File this under giving credit where credit is due:
Two of our local community colleges this week received full accreditation status.
Rio Hondo College in Whittier and Citrus College in Glendora.
Rio Hondo fought its way back after the accrediting institution for community colleges gave it a warning last year. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges’ (WASC) Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges said the school was lacking in institutional and leadership areas.
This week, as reported by our reporter Tracy Garcia, the WASC returned full accreditation for the next six years. Congratulations to Rio Hondo College.
At Citrus, the college continues its excellent standing. On Wednesday, it learned its accreditation was re-affirmed for another six years. “The fact that our accreditation was reaffirmed validates Citrus College’s effectiveness in meeting our institutional mission through the dedication of our highly qualified faculty and staff, and through the institution’s outstanding academic programs and student support services,” said Citrus President Geraldine Perry in a written statement. Kudos to them. In fact, Citrus has always done such a great job that they are hardly in the news.
As the UCs become more expensive, and the CSUs cut back on enrollment due to budget cuts from Sacramento, our community colleges become even more important to high school graduates looking to continue their education. In fact, a lawmaker in Sacramento thinks so much of community colleges he is floating a bill that would allow them to offer bachelor degrees.
What do you think of that?