A review team that visited Pima Community College recently has reached an initial conclusion about whether the school meets quality standards, and taxpayers are expected to find out next week what it is.
The college received formal word Monday from its accreditor, the Chicago-based Higher Learning Commission, on the future status the review team is recommending for PCC, which has spent four years under accreditation sanctions.
Public release of the review team’s findings won’t occur until after PCC leadership has had a chance to study the contents and correct any factual errors, Governing Board Chairman Mark Hanna said.
Hanna said he “strongly urged” PCC Chancellor Lee Lambert to release the findings by next Wednesday, Dec. 21, before the college closes for the holidays. “I expect that is what will occur,” the board chairman said.
The accreditor’s review team spent two days in September on campus at PCC. It was the third such visit in the last five years.
A 2012 accreditation review found sweeping problems in PCC’s governance and administration. A follow-up visit last year detected some positive changes, but also found 11 areas in which PCC was weak — for example, in its lack of a rigorous assessment system for judging program quality.
Lambert has predicted the latest review will find PCC has improved enough to come off sanctions.
The college has two weeks to respond to the latest draft recommendation, after which the review team will make a final recommendation.
The accreditor is expected to make a final decision on PCC’s status early next year.
