Provost Communication, Monday, February 9, 2026

Dear Colleagues, 

We want to take this opportunity to update you on plans to celebrate together the WSCUC Accreditation Reaffirmation Site Visit, coming soon to a campus near you on April 15-17th, 2026. Seven members of the WSCUC Review Team will be on campus meeting with different groups of students, faculty, staff, and administrators to gather constituent responses to four “lines of inquiry” (See this link or the attached PDF to read the lines of inquiry: WSCUC Accreditation Reaffirmation_Lines of Inquiry). This visit is a culmination of all of our collective efforts to shape Cal Poly Humboldt into the polytechnic university it is today. Our sincere hope is that our campus community will participate in an excited and engaged process of celebration of our “uniquely-unique-in-our-uniqueness” university through the visit, starting today.

It is critical that we convey to you the enormity of this moment. In the institutional report submitted to WSCUC this past September (which you can read, linked here: Cal Poly Humboldt Institutional Report), our steering committee and collaborative writers reported on the successes and challenges our institution has had over the past several years – telling our story of our commitment to social and ecological justice, resilience, and efforts to create transparent and balanced budget processes. If your time is limited, we invite you to read the Reflections section on page 62 to gain a sense of where we see ourselves now, and where we are collectively headed. This section was prepared by the President’s Executive Cabinet in response to the previous four required essays of the report. 

The last time we engaged in this full reaffirmation of the accreditation process was in 2017-18 (submitting our self-study report fall 2017, and engaging in our campus site visit spring 2018). So much has changed since then – we have transformed, and so much of that transformation has been a direct result of the hard work of every single member of this community. Thank you for all that you contribute to this amazing university. We have a compelling story to continue to tell. 

As we gain momentum in preparing for our visit, inviting your participation in any and every step of the way, keep a lookout for announcements of how you can get involved. We want you all to feel empowered in the telling of the story of your department and organization, and to share your vision for the continued evolution of Cal Poly Humboldt. 

Stay tuned for fun, energizing events, creative multimedia communications, and welcoming gathering sessions that will launch a celebratory season of campus community development, engagement, and focused reflection on where we are—and where we are going together.

Sincerely, 

Shawna Young, Interim Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs

Heather Madar, Interim Associate Vice President of Academic Programs and Interim Dean of Undergraduate & Graduate Studies

Mark Wicklund, Accreditation Liaison Officer, Director of Institutional Assessment

Pearl Podgorniak, Interim Executive Assistant to the Provost