What Does the Accreditation Report Say?
Strengths of City College
Student-Centered
“All segments of the college staff expressed and demonstrated a genuine commitment to being a student-centered college” (p. 4).
Focused on Students’ Success
“The student success data for degree and certificate attainment, successful course completion rates, retention and persistence rates are in line with other similar colleges” (p. 32).
“CCSF offers its community a variety of modalities for learning, including internships, work experience courses, study abroad, distance learning and honors programs . . . Employees consistently demonstrated their concern for students, and, ultimately, the focus on students’ success. The college’s strength is definitely seen in its service to its various communities’ needs (e.g. breadth of offerings) and attention to its students’ success” (p. 31).
“The institution engages in several initiatives that foster personal and civic responsibility, as well as intellectual, aesthetic, and personal development. Examples of these initiatives include mentoring and service learning, student ambassadors and the Puente Program” (p. 39).
Equity, Diversity and Access
CCSF provides high quality educational opportunities to the very diverse population of San Francisco and its “efforts to achieve equity and diversity are exemplary” (p. 46).
“City College of San Francisco not only offers city-wide access through its campuses and sites, but also through distance education, internships, dual and concurrent enrollment programs for high school students, and study abroad programs. . . It is now offering several degrees and certificates fully online, and most transfer requirements are available online. The quality and preparation for faculty teaching courses through distance modes of education are commendable” (p. 32).
No Misuse of Funds
The Accreditation Team indicated no misuse of funds. “Financial documents generally reflect appropriate allocation and use of financial resources to support student learning programs and services” (p. 56).
Issues that City College Must Address
- Leadership City College needs to develop clearer decision-making roles and structures (p. 62). Specifically, it recommends that the Board of Trustees review and improve its operations (p. 15). It further recommends an increase in the number of administrators and classified staff and improvement in their training; both categories of workers have been downsized in recent years due to the financial situation (p. 45):
“The team is concerned there is not sufficient classified staff or administrators with appropriate preparation and experience to provide the leadership, management or services necessary to support the institution’s mission and operations” (p. 48). Page | 2
- Mission Statement The report recognizes that CCSF has recently reviewed and updated our mission statement, and recommends that we do so on a regular schedule. The report also implies that the broad, student-centered mission of the college may be too large, given current resources:
“The team recommends that the college establish a prescribed process and timeline to regularly review the mission statement and revise it as necessary. The college should use the mission statement as the benchmark to determine institutional priorities and goals . . . linked to a realistic assessment of resources” (p. 5).
- Implementation of Existing Planning Process
The report praised the planning process the college has recently designed and recommends full implementation of that process or a streamlined version of it:
“The team recommends the college to develop a strategy for fully implementing is existing planning process to look at each campus and site, examine revenues and expenses, and systematically address instructional program planning, staffing requirements, provision of student and library services, including facilities needs and competing priorities.” (p. 5-6).
- Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes
The report recommends a stronger focus on assessing student learning outcomes. “Student learning outcomes” refers to the emphasis in education on what students learn, instead of what teachers teach, since what matters most is what students walk away with. The report indicates that college has made major strides in assessing these outcomes, but it wants to see this work systematized across the college:
“Student learning outcomes are in place for most courses and programs . . . However, the quality of self-reflective dialogue varies and collegewide dialogue needs to be strengthened” (p. 28).
- Financial Planning and Loss of Revenue
It recommends that the college improve its financial planning and replenish the reserves that have been tapped in recent years and set aside more money for future costs. The report acknowledges that college has already taken steps in this direction, including consulting with a Fiscal Crisis Management Team:
“As one of California’s largest providers of noncredit education, the college’s fiscal health has been further challenged by the state’s ongoing low level of funding for noncredit instruction”
(p. 55).
“The lack of self examination and failure to react to ongoing reduced funding has caused the institution to reach a financial breaking point. The college’s unrestricted net assets are in a deficit position for the third consecutive year and the deficit continues to grow. Without sufficient cash flow and reserves to maintain financial stability and realistic plans for the future, CCSF will be challenged to maintain financial solvency . . . Unless the scope of the mission is adjusted or the college finds an additional stable funding source, it is unlikely the college can continue programs at its current level” (p. 55).
Link to the report, information on City College’s accreditation process, and other related documents: http://bit.ly/CCSFaccred. The ACCJC website is www.accjc.org.
This information compiled by AFT 2121 members
www.aft2121.org