Policy Changes

Sharing Information with Other Agencies and Regard for their Decisions Policy

Following circulation to the membership for comment, this policy was approved by the Commission during its June 2021 meeting and is posted on the WSCUC website. This policy was revised to incorporate new federal regulations, to clarify the information from other agencies that would lead the Commission to not grant candidacy or accreditation, to describe how the Commission takes into account the decisions of other agencies, to indicate that the policy also applies to investigations and actions of  state and federal agencies and international equivalents, and to identify institutional responsibilities in disclosing negative or adverse actions of other accrediting agencies.  This policy was distributed to the membership after the February 2021 meeting and no comments were received.

Public Disclosure of Accreditation Documents and Commission Actions Policy

Following circulation to the region for comment, this policy was approved by the Commission during its June 2021 Meeting and is posted on the WSCUC website. As a result of new federal regulations and the opportunity to make additional changes, the policy was revised to reflect the new federal timeframe for notifications, to clarify the information provided to governmental agencies and the public about sanctions and adverse actions, and to describe what institutions post on their websites when the Commission imposes a sanction or takes an adverse action. This policy was distributed to the membership after the February 2021 meeting and no comments were received.

 

Request for Comments on Policies

WSCUC is seeking public comments on proposed changes to two policies and one form. Click the links below for more information about each policy and the form. Please send comments to policies@wscuc.org by October 1, 2021 Revised policies reflecting comments will be reviewed and considered for adoption by the Commission in November 2021.

Unannounced Visits Policy

The policy has been edited for clarity and indicates that visits can be unannounced or on short notice.

Observers on Peer Review Teams Policy and Observers on Peer Review Teams Agreement Form

Observers occasionally serve on peer review teams to learn more about the WSCUC accreditation process.  This policy was renamed to reflect current WSCUC terminology and edited for clarity. In addition, protocols have been removed from the agreement form an added to the policy so that the agreement form focuses solely on confidentiality. The agreement form has also been broadened to include additional sources where observers might be privy to confidential information.