• Privacy Policy

Updated March 28, 2023

WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) is committed to protecting the privacy of users of its website and other online platforms and services. This Privacy Policy explains how information about you is collected, used, and disclosed by WSCUC and applies to information we collect when you use our websites, mobile sites, mobile applications, and other online services that link to this Privacy Policy (collectively, the “Sites”) or when you otherwise interact with us.

If we update this Privacy Policy, we will notify you by revising the date at the top of the policy. We encourage you to review the Privacy Policy whenever you access the Sites to stay informed about our information practices and the ways you can help protect your privacy.

 

COLLECTION OF INFORMATION

Information You Provide to Us

We receive, collect, and store information you enter on our website and provide directly to us. This includes when you fill out a form, make a payment, send us an email, sign up to receive email updates, sign up as a volunteer, create an account, respond to or participate in an event, communicate with us via third party social media sites, request information, or otherwise communicate with us. The types of information we may collect include your name, Internet protocol (IP) address, email address, password, postal address, phone number, mobile number, payment information and other contact or identifying information you choose to provide.

Information We Collect When You Use the Sites

When you access or use our Sites, we may collect information about you, including information about your use of the Sites, including the type of browser you use, access times, pages viewed, length of visits to pages, page interaction information, methods used to browse away from the page, your IP address and the page you visited before navigating to our Sites. We may also collect information about the computer, tablet, or mobile device you use to access our Sites, including the hardware model, operating system and version, device identifiers and mobile network information.

Cookies and Other Tracking Technology

We may use various technologies to collect information, and this may include sending cookies to your computer, tablet, or mobile device. Cookies are small data files stored on your hard drive or in device memory that helps us to improve our Sites and your experience, see which areas and features of our Sites are popular and count visits. We may also collect information using electronic images that may be used in our Sites or emails and help deliver cookies, count visits, understand usage and effectiveness, and determine whether an email has been opened and acted upon (these are known as tracking pixels or web beacons. For more information about cookies, and how to disable them, please see “Your Choices” below.

Information We Collect from Other Sources

We may also obtain information from other sources and combine that with information we collect through our Sites. For example, if you create or log into your account through a social media site, we will have access to certain information from that site, such as your name, account information and follower lists, in accordance with the authorization procedures determined by such social media site.

Retention and Protection of your Personal Information

We will retain your personal information until the personal information is no longer necessary to accomplish the purpose for which it was provided. We may retain your personal information for longer periods for specific purposes to the extent that we are obliged to do so in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, to protect you, other people, and us from fraud, abuse, an unauthorized access, as necessary to protect our legal rights, or for certain business requirements. Maintaining the security of your information is important to us. WSCUC and its service providers use reasonable technical, physical, and administrative safeguards to help protect sensitive personal information from unlawful use and unauthorized disclosure. Where possible multifactor authentication is implemented.

 

Use of Information

We may use information about you for various purposes, including to:

  • Provide, maintain, and improve our Sites;
  • Provide and deliver the information you request, process contributions and transactions, and send you related information, including confirmations and invoices;
  • Send you confirmations, technical notices, updates, security alerts, and support and administrative messages;
  • Request feedback and to otherwise contact you about your use of the Sites;
  • Respond to your comments, questions, and requests and provide customer service;
  • Send you newsletters and otherwise provide you with information or services you request or that we think will be of interest to you, such as sending you information to keep you informed about various issues, events, and resources;
  • Help connect you with other supporters and to solicit volunteers for programs and events;
  • Monitor and analyze trends, usage, and activities in connection with our Sites;
  • Personalize and improve the Sites and provide content or features that match user profiles or interests;
  • Link or combine with information we get from others to help understand your needs and provide you with better service; and
  • Carry out any other purpose for which the information was collected.

WSCUC is based in the United States and the information we collect is governed by U.S. law. By accessing or using the Sites or otherwise providing information to us, you consent to the processing and transfer of information in and to the U.S. and other countries.

 

Sharing of Information

We may share information about you as follows or as otherwise described in this Privacy Policy:

  • With vendors, consultants, and other service providers or volunteers who need access to such information to carry out work on our behalf;
  • In response to a request for information if we believe disclosure is in accordance with any applicable law, regulation, or legal process, or as otherwise required by any applicable law, rule or regulation;
  • If we believe your actions are inconsistent with the spirit or language of our policies, or to protect the rights, property, and safety of WSCUC, its employees, volunteers, or others;
  • In connection with, or during negotiations of, any reorganization, formation of new organization, asset sale or transfer, financing or lending transaction or in any other situation where personal information may be disclosed or transferred as one of the assets of WSCUC; and
  • With your consent or at your direction, including if we notify you through our Sites that the information you provide will be shared in a particular manner and you provide such information. We may also share aggregated or anonymized information that does not directly identify you.
  • SMS consent and phone numbers will never be shared with third parties or affiliates under any circumstances.

 

Social Sharing Features

The Sites may offer social sharing features and other integrated tools (such as the Twitter “Like” button), which let you share actions you take on our Sites with other media, and vice versa. The use of such features enables the sharing of information with your friends or the public, depending on the settings you establish with the entity that provides the social sharing feature. For more information about the purpose and scope of data collection and processing in connection with social sharing features, please visit the privacy policies of the entities that provide these features.

 

ADVERTISING AND ANALYTICS SERVICES PROVIDED BY OTHERS

We may allow third parties to use cookies or other technologies to provide analytics services and to serve ads on other websites based on your visits to this site and other sites across the Internet. These entities may collect information about your use of the Sites and other websites, including your IP address, web browser, pages viewed, time spent on pages, links clicked and conversion information. This information may be used by WSCUC and others to, among other things, analyze and track data, determine the popularity of certain content, deliver advertising and content targeted to your interests and better understand your online activity.

For example, we may use remarketing with Google Analytics or other remarketing tools to advertise online. This enables third-party vendors, including Google, to show our ads on sites across the Internet. Such third-party vendors, including Google, may use first-party cookies (such as the Google Analytics cookie) and third-party cookies (such as the DoubleClick cookie) together to inform, optimize, and serve ads based on your past visits to our website. For information on how you can opt out of Google’s use of cookies for interest-based ads please visit Google’s Ads Settings.

For more information about Internet-based ads, or to opt out of having your web browsing information used for behavioral advertising purposes, please visit www.networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp and www.aboutads.info/choices.

 

Security

WSCUC takes reasonable measures to help protect information about you from loss, theft, misuse and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration and destruction.

Your Choices

COOKIES

Most web browsers are set to accept cookies by default. If you prefer, you can usually choose to set your browser to remove or reject browser cookies. Please note that if you choose to remove or reject cookies, this could affect the availability and functionality of our Sites.

PROMOTIONAL COMMUNICATION

You may opt out of receiving updates and newsletters from WSCUC by following the instructions in those emails or by contacting us by clicking here. If you opt out, we may still send you other types of emails, such as those about your use of the Sites or any payments or transactions.

 

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or you need to make changes to your personal information, please contact us.

 

TERMS OF USE

This website is owned and controlled by WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). Use of our Sites confirms consent to the terms of the privacy policy. If you do not agree to these Terms of Use, please exit the site. We reserve the right, at our discretion, to modify, add, or delete portions of these Terms at any time by updating this page. Any modifications shall be effective immediately upon posting, and viewable at the “Privacy Notice” link at the bottom of every page on this web site. Your continued use of the site following the posting of updated Privacy Notice will mean that you agree to those changes.

Copyrights

WSCUC respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask visitors to our web sites to do the same. Reports, news articles, and other publications are provided or linked to for informational and educational purposes only. Their sole purpose on the site is to stimulate learning, discussion, comment, and awareness about accreditation and public policies to related to higher education.

The copyrights to all outside materials featured on this site remain the property of the organizations and agencies that produced them.

Permissions

Brief excerpts, quotations, or data points from WSCUC research and publications may be properly cited in news articles, research reports, or other materials with attribution, within the terms of this Creative Commons license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/.

For longer citations, or to reprint or copy WSCUC research and publications, please contact us.

Links to this site

We encourage and permit links to the content on this site, as long as the links do not directly or indirectly: a) suggest that WSCUC promotes or endorses any third party’s causes, ideas, web sites, products, or services; or b) use WSCUC content for commercial purposes. We reserve the right to withdraw permission for any link.

Links to third party sites

We may provide links to Internet sites maintained by third parties, over which we have no control. We do not endorse the content, operators, products or services of such sites, and we are not responsible or liable for the content, operators, security, availability, accuracy, quality, advertising, products, services, or other materials on or available from such sites.

These terms of use were updated on March 28, 2023.