Fresno State had a key accreditation reaffirmed for 10 years, which is the longest period possible and a critical piece and validation for public and private universities.
The accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission is required for students to be eligible for federal financial aid. All 22 California State University campuses and Cal Maritime, which last July merged with Cal Poly, are among 47 public universities that hold WSCUC accreditation. Cal State East Bay and Sonoma State are accredited with a notice of concern. That means they hold accreditation but are in danger of being out of compliance if one or more standards or current trends continue.
The 10 University of California campuses and Fresno Pacific University also hold WSCUC accreditation.
Fresno State, which was first accredited by the WSCUC in 1954, participated in a Thematic Pathway for Reaccreditation process, allowing it to focus on self-selected themes in addition to demonstrating compliance with its standards. Fresno State’s theme was, “Flagship of the Central Valley.”
“This introspective process of accreditation has allowed us to reflect on our shared mission and collective efforts, through which we continually strive to become better in our service to our region,” university president Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval said, in a press release. “This phenomenal outcome belongs to every member of our campus community — faculty, staff and students — who contributed to the self-study, hosted the visit and live and breathe our values every day through their hard work of teaching, research, service and support of students.”
More than 70 members of the campus community participated in the self-study, with six working groups analyzing the university’s social mobility, high-impact practices, alumni career satisfaction, economic impact and the impact of its research, service and graduates in the regional workforce. The thematic pathway is open only to universities that have demonstrated consistent evidence of a healthy fiscal condition, strong student achievement and sustained quality performance, according to the WSCUC website.
The WSCUC commended Fresno State in four areas: Commitment and entrepreneurial spirit of the staff and faculty in moving the institution forward despite financial and other exigencies; extending its reach and service to the broader region through partnership with community colleges and high schools; harnessing athletics as a tool for engagement; and fostering a deep sense of pride and connection to the community, having a multi-generational transformational impact on the social mobility of its graduates.
It also listed in its report to the university four areas for development, which included the development of a multi-year budget and aligning budget planning and management to the university strategic plan.
Of the 22 CSU campuses, only 14 were accredited for 10 years when most recently reaffirmed by the WSCUC including Fresno State, Cal Poly and Sacramento State.
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