If you were somehow unaware, Arapahoe Community College is under review for accreditation.  Administration, faculty, staff and students are all involved in the accreditation process; each is important in its own regard.  In preparation for the upcoming review, conducted by the Higher Learning Committee, ACC admins, staff, and students are all focusing efforts to help our college shine.

Donna Chrislip, Executive Director of Institutional Excellence here at ACC, believes ACC has much to be proud of in regards to our preparedness for accreditation.  ACC’s efforts surrounding accreditation are all in order to “let these folks know how we shine in different areas.”

The last visit from the HLC was in 2006, where weaknesses within ACC were pointed out alongside a number of strengths.  The HLC itself looks at a list of about five criterion (with 4-5 common goals underneath each one, with 4-5 addendums beneath each common goal) in its assessment of any higher learning institution.  What the HLC evaluates and looks at is both explicit and comprehensive.

Three problem areas were highlighted in the last HLC visit: a lack of institution-wide learning outcomes, a breakdown of communication between the three estates: administrative estate, classified estate, and the faculty estate, and finally, little interaction between planning and budgeting on a day-to-day basis.

Alongside these, a few strengths were also exposed: a well laid-out system of academic assessment, and good outcomes of both discipline and assessment.

In response to HLC’s concerns, ACC established strong communicative relationships between the three estates, ensuring that each was collaboratively working together for the same common goal: to provide innovative and responsive educational and economic opportunities in an accessible, inclusive environment that promotes success for students, employees, and the community.

Next, ACC created institution-wide learning outcomes.  These outcomes are posted everywhere throughout the ACC Littleton campus: bulletin boards, in stacks at the corners of high-traffic desks, in classrooms, and located in almost every office.  

ACC also followed up by establishing stronger communication and corroboration between estates.  Administration working with faculty to achieve similar goals; classified and administration cooperating with faculty; as opposed to each estate separately working towards their own ends.  On top of this, a bridge between planning and budgeting was built to be traversed on a daily basis, allowing for more concise use of budget.

ACC should be confident and excited with how it will perform for HLC in this year’s accreditation.