NISHSouthwestern College received disappointing news today about its accreditation when it was slapped with a warning by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). Though Warning is the least severe of three levels of sanctions ACCJC can place a college, it is a serious designation for a school that was on probation for a year and a half in 2010-11 when the college faced closure.

ACCJC President Dr. Barbara Beno has given SWC 18 months to improve in 15 areas of deficiency uncovered by an external report issued by evaluation team after an on-site visit Sept. 28 – Oct. 1. SWC received nine official sanctions.

“Warning indicates the Commission has determined that an institution does not meet one or more standards and reaffirmation is not warranted,” Beno wrote in a letter to SWC President Dr. Melinda Nish. “Southwestern College is required to submit its Follow-Up Report by March 15, 2017. The report should demonstrate that the college has resolved all deficiencies and meets accreditation standards.”

Nish expressed disappointment in the WASC sanctions, but emphasized that SWC remains fully accredited during the next 18 months until it is reviewed again.

“I do not believe this ruling accurately reflects the hard work and significant progress all of our faculty, students, staff and administrators have made since our last accreditation visit,” Nish wrote in a letter to college staff. “I am confident we will address each of the recommendations with the same level of professionalism and excellence we have for the past six years.”

In February 2010, Southwestern College was placed on probation following a series of missteps by the administration and the governing board. WASC identified 10 sanctions then. SWC was nearly placed on Show Cause – the step before being closed down – but rallied under the leadership of former Interim Superintendent Denise Whitaker, Academic Senate President Angelina Stuart and a new governing board majority. SWC regained its full accreditation during the summer of 2011.

Nish replaced Whitaker in January 2012 after promising during her interviews and public forum appearances that she had expertise with accreditation, solid relationships with ACCJC officials and would guide the college to a smoother process in 2015. She received a new three-year contract last summer in the midst of SWC’s accreditation push.

College officials hastily announced a pair of public forums to discuss the Warning status and the nine sanctions. The first is Monday, February 8 at 5 p.m. followed by a second February 9 at noon. Room location has yet to be determined.

Governing Board Member Humberto Peraza said he and the other trustees knew there were deficiencies when the ACCJC visited the college during the fall, but he said he did not expect the college to get hit with a Warning status.

“These things are all fixable and we will fix them,” he said. “We need to take all of the deficiencies very seriously and work hard to address them, but we will definitely fix them.”

Peraza said he and the board have had serious concerns about fiscal services and college finances for some time.

“We knew fiscal services had issues and we are working hard on them,” he said. “We just got a brand new VP (for fiscal services, Tim Flood, hired in January). He just got here and will need a little bit of time to get around this. But we know that he will.”

Peraza said it is important that the community understand that SWC is still fully accredited and that he and the board believe that the college’s accreditation is not in any jeopardy.

“This isn’t like last time (2010) when there was that great big mess and the corruption issues,” he said. “This is more administrative stuff. It’s important stuff and we will take this situation very serious, but we are okay. The college is okay.”