The ASCCC president and the committee will continue to communicate with ACCJC regarding the status of Compton to determine the benchmarks that Compton College must meet and its timeline in order to restore its accreditation.
Whereas, The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) failed to follow the letter and the spirit of its own guidelines, timelines, or notification policies when it terminated accreditation at Compton College in June 2005, without a comprehensive review, with just a single site visit under the Show Cause order and with less than five months' time given for correction;
Whereas, The new administration, faculty and staff at Compton responded jointly and vigorously to all of the recommendations in the Show Cause order, which was addressed entirely to fiscal and administrative deficiencies under Standards III and IV, but the College was unfairly surprised by fresh demands from the Commission, for which no response and no additional time for correction was allowed;
Whereas, The community served by Compton College, though suffering from a variety of socio-economic difficulties, gave 78% support and approval to a $100 million bond issue for the College, which promises to enrich the community with projects that include a new Learning Resource Center, a Child Development Center, a Major League Baseball Academy for inner-city youth, and a new $28 million Performing Arts Center; and
Whereas, The ACCJC's judgment and the state's assumption of authority at Compton, the cost of which has been borne by the College, have together had such a traumatic impact on enrollment, and on the fiscal and educational health of the College, that they threaten to exceed the damage done by the deficiencies cited as reasons to intervene;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges urge the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges to restore accreditation at Compton College immediately, and provide the college with a reasonable opportunity to demonstrate that it has substantially met the accreditation standards. MSC Disposition: ACCJC, System Office, Local Senates