FRCC earns continued accreditation
Front Range Community College has earned continued accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission, a commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
Earning continued accreditation was a three-year process that involved examining all facets of FRCC’s operations, from assessing the learning that takes place in the classroom to judging the effectiveness of community partnerships.
The process began with a self-study started in 2005. The self-study focused on five criteria: mission and integrity; preparing for the future; student learning and effective teaching; acquisition, discovery, and application of knowledge; and engagement and service.
An outside evaluation team, composed of administrators and faculty from 10 other community colleges, visited FRCC in February 2008 to confirm the findings in the self-study. The team met with more than 50 internal groups, more than a hundred students, and about 175 community members. The team reviewed more than 125 documents.
“The team reached consensus that FRCC is a sound, effectively administered, innovative college that has a firm sense of its mission, a strong commitment to students, and a robust record of service to its community,” the team’s final assurance report reads. “Despite challenges imposed by a weak state economy and consequent reductions in funding for higher education, FRCC has been able to increase faculty salaries and support initiatives to improve student success.”
The team also commended FRCC “for its unwavering commitment to students and its ability to maintain its focus on high quality teaching and learning, service to the community, and sustaining a collaborative culture despite significant financial pressures and leadership changes over the last five years.”
The team recognized that FRCC “has taken a leadership role” within the Colorado Community College System. “It is not just the largest Colorado community college, but also one that spearheads course and curriculum development and institutional research efforts.”
The next scheduled comprehensive evaluation is in 2018 with no “focus visits” scheduled in the meantime.
The Higher Learning Commission is a commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, 30 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, Ill. It can be reached at 1-800-621-7440 or online.
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