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Columbia College Clears Accreditation Mid-Term Review
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Passing its ‘mid-term’ test, Columbia College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), Western Association of Schools and Colleges. In October, 2021, Columbia College submitted its Mid-term Report to the Commission and has received notice that this report has been accepted by the Commission. The ACCJC notice, dated Jan. 27, 2022, affirms that Columbia College completed the self-evaluation required at the mid-point of each seven-year cycle and continues to meet the commission’s full set of standards for quality of education and institutional excellence. In the report, the college illustrated how it has responded to the improvement recommendations of the last team of peer evaluators in Fall 2017 and how it has carried out its own Quality Focused Projects delineated in its 2017 Institutional Self-Evaluation Report.

Accreditation is an ongoing cycle of self-study and peer review designed to promote high-quality education and stability for students, employees, and the communities served by the college.

Acceptance of the Mid-term Report is an important step in the seven-year review cycle. The next step has already begun as members of the college community are forming teams to begin the next Institutional Self-Evaluation Report to submit to the ACCJC in December, 2023.

“The reaffirmation of our accreditation status based on the Mid-term Report is a testament to the great work we all do in services to our students and our community,” said Interim Columbia College President G.H. Javaheripour. “The accreditation process requires broad participation across the campus community, and demonstrates Columbia’s commitment to its students and to on-going improvement. We are proud to earn this continued seal of approval, and especially thank the campus team that led our mid-term review.”

Dr. Brian Sanders, Columbia’s Vice President of Instruction, serves as the college’s Accreditation Liaison Officer.

According to Dr. Sanders, “This Mid-term Report was authored with the support of faculty, staff, students, administrators, and Board members across our college and district. In particular, constituent group leaders serving on our participatory governance council contributed hundreds of hours to gathering evidence, writing, editing, and approving this important document. Its acceptance indicates that we’re doing an excellent job supporting our students’ educational journeys.”

The ACCJC Acceptance Letter and Columbia’s full Mid-term Report is posted on the Columbia College accreditation web page.