2015-2016 Reaffirmation of Accreditation
The accreditation of San Diego State University was reaffirmed on July 8th, 2016. An overview of this ten-month process and access to all related documents are provided below.
SDSU Steering Committee
To facilitate and coordinate the reaffirmation of accreditation process, SDSU formed a steering committee of representatives from across the campus community. This steering committee was responsible to producing all required documents on behalf of the campus and coordinating the Offsite Review and Accreditation Visit. We thank these individuals for their significant investment of time and energy in this process.
- Cathie Atkins, Associate Dean, College of Sciences
- Edmund Balsdon, Associate Dean, Graduate Research and Affairs
- Suzanne Bordelon, Professor, Rhetoric and Writing Studies
- Shawn Flanigan, Interim Associate Dean, Division of Undergraduate Studies
- Frank Harris, III, Associate Professor, Admin., Rehab., and Postsec. Education
- Kurt Lindemann, Associate Professor, School of Communication
- Reynaldo Monzon, Director of Assessment and Research, Student Affairs
- Nina Potter, Director of Assessment, College of Education
- Christy Samarkos, Associate Vice President of Campus Life, Student Affairs
- Stephen Schellenberg, Interim/Associate Dean, Division of Undergraduate Studies (Chair and Accreditation Liaison Officer)
WSCUC Review Team
The WCSUC recruited the following distinguished Review Team to review and report on SDSU with respect to WSCUC’s established Standards and Criteria for Review (see Standards at a Glance and 2013 Accreditation Handbook). We thank these individuals for their significant investment of time and energy in this process.
- Dr. Kumble Subbaswamy, Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Amherst (Chair)
- Dr. Jillian Kinzie, Associate Director, Indiana Center for Postsecondary Research and the National Survey of Student Engagement Institute (Assistant Chair)
- Dr. Cecilia Conrad, Director, MacArthur Fellows Program
- Dr. Francisco Hernandez, Emeritus Vice Chancellor for Students, UH, Manoa
- Dr. Ralph Jay Hexter, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, UC, Davis
- Dr. Barbara Gross Davis, WASC Vice President and Institutional Liaison
Reaffirmation of Accreditation Process
11 September 2015: SDSU submits a cover letter from President Hirshman along with its Institutional Report, Self review Under the Standards, Inventory of Educational Effectiveness, and various federal compliance forms.
19 November 2015: The Review Team conducts its Offsite Review via videoconference with SDSU representatives. Based on their examination of the submitted materials, the Review Team presents twelve Commendations and four Lines of Inquiry for their upcoming Accreditation Visit to SDSU. Shortly after this Offsite Review, the Review Team issues their Offsite Review Report. In response to requests within this report, SDSU provides the Review Team with various Requested Documents.
22-24 March 2016: Review Team conducts its Accreditation Visit based on an established schedule comprised of meetings with a variety of campus constituents, open forums for faculty, staff, and students, and an exit presentation of their initial findings and recommendations. To help prepare the campus for this visit, the WASC Steering Committee develops and distributes a Campus Brief that includes the Review Team's Lines of Inquiry, along with relevant information drawn from across the campus community. The campus community is also provided with a confidential email account to contact the Review Team.
25 May 2016: WSCUC issues the Team Report to SDSU.
31 May 2016: SDSU provides its Response Letter to WSCUC.
23 June 2016: WSCUC Commission Panel reviews and discusses the Team Report and Response Letter, discusses the report with the SDSU president and ALO, and makes a recommendation for consideration by the broader WSCUC Commission.
24 June 2016: WSCUC Commission votes to reaffirm SDSU’s accreditation for ten years, schedules a Mid-Cycle Review in spring 2021, and schedules the next reaffirmation review with the Offsite Review in fall 2025 and Accreditation Visit in spring 2026.
8 July 2016: WSCUC issues its Formal Notification and Official Record of Action to SDSU, including Commendations and Recommendations.
12 July 2016: SDSU leadership announces the Reaffirmation of Accreditation to the broader campus and moves forward with integrating WSCUC’s recommendations into SDSU’s Strategic Plan and our priorities and initiatives for 2016-2017 and subsequent academic years.
