ALAMEDA, Calif. (July 9, 2012)  As part of its ongoing work to help make accreditation and higher education more transparent and more accountable, the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of WASC—the Western Association of Schools and Colleges—will post all of its current college-evaluation reports and action letters publicly on its website starting today. 

The first set can be reviewed here (https://www.wscuc.org/commission/commission-actions/june-2012-commission-actions).  Additional college-evaluation reports and action letters from the Commission’s June 13-15, 2012 meeting will be added on July 13, and subsequent college-evaluation reports and action letters will be posted following the Senior College Commission’s semi-annual decision meetings. 

The Senior College Commission of WASC oversees all bachelor’s and graduate-level colleges and universities in California, Hawaii, the Pacific Islands, and a growing number of international institutions, setting and enforcing standards for institutional quality and integrity.

This latest action is part of the sweeping, multi-year accreditation redesign that the Senior College Commission of WASC has undertaken in order to ensure that the colleges and universities in its jurisdiction keep their focus on quality, accountability, integrity, and performance outcomes.

The move is particularly significant because regional accreditation is widely regarded as the gold standard of higher education accreditation.

“Higher education has never been more important, so we’re making ourselves and our institutions more transparent and accountable to the public,” says Ralph Wolff, president of the Senior College Commission of WASC. “Now more than ever, the members of the Accrediting Commission are committed to ensuring that students graduate from college with a high-quality degree that meets clear standards of performance so they can start their careers well-prepared and ready to succeed.”