FAQs regarding Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) action regarding Charles Drew University (CDU)

Probation is a determination that an institution has been found to have serious issues of noncompliance with one or more Commission Standards. While on Probation, the institution will be subject to special scrutiny by the Commission, which may include a requirement to submit periodic prescribed reports and to receive Special Visits by representatives of the Commission.

During the period of Probation, the Commission will consider progress made by the institution. However, it is the responsibility of the institution to demonstrate at the time of 2011 Special Visit that it is in compliance with all Commission Standards and has demonstrated that it has the resources, organizational arrangements, academic standards and processes necessary to give assurance of continuous self-monitoring , as well as the continued stability of its purposes, programs, faculty and staff, and financial and physical resources for a minimum of five years.

CDU remains accredited by WASC.

Two years. The next site visit is scheduled in Spring 2011.

The School of Nursing can go forward.
On June 12, 2009, the California Board of Registered Nursing granted initial approval for the Entry Level Master of Science in Nursing Program for the CDU School of Nursing. The WASC commission granted its initial approval of the new nursing program on March 18, 2009.

No. CDU/UCLA medical education program is separately accredited through UCLA.

No.

No. It is WASC Commission policy that during the Probation period, any new site or degree program will be considered a substantive change and will be subject to prior approval (see the WASC Substantive Change Manual at http://www.wascsenior.org/findit/files/forms/2009_Substantive_Change_Manual.pdf for details).

No.

We need to follow the WASC accreditation standards and implement all of their recommendations. WASC Standards at a Glance (http://www.wascsenior.org/findit/files/forms/Standards_at_a_Glance__12_08_.pdf):

Standard I: Defining Institutional Purposes and Ensuring Educational Objectives

• Institutional Purposes
• Integrity

Standard II: Achieving Educational Objectives through Core Functions

• Teaching and Learning
• Scholarship and Creative Activity
• Support for Student Learning

Standard III: Developing and Applying Resources and Organizational Structures to Ensure Sustainability

• Faculty and Staff
• Fiscal, Physical, and Information Resources
• Organizational Structures and Decision-Making Processes

Standard IV: Creating an Organization Committed to Learning and Improvement

• Strategic Thinking and Planning
• Commitment to Learning and Improvement

• Submit an Interim Report due, March 1, 2010, providing an update on progress in addressing each of the issues identified in the WASC Commission letter.
• Be prepared for a Special Visit in spring 2011 to further address each of the concerns identified in WASC Commission letter.
• Submit a Special Visit report which will be due eight weeks prior to the visit in Spring 2011.
• Ensure that a Compliance Audit be completed and appended to the institution's report for the Special Visit.
• Provide WASC staff, by September 1, 2009, a report on the program which lost its accreditation, including the issues involved, the actions taken by the accrediting association, information regarding the notice provided to all students enrolled in the program, and the impact of the loss of accreditation on professional licensure and job placement.
• Schedule a meeting with the CDU president, the chair of the Board, faculty leadership, and the Academic Liaison Office (ALO) at the WASC office within 90 days of the receipt of WASC Commission letter. The purposes of this meeting are to further communicate the reasons for the Commission action, to learn of the institution's plan to achieve wider notice within the institution of the action taken by the Commission and the reasons for it, and to discuss the institution's plan for responding to the action.
• To hold a meeting with the governing board of CDU, WASC staff, and a WASC board consultant during one of the Board's regularly scheduled meetings, to discuss these issues and the Board's role in responding to the probation action.
• To assist the University in developing evidence of compliance, the Commission identified the following list as illustrative of the changes that need to be in place at the time of the next visit:
        1) A campus-wide climate of open and transparent communication.
        2) A functioning system for managing and reporting financial and budgetary systems.
        3) Evidence of campus-wide understanding and use of the database system.
        4) Stable leadership in the presidential role and within the president's cabinet.
        5) Board involvement in fiduciary responsibilities and strategic planning.
        6) A complete and documented system of governance.
        7) Well-developed and fully implemented systems for assessment and quality control.

It is WASC Commission policy that during the Probation period, any new site or degree program will be considered a substantive change and will be subject to prior approval (see the WASC Substantive Change Manual at http://www.wascsenior.org/findit/files/forms/2009_Substantive_Change_Manual.pdf for details).

CDU is guided by the principle of transparency. We should tell students about our current accreditation status when asked and refer them to the CDU website at http://www.cdrewu.edu/about-cdu/wasc.

WASC correspondence and CDU responses are posted on our website at http://www.cdrewu.edu/about-cdu/wasc. The WASC Commission expects that the team report and the action letter will be widely disseminated throughout the institution to promote further engagement and improvement and to support the institution's response to the specific issues identified in them.

External, special/professional agencies for which we received accreditation. WASC has also requested that we send them a list of all external agencies and WASC will also inform them.

WASC has outlined the next steps in the process as detailed in answer 11. The Board of Trustees, Academic Senate, Administration, Faculty, Staff, and Students will be meeting to work on plans to implement all WASC recommendations and standards for accreditation.

No. CDU has every confidence and expectation that we will meet all the standards and recommendations as outlined by WASC. WASC has also informed us that almost all schools that are placed on probation are successful in removing their probation status.

All faculty, staff, students and administration must understand the WASC process, standard for accreditation, criteria for review, and any actions related to CDU. We will be holding meetings to disseminate the commission findings and develop plans for compliance. The administration and academic senate educational effectiveness committee will work together to review WASC recommendations and develop an implementation plan.

WASC: http://www.wascsenior.org/
CDU: http://www.cdrewu.edu/about-cdu/wasc
CDU-WASC Statement of Accreditation: http://registration.wascsenior.org/institutions/affiliation.aspx?accessID=170