WASC crashes California State University, Stanislaus
By: Inner Pahal
Issue date: 3/3/10 Section: News
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"It's huge," Byron Kamp, Executive Director of the Associated Students Incorporated (ASI) and University Student Union (USU) said of the accreditation process conducted by WASC. He added that the purpose of WASC's visit is to see how effective our campus is for student learning and if it meets acceptable criteria for higher education.
By becoming accredited, a school validates its programs, displays to the pubic in its ability to offer a solid education, and signals that it has purpose and is in the process of meeting that purpose. It also learns of means to continue achieving its goals and objectives through analysis provided by WASC. With accreditation, universities are allowed Cal Grants and numerous other benefits that are critical to its success.
Accreditation was originally developed to help standardize schools. However, accreditation has gone beyond achieving standardization and now identifies that campuses are always improving.
"It's a continual effort," Vice Provost Dr. Diana Demetrulias said, and added, "We are constantly monitoring eight indicators of educational quality: academic programs, teaching, faculty development, research, engaging students in learning, students, support for learning and achieving diversity." Demetrulias pointed out that these indicators help guide university leaders to what the campus needs to be improving.
WASC is one of several associations that are in charge of accrediting universities throughout California and other states.
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