Public invited to weigh in on COCC accreditation

Central Oregon Community College, accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, is updating its accreditation this year, a standard evaluation process that involves a visit from a NWCCU team and a public input and comment phase.

The comment phase is open now through March 6. Interested parties can direct their comments to: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, 8060 165th Avenue NE, Redmond, WA 98052 or learn more by calling the commission office at 425-558-4224.

COCC, which last underwent accreditation in 2012, is keeping with the NWCCU’s accreditation schedule for this 2020 update. The college will host representatives from the commission for a formal visit April 8-10. For the public comment phase, signed comments are forwarded, as received, to the institution, evaluation committee and the commission.

Accreditation from NWCCU demonstrates that COCC meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality evaluated through a peer-review process.

An accredited college or university is one that has the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Evaluating institutional integrity is part of the accrediting process.

To view a copy of NWCCU’s public notification and third party comments regarding full-scale evaluation, visit nwccu.org, go to “Standards and Policies,” then “Operational Policies.”

For questions regarding COCC’s accreditation, contact Betsy Julian, vice president of instruction, at 541-383-7205.