The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) has renewed accreditation for the Mendocino-Lake Community College District for another seven years, noting in an announcement letter, “The Commission commends the College for aligning its programs and services with its mission, which has guided the development of exemplary programs to support Native American populations contributing to the social and cultural dimensions of the educational experience of its students.”
“It is the work of everyone at the College that made this process a success; the peer review team saw the products of our collective efforts to make Mendocino College what it is,” stated Vice President of Academic Affairs Debra Polak. “Having our accreditation reaffirmed without any follow-up reports or visits required is something we can be proud of.”
A review team from ACCJC visited all four Mendocino College locations in February to review college processes, policies, and educational programs in relation to their standards. Based on the site visit and the Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (ISER), the Commission acted to grant the college accreditation through 2027, with a midterm report due in the spring of 2024. This is the best possible commission action. The accreditation report can include commendations, recommendations, and compliance findings. Commendations signify practices for which the Commission believes the institution has exceeded standards.
Mendocino College met all standards, including one commendation regarding work designed to expand educational support for the Native American population in Mendocino and Lake Counties. There were no compliance recommendations made by the peer review team.
The commission also offered guidance in two areas the college could strengthen, including improving the assessment of institutional learning outcomes and more widely communicating funding decisions.
“I want to give a special thanks to the people on the peer review team who worked hard reviewing the ISER that served as the basis for the visit,” said Interim Superintendent/President Eileen Cichocki. “I also want to thank our faculty and staff who met with the team. Their description of our college and our commitment to our community greatly impressed the review team.”
For more information about Mendocino College accreditation and to view the full report, visit Accreditation | Mendocino College.