College will be in attendance at both forums.

At the conclusion of the virtual site visit on Thursday, Oct. 1, the Accreditation Site Team will conduct a report out to the College regarding their visit. The report out will not include any official findings, recommendations, or specifics in the team's preliminary report. 

All virtual sessions and forums are open to students, faculty, staff, and members of the public:

Accreditation Visiting Team Introduction

Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 8:00 a.m.

https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/91276903479

Open Forum for Campus Community and the Public

Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 2:30 p.m.

https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/99232597154 

Open Forum for Campus Community and the Public

Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 10:30 a.m.

https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/99389466355 

Accreditation Visiting Team Report Out

Thursday, Oct. 1, at 11:00 a.m.

https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/91660488061

The Commission will finalize the results from the visit and the team’s report at a Commission meeting in Spring 2021.