ASCC PRESS RELEASE
Monday, February 07, 2011
ACCJC/WASC Removes ASCC from “Warning” Status and Reaffirms Full Accreditation
By James Kneubuhl, ASCC Press Officer
After two years of diligent effort to satisfy the stated criteria of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior
Colleges (ACCJC), a division of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), the American Samoa Community
College (ASCC) has received confirmation of its success. In a letter dated January 31st of this year from ACCJC
President Dr. Barbara Beno, ASCC is listed among institutions now removed from the “Warning” category, and whose
accreditation has been reaffirmed. “We expect to receive follow-up communications from ACCJC/WASC pertaining to our
individual institution and what steps they recommend we take to remain in good standing,” said ASCC Accreditation
Liaison Officer Dr. Kathleen Kolhoff-Belle. “For the moment, our inclusion on the list of institutions removed from
‘Warning’ status and with reaffirmed accreditation means that all of our efforts over the last two years have given us
the results we hoped for.”
In February 2009 the ACCJC/WASC Commission informed ASCC that it had been placed on probation pending the resolution of
issues raised in ten recommendations by an October 2008 visiting team, as well as one additional recommendation by the
Commission itself. During this probationary period, the College’s accreditation provisionally remained in full effect,
while teams of ASCC administrators and faculty worked to address the ACCJC/WASC recommendations. ACCJC/WASC
representatives made two follow-up visits in March and October 2010, and on both occasions the visiting teams remarked
that ASCC had made progress ahead of the previously established timetable for addressing the recommendations. At the
conclusion of the November visit, representative Dr. Mark Zacovic told an ASCC audience that based on his team’s
findings the College had “successfully completed addressing all recommendations”, although the official change in its
status would come from the ACCJC/WASC Commission scheduled to meet in January.
Having received the good news from the Commission, the many ASCC administrators, administrative support staff, faculty,
students and community members who dedicated themselves to addressing the ACCJC/WASC recommendations now share a feeling
of celebratory satisfaction. “This bears testimony to what we can accomplish working together,” said ASCC President Dr.
Seth Galea’i. “This process gave us an opportunity to clarify our focus as an institution, and to reaffirm the
importance of adopting best practices based on data-driven standards as articulated by the Accrediting Commission. With
our accreditation issues now resolved, we can return our attention to priority projects such as our four-year Teacher
Education degree, which is now poised to move ahead at full speed.”
In addition to everyone at ASCC who worked for the better part of two years on the ACCJC/WASC recommendations, President
Galea’i gave special recognition to Governor Togiola Tulafono for his assistance during this period. “The Governor kept
tabs on our progress and offered his help in any way he could,” said the President, “while at the same time giving us
the latitude to make our own decisions.” President Galea’i also commended the Board of Higher Education and chairman Uta
Dr. Laloulu Tagoilelagi for their leadership and support, and thanked the Fono leadership, specifically Legislator
Lemapu Talo, chairman of the Education Committee, for attending all meetings between the Board and the visiting
ACCJC/WASC teams.
Work to address the ACCJC/WASC recommendations progressed even while the College underwent a period of unprecedented
change and growth. “Many recent developments took place at the same time,” President Galea’i reflected. “Our enrollment
peaks over the past few semesters indicated a greater demand for what ASCC offers, so we expanded our curriculum to
include our first night classes. Also, our Trades & Technology Division opened its Apprenticeship and Re-Train programs to assist workers displaced by the cannery
closures. ARRA funding has enabled us to make plans for modern learning technology such as ‘smart classrooms’ and
campus-wide Wi-Fi. We initiated a number of energy saving measures, such as our first solar panels for part of the
campus. Even with the ACCJC/WASC challenge now behind us, we have many new developments to focus on, but I’m sure the
insights we gained from the accreditation-related process will prove invaluable as we move ahead.”
ENDS