Taking Ownership in Accreditation: An Authentic Process that Worked for Mt. SAC

1. Taking Ownership in Accreditation: An Authentic Process that Worked for Mt. SAC Kristina Allende, Professor, English, Accreditation Steering Committee Co-Chair Barbara McNeice-Stallard, Director of Research & IE Lianne Greenlee, Director, Professional & Organizational Development ACCJC Conference April 30-May 3, 2019

2. Connect In what ways can accreditation support and benefit your college?

3. LearningOutcomes • Attendees will understand how to leverage shared governance committees and to authentically engage the campus community. • Attendees will learn about the processes Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) embarked upon. • Attendees will walk away with strategies to keep accreditation alive.

4. Organization and Process • Lessons Learned • Accreditation Steering Committee • Theme, Tagline, and Swag • Calendar and Timeline • Gap Analysis • Ongoing Training and Presentations • Accreditation Visit • Lessons Learned Take 2 • Keeping Accreditation Alive

5. Lessons Learned • Post 2010 Self-Evaluation Process • Post Accreditation Reflection • Academic Senate Accreditation Taskforce • Classified Communication Summit • Managers Survey • Areas of Focus • Create ongoing Accreditation Steering Committee • Provide more opportunities for Classified to be authentically engaged • Create more and varied training opportunities • Weave accreditation into College’s day-to-day operations

6. Accreditation Steering Committee • Guides progress and the processes related to ongoing accreditation • Governance Committee • Members are experts on accreditation policies and standards and serve as a resource to the campus. • ALO/ASC workgroup reports to ASC

7. ALO/ASC Workgroup • ALO guided • Accreditation experts from management and faculty • Experience with accreditation visits • Lovers of accreditation (True Believers) • Researched accreditation trends, was attentive to statewide changes, and attended conferences and webinars • Strategized campus work and off-campus sharing • Ensured timeline and deadlines were met • Had responsibility for finalizing report • Critical for keeping accreditation alive

8. Theme, Tagline, and Swag • Established by ASC • Theme: Got Evidence? • Tagline: Excellence and Distinction: Our Pathway to Accreditation • Swag: T-shirt, Lanyard, Bag, Flashlight • Signature: Red Shoes

9. Calendar & Timeline • Coordination of tasks, activities, meetings, and deadlines • Campus communication tool for progression through Self-Evaluation process

10. Gap Analysis • Standards aligned to ongoing college committees’ work • Initial analysis by committees of meeting the Standards • Secondary analysis by ASC • Identified individual Standard gaps • Identified threads across the gaps

11. Finding Your Gaps Used Lessons Learned to find process gaps • Mt. SAC: Insufficient training • What’s missing in your process? Used the Gap Analysis to find individual Standard gaps • Mt. SAC: Mission statement did not meet the Standard • What are your potential gaps in meeting the Standards?

12. Ongoing Training Presentations • Hallmark of process • Used to address Lessons Learned • Continual communication with all campus constituencies • Faculty FLEX Days • Classified Professional Development Days • Board Meetings and Study Sessions • Management Meetings • Town Hall Meetings • CSEA Specialized Training • Writing Team Training • Dialogue Day • Why Training? • Created urgency • Created community • Created ownership • Kept the energy of the process alive

13. February 2013FLEX Day & Classified Professional Development Days Constituencies: Faculty and Classified Staff • Overview • U.S. Accreditation Structure • Our Accrediting Commission • What Accreditation Does • Accountability Measure • Provides Transparency • Broad Participation is Key • Your Role • Ongoing Work of the College • Continuous Accreditation Process • Check, Recheck, Repeat • Accreditation Reporting Cycle • Lessons Learned • What’s the Next Step? • AS & PAC Proposal Review • Effort for Stakeholder Inclusion Excellence and Distinction: Our Pathway to Accreditation

14. June 2014Manager’s Meeting Constituency: Managers • Lessons Learned • Broad Participation • Everyone is Involved! • We need you! • Students Need Mt. SAC • Public Credibility • Financial Aid • Legitimacy of Degree • Transfer of Credit • Cycle of Accreditation • What’s New • Watch Out!! Excellence and Distinction: Our Pathway to Accreditation

15. August 2014Facilities Summit, FLEX Day, & Classified Professional Development Days Constituency: Classified Staff • Broad Participation: We went to them • Students Need Mt. SAC • Cycle of Accreditation • Keep an Eye Out!! • Timeline • Training Excellence and Distinction: Our Pathway to Accreditation

16. January 2015Board Presentation, Classified Professional Development Days, and FLEX Day Constituency: Board of Trustees • Students Need Mt. SAC • On Our Way • Accreditation Steering Committee • Moving Forward onRecommendations for Improvement • Dialogue with classified leadership • Student learning assessment • Awards, degrees, and certificates • based on learning outcomes • New Standards Implemented • Gap Analysis Discoveries • We Need Your Support • Understand the process • Stay informed • Remain engaged • Give feedback Excellence and Distinction: Our Pathway to Accreditation

17. February 2015Board Presentation Constituency: Board of Trustees • Overview: “Why Accreditation?” • Credibility • Legitimacy • Transferability • Requirement for financial aid • Standard IV.C: Governing Board • Gathering evidence • Gap Analysis • Board’s Role • Ongoing Conversation • How can we be helpful? Excellence and Distinction: Our Pathway to Accreditation

18. August 2015Classified Professional Development Days, FLEX Day, and Manager’s Meeting Constituency: Managers, Faculty, and Classified Staff • Accreditation Steering Committee • Inclusive Training • Ongoing Communication • Champion Writing Teams • Putting it all Together: • Developed Collaboratively • Continual Engagement • Timeline Excellence and Distinction: Our Pathway to Accreditation

19. March 2016Board Study Session Constituency: Board of Trustees and General Public • Engaged Board with each Standard relative to their work • Provided opportunity for Trustees to demonstrate what they do to support each standard Excellence and Distinction: Our Pathway to Accreditation

20. May 2016Town Hall Meeting Constituency: Campus-Wide • Celebration • Outlines Complete • Initial Draft Written • Outcomes Campaign Planned • THANK YOU Writing Teams! • Gap Analysis Update • Cycle of Accreditation • Notable Events • Update to Board of Trustees • ASC Attended Training • Visiting Team Members • Draft Feedback • Dialogue Days 2016 • Timeline • Save the Date! - March 6-9, 2017 • Working Together Excellence and Distinction: Our Pathway to Accreditation

21. May 2016Dialogue Days Constituency: Campus-Wide • Overview • What Accreditation Does • Accreditation Standards • Who Is the Accreditation Steering • Committee? • Who Participated In The Writing • Process? • How was the Self-Evaluation Written? • Where Are We Now? • Dialogue Days: Our Work Today • The ACCJC Standards • Feedback Opportunities Excellence and Distinction: Our Pathway to Accreditation

22. August 2016Managers Meeting Constituency: Managers • Reality Check • ACCJC Trend: 18 Month • Evidence Needed! • Deadlines Approaching • September 19: Draft • September 28: Final Edits • October 5: Final Report to Editor • Company is Coming! • Update your Webpage • Be Prepared! • Mission Statement Excellence and Distinction: Our Pathway to Accreditation

23. August 2016FLEX Day & Classified Professional Development Days Constituency: Faculty and Classified Staff • Reality Check • ACCJC Trend: 18 month • Reaffirmations • Evidence Needed • Company is Coming • Dress Rehearsal • ACCJC Visit (March 6-9) Excellence and Distinction: Our Pathway to Accreditation

24. September 2016Board Presentation Constituency: Board of Trustees • Self-Evaluation Draft Changes • Feedback used to make changes • in the draft. • Questions from the Board • Provide examples of C&I council • recommendations • Definition of unduplicated head • count • What are small certificates? • What is ARGOS? • Clock hours vs. credit hours • Accreditation Webpage Excellence and Distinction: Our Pathway to Accreditation

25. January 2017Special Meeting of the Board of Trustees Constituency: Board of Trustees • Provided Board with guidelines for the Visit and what to expect • College President conducted Mock interviews with each Board member and provided feedback Excellence and Distinction: Our Pathway to Accreditation

26. FLEX Day - February 2017 • Opening meeting: demonstrate what to expect when “Company is Coming” for the Visit • Breakout session: Provide opportunity for College employees to experience mock interviews Excellence and Distinction: Our Pathway to Accreditation

27. Finding Your Opportunities Used Ongoing College Structures as a forum for communication and training • What opportunities can you leverage for communication and training?

28. Pride in Our Work: The Visit Visit Preparation • Committees, key campus leaders, and Board Members engaged in mock interviews During Visit • Broad campus participation in Open Forums • Held President’s Daily Feedback Sessions

29. Lessons Learned Take 2

30. Keeping Accreditation Alive

31. Filling your Gaps • What tools do you need to move forward with accreditation? • What have you heard today that will help you bridge your gaps? • What tools can you share that might help others?

32. 2017 Mt. SAC Reflections • “I really reallyreallylearned much about how my institution works, how things connect, why councils and committees are important and what transparency is.” • “The overall plan was well thought out and mapped out and communicated.” • “I have participated in accreditation for the last three self-study reports, and I can say, unequivocally, this self-study was the best organized, best lead, and most inclusive accreditation self-study of the three.”

33. Questions?