Provost Communication, Monday, January 26, 2026

Good morning! I hope you all had a rejuvenating weekend.

WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) Reaffirmation of Accreditation Update

As signaled in my first provost message last week, among all our important daily shared work this year, surrounding it all (something like a fishbowl effect) is our most critical immediate work as a university in our preparation for and participation in our upcoming WASC Senior College and University (WSCUC) Reaffirmation of Accreditation campus site visit scheduled for April 15th through 17th, 2026. As I shared in the Cabinet report in last week’s Senate meeting, excitement and momentum are building on this front. Fun, informative, and important engagement opportunities in preparation for the visit are being planned for this spring. Here is a quick view of what is taking place right now, and what to anticipate in the next few months:

January

Logistical planning for the site visit initiated, and ongoing throughout this process
Assembling additional evidence (documents/information) that the review team has requested
Planning for the outreach and communication campaign in preparation for engaged university community participation in this monumental phase of the process; launched and ongoing accordingly 

February
Submission of additional evidence
Build the schedule of the site visit, which will include the final list of individuals and groups to be meeting with the review team (the schedule will be shared once complete)

March

The university community will be invited to engage in preparation meetings to consider the relationship between their respective areas and the review team’s lines of inquiry (LOI) (found at this link: lines of inquiry), which focus on four areas:

1. Our vision for the future as a polytechnic university
2. Recruitment, enrollment, and retention
3. Financial sustainability
4. General education

April

Final preparations for the visit – logistics, and any remaining LOI prep meetings
Site visit April 15th through 17th, 2026
Celebrate a successful visit!

As our communication campaign related to our campus site visit continues, be ready to watch for and engage in fun and important activities. 

I want to acknowledge the tireless work of our current and former members of our Accreditation Steering Committee, who have played an integral role in successfully getting us where we are in the reaffirmation process:

Accreditation Liaison Officer and Associate Vice President of Academic Programs: Carmen Bustos-Works (through July 2025) (former chair)

Accreditation Liaison Officer and Director of Assessment: Mark Wicklund (chair as of August 2025)

Associate Vice President of Academic Programs: Heather Madar

Associate Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion & Campus Diversity Officer: Rosamel Benavides-Garb

Chief Data Officer and Director of Institutional Research, Analytics, and Reporting: Michael Le

Chair of the Senate: Chris Harmon

Designee of President: Bethany Gilden

Designee by VP of Budget and Finance: Sarah Long

Designee by VP of Enrollment Management and Student Success: Peggy Metzger

Dean of Students: Mitch Mitchell (through 2025)

Interim Dean of Students: Ravin Craig (beginning 2026)

Office of Admissions Representative: Matthew Taxman

Designee by VP for University Advancement: Travis Williams

Director of Academic Resources: Patrick Orona

CNRS Faculty Representative: Dale Oliver

CPS Faculty Representative: Meenal Rana

CAHSS Faculty Representative: Nikola Hobbel

CPS Librarian: Amanda Dinscore

Director of Individualized Degree Program: Rebecca Robertson (through June 2025)

Staff Representatives: Gloria Brown and Khristan Lamb

Student Representatives:  Lacie McGaughey, Kaytleigh Morrison, Nyla Rose, Wysdem Singleton (2024-25)

Administrative Support: Julie Stewart through spring 2025; Pearl Podgorniak thereafter

More soon - have a great week!

Shawna