Compared to where we were this time last visit, our colleges and our District Office has gotten a whole lot better.  While we cannot predict the final results of the Accrediting Commission, the findings for the two colleges were relatively few and the Board and the District Office shared two areas for improvement.

The big issue for both colleges was the progress on Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs).  The work stoppage by faculty on the SLO process set both colleges back many months.  It wasn't until the District settled the matter through paying for the work that the system for SLOs began to move forward again. Other issues at SBVC included a backlog in the Financial Aid Department and the need for a centralized student complaint process.

The Board needs to finalize its own, in-house orientation program for new Board members and must follow their own adopted policies and procedures.

The deficiencies in Human Resources, including the length of time it takes to conduct a recruitment and the lack of follow-up in the area of staff evaluations is a problem as is the need to integrate the various planning processes.  The Resource Allocation Model should be integrated with an enrollment plan, the strategic plan and the staffing plan.

I was not able to get a concrete response about whether these findings would cumulatively lead to sanctions.  The answer is probably not but the decision is up to the Commission.

Further information may have been shared with the campuses during the exit conferences.  The information I am sharing came from the exit conference between the team chair persons and the Chancellor.

Attached to the Chancellor's Chat is an updated report from the Human Resources Department showing the status of interim position recruitment. We have filled 14 interim positions. We have six positions in recruitment; two positions going into recruitment; two failed recruitments; and eight positions that have not been prioritized for recruitment by the colleges.