Volume 44, Number 3 - March/April 2009
Faced with growing concerns about accreditation, faculty at Solano College are mobilizing to reassure students that they will continue to receive a quality education through the college, now and into the foreseeable future.
Instructors are working to make students aware that despite recent problems the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges found with the college’s governance and fiscal stability, no problems were found with the academic programs offered by the college. Spearheaded by the Solano College Faculty Association, instructors, staff, student leaders and administrators have distributed 10,000 fliers on the Fairfield campus and satellite centers urging students to support the college by continuing to pursue their education at Solano and to register for summer and fall classes beginning in May.
“We want to make it clear that the Accrediting Commission does not want to shut the college down,” said Tom Grube, president of the Solano College Faculty Association. “Solano College will regain full accreditation and students will continue to get the education and training they need right here.”
Faculty is working closing with a newly appointed interim president to help the college get back on its feet.
The Commission initially found problems at Solano in 2006 and placed it on warning status in 2007 when it revisited the college and found that it had not made enough progress in resolving previous issues. Last year, the commission placed Solano on “show cause” status, to ensure that the problems were addressed and resolved.
The faculty association was already in the throes of a fight to obtain a fair contract settlement when the accreditation issue arose late last year. CCA President Ron Norton Reel met with the faculty association in February to reassure the local chapter has the full support of CCA and the 340,000-member California Teachers Association in its efforts to reach a contract settlement and with the accreditation issue.
“This accreditation issue is not about academics,” Reel said. “It’s about the lack of fiscal responsibility, the lack of leadership and management skills shown by the administration.”