Southwestern College Off Probation, Regains Accreditation Status

After two years of a tumultuous campus climate, declining reputation and a complete overhaul of top administrators, Southwestern College, the South Bay's only public institution of higher learning, leaped forward much faster than anticipated and regained full accreditation.

On Wednesday the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (AACJC) announced the removal of all ten sanctions against the college after a visit to the campus in March.

None of the ten deficiencies that put Southwestern, in Chula Vista, on probation in February 2010 related to the college's ability to teach or student's ability to learn, but pointed directly towards the operation of the school's Governing Board and program review.

Imperial Beach and Coronado are home to many Southwestern College students, faculty and staff. Elizabeth Smith, a professor in the School of Language and Literature who lives in Imperial Beach, said it's inspiring to see all of the hard work pay off.

"We’re lucky and grateful that Tim Nader, Norma Hernandez and Denise Whittaker stepped forward when we needed them," she said.
"We have all kinds of knowledgeable and hardworking people at Southwestern. They made it possible for us to do what we’ve always been able to do. It’s a relief to be able to get back to just focusing on doing our jobs," Smith said.

She said it was tempting to give up in the face of the former board who were entrenched, powerful and financially well-equipped.

Then, she said, it was common to see efforts to solve the college's problems undermined and disrespected, but once those people were out of the way, others worked diligently and collaborated to address the accreditation issues.

Interim Superintendent Denise Whittaker said after the AACJC's visit earlier this year that she was confident Southwestern would met all requirements.

She thought the college should regain its accreditation status, but would not have been surprised if the commission decided to keep the college on probation until after the October 2011 site visit and follow-up evaluation in January 2012.

On June 10, Whittaker personally met with the accreditation team to plead for the college's probationary status and didn't expect a decision until July 5. The early announcement surprised the college community.

“I am excited to report that the Commission has taken action to remove probation and reaffirm accreditation,” she said, noting that the college community's hard work and efforts merited this “grand accomplishment.”

Governing Board Member Nick Aguilar said regaining accreditation was a tremendous feat for the college and that hiring Whittaker was the most important decision they made.

He said her leadership style brought back a standard of respect and collegiality to Southwestern. He said the “highest degree” of effort from all college constituents was a testament to the college community as a whole and proved the foundation of teaching and learning had always remained, even in adverse conditions under the prior administration.

“Whittaker contributed her leadership skills generously to get the job done in a credible, sensible way, backed up with evidence,” he said.
In the AACJC letter to Whittaker, President Barbara A. Beno said the Commission expects the Midterm Report due Oct. 15, 2012 to provide evidence that the college has sustained its program review, planning activities and new Governing Board policies. It noted, “Southwestern College has made many recent improvements to institutional practices to resolve accreditation deficiencies.”

The commission Follow-up Team Report said, “The team was encouraged by the significant progress the college has made on (their) recommendations.”

Fully accredited since 1964, Southwestern provides more than 300 associate degrees and certificate programs.

The deadline for new students to register for fall 2011 classes is July 11.

To read the AACJC's letter and 10 recommendations, see the media box.