Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Pasadena City College placed on probation following accreditation review
Listen
• 1:01
Pasadena City College has been placed on probation by the panel that decides on accreditation for community colleges.
(
David Mayerhofer/Flickr Creative Commons
)
After visiting the campus in March, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges found significant problems with how Pasadena City College is run and has now placed it on probation.
The shortcomings were not serious enough to shut down the campus.
“Well, we still have our accreditation. That’s very clear,” said Pasadena City College Trustee Ross Selvidge on Friday. There are no problems with PCC’s academic quality, he asserted.
“But what they pointed out is, you need to [do] better in these specific areas, and we need to make sure that we do.”
Support for LAist comes from
The commission said PCC must improve employee evaluations, fill open administrator jobs, and give employees a say in their professional development.
PCC and commission officials said students applying to four-year universities won’t be affected. Although the college is on probation, it remains fully accredited, said PCC President Rajen Vurdien, who stepped into the job this month.
“The college is ranked number one in most areas. Instruction is excellent,” said Vurdien.
But the accreditation commission has said the deficiencies found during the inspection will eventually affect both academic quality and the students.
“Deficiencies in institutional policies, procedures, practices and outcomes which lead to noncompliance with any standards will impact quality at an institution, and ultimately the educational environment and experiences of students,” Commission President Barbara Beno wrote in a June letter to PCC’s previous president.
The commission told PCC it must submit a report by Oct. 1, 2016 detailing what it's done to fix the problems. Afterward, the commission will schedule a follow-up inspection.
Pasadena City College had been beset by internal conflict between its faculty and the former campus president, Mark Rocha. Those tensions led to faculty protests and votes of no-confidence in Rocha.
Support for LAist comes from
Rocha stepped down last year at the end of August. Remarks made about him by Trustee Selvidge in a Los Angeles Times story led to concerns he could sue. The mediation that followed left him with a retirement payment of about $400,000, the Times reported in April.
Despite college leaders' assurances, some students believe PCC's probation is a black eye for their institution.
Anthropology student Marshall Lewis said he is happy with the quality of education he received in the last three years. However, the administrative conflicts hurt the learning environment because “our professors are forced to endure poor working environments and it shows,” he said in an email.
Vurdien said he plans to call a meeting with faculty and staff as soon as the fall semester begins.
Disclosure: KPCC is operated independently by Southern California Public Radio under a public-service operating agreement with the Pasadena City College District.
This story has been updated.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars. -
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
Best of LAist