OCC closer to complying with accreditation requirements

Orange Coast College is no longer at risk of immediately losing its accreditation, officials announced Thursday afternoon.

But the college isn’t completely in the clear just yet, according to a letter from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, or ACCJC.

The ACCJC granted the Coast Community College District and OCC a “good cause extension,” to give the institutions more time to come into compliance with recommendations.

In order to remain accredited, the district must submit a follow-up report by March 15 that proves the district board has policies in place to ensure that trustees are delegating authority to the chancellor and college presidents.

Every six years, ACCJC evaluates colleges’ compliance with a set of regulations governing what they must do to receive accreditation — a stamp of educational quality.

In March 2013, an evaluation team visited OCC and its two sister colleges operated by the Coast Community College District — Golden West College in Huntington Beach and Coastline Community College, which has campuses in various locations including Newport Beach.

Each of the colleges submitted remedies for specific deficiencies that the commission identified in a March 2014 report to the accreditation commission.

The district also highlighted more than 300 policies that the board has updated at the request of the commission and vowed to delegate more authority to the chancellor to avoid overlapping duties.

However, the commission wants the board to come up with specific administrative procedures that will ensure that the board hands over authority to the chancellor and college presidents before it completely removes the warning.

The warning status was not removed for Golden West College, said district spokeswoman Martha Parham. The reason was not available by press time.