Statement of Report Preparation

Background Leading to April 2003 Progress Report

Ventura College was scheduled for a site visit for March 2002. Prior to this time, an Abbreviated Accreditation Self-Study Report was prepared and submitted to the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and the visiting team members. The abbreviated self-study was being conducted for two primary reasons: 1) Ventura College had not had a full self-study since 1996 and 2) the next College self study was scheduled for Fall 2004. Since the Colleges of the Ventura Community College District were all going to the same accreditation/visitation schedule (Fall 2004), Ventura College would have eight years between a full self-study and accreditation team visit. This time frame was unacceptable to the Commission, therefore, it was decided that there would be the abbreviated study and team visit in March 2002. This report was prepared and submitted to the Commission and visiting team. The visit was held, as scheduled, March 19-21, 2002. The Accrediting Commission reviewed the institutional study report of Ventura College and the report of the evaluation team that visited the college (March 2002), and acted to accept the report and place Ventura College on warning June 14, 2002.

Ventura College was instructed to develop a Progress Report in response to the Commission’s letter (June 14, 2002). The Progress Report was to have the following structure:

1. Cover Sheet
2. Table of Contents
3. Statement of Report Preparation
4. Organizational Chart (showing offices and functions of the college)
5. Response to the Team Recommendations and Action Letter
6. Summary and Discussion of Self-Identified Issues (to be identified through review of the 1996 Standards).

Statement of Report Preparation:
April 2003 Progress Report

The April 2003 Progress Report was prepared by a cross-section of Ventura College faculty, managers, classified staff and student leaders using the process described herein. Under the President’s leadership, the Executive Vice President (Accreditation Liaison Officer), and the Academic Senate President conferred with both the College’s Administrative Council and the Academic Senate to identify Committees Co-Chairs and Committee membership in this reporting process. Additionally, both the Executive Vice President and Senate President asked for committee membership from the Classified Senate President and Vice President of the Ventura College Associated Students.

The Accreditation Team Report of April 2002 made nine Recommendations to Ventura College. The Accrediting Commission added a tenth Recommendation to its final report of June 2002, that has as its primary focus, “to reestablish a relationship of integrity with the Commission…”. Given the serious, substantive concerns raised by the Commission’s addition of the Recommendation to the findings in its report from the 2002 abbreviated visit, a separate campus committee (Recommendation Ten) was established to review these issues and address the concerns. This Committee felt that the best way to document the integrity of the chairs and team members who were working on the 2003 Report was to collect their minutes and attendance records from their respective meetings. The committees that were formed were asked to keep records of the attendance at each of their meetings and minutes of the topics discussed during those meetings, in order to document for the Commission the level of Ventura College’s commitment of compliance with the Commission’s standards, policies and requirements.

Ventura College used specific guidelines in the preparation of this Progress Report, including:

• Each committee was provided with copies of the 1996 Accreditation Report, the 1998 Mid-Term Report and the 2002 Abbreviated Self-Study Report and supplemental information relevant to their Standard or Recommendation.
  
• The 2003 Progress Report is the result of 20 participating committees that reflect a wide diversity of staff, faculty, and management participation.
  
• The Committee Co-Chairs met, as a group, regularly during the period of report preparation, with the Executive Vice President and Academic Senate President, in order to confirm the importance of broad, campus-wide participation in the review of accreditation issues and the creation of their respective reports.
  
• The Accreditation Co-Chairs prepared Accreditation Updates that were distributed campus-wide by email and by hard copy (when requested).
  
• Upon completion of the first draft of the 2003 Progress Report, the draft report that resulted from the committees’ work was widely disseminated, discussed, reviewed, corrected and then re-issued in a final version. The email distribution of the final draft report was sent to the entire Ventura College Campus Community.
  
• The final draft of the April 2003 Progress Report was placed on the College web site for the entire district and the community to review.
  
• Copies of all comments, supporting documents and committee membership lists have been made available for review by anyone who asks through the office of the Executive Vice President.
  

Ventura College saw this report preparation as an opportunity to provide good information and preparation for the College’s Self-Study that will be prepared in 2004-2005. The Accreditation Steering Committee was its Co-Chairs and through their leadership role in this process, they became increasingly adept at identifying the College point of view, and in addressing issues of evidence to be noted in this report. This Accreditation Report (and its process) has assisted Ventura College in noting items that need additional attention. Ventura College is well positioned to address the implications of the new accreditation standards and is actually striving to improve its review process as it proceeds. All twenty of the Ventura College Accreditation Committees involved in the preparation of this Progress Report have taken this process very seriously.

This report delineates the educational, service and staff developments that have occurred since 1996 and reflects the range of responses by the College in fulfilling its Mission. The institutional commitment to continuing self-evaluation for renewal and improvement is inherent in this report and is based on the College’s ongoing planning and review efforts.