What is WASC?
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) is one of
the six regional accrediting associations in the U.S. and exists
to assure quality in higher education. WASC grants accreditation
to institutions not individual programs, or in the case of CSUS,
individual colleges. To CSUS, reaffirmation of our accreditation
certifies to the academic community and to the general public that
all of degree programs and educational activities offered by CSUS
meet or exceed established standards and the institution is achieving
its own stated mission.
Why are institutions accredited through WASC? Is
it mandated by a government agency?
No institution in the U.S. is required to be accredited; however,
eligible institutions seek to become accredited because of the known
benefits. In attaining WASC accreditation, an institution shows
that it has met established standards and proves that it is working
toward achieving its stated goals and objectives. Accreditation
also encourages institutional development and improvement through
self-study and review. The higher education community, students,
parents, governmental agencies, and the general public view WASC
accreditation as an indicator of effective educational practices
and institutional quality.
What is WASC to individual members of the CSUS community?
The WASC review process is an opportunity to engage in a period
of self-study and promote improvement in educational quality. It
is an opportunity to ask critical questions about the university,
to identify evidence that helps us address these questions, to reflect
and contribute to conversations about the future of the university,
and to help set directions for further development and improvement.
How has WASC changed?
The WASC review process no longer focuses on compliance issues.
Instead, institutions select issues most relevant to their mission,
study them in detail, and make evidence-based decisions that lead
to improvements in educational effectiveness. Thus, the new review
process is outcome-based and future-oriented; it is not a status
report but a shift to continuous improvement processes.
In the years since our last review, WASC has shifted
its emphasis from a focus on assessment and data to a focus on student
learning. Operating under the assumption that all universities are
now active participants in “Cultures of Learning,” this
shift is the next logical step in an attempt to change the paradigm
of academe from one that is based on knowledge and content to one
that emanates from a learning-centered perspective. In the next
review, WASC will be looking for a coherent linkage between institutional
and programmatic assessment and how that assessment is used to affect
student learning. In order for CSUS to evolve further in this direction,
certain changes and innovations will be required in the current
planning and budgeting infrastructure. All levels of the university
community will need to be included in these changes.
What is the WASC accreditation process now for CSUS?
The WASC accreditation process involves a detailed evaluation of
an institution’s educational capacity and effectiveness. The
process is now a multi-stage, sequential one:
Phase 1: The Institutional Proposal (due in October
of 2004)
The new process asks each institution to conduct a self-study that
focuses on issues germane to its particular mission. The proposal
guides the entire review process. The WASC Coordinating Committee
has selected three strategic themes for this review period: 1) Academic
Programs, 2) Campus Life, and 3) Community Engagement and Impact.
Phase 2: The Preparatory Review (due in spring of
2005)
The purpose of the Preparatory Review is to demonstrate the institution’s
commitment to institutional capacity. It asks if CSUS functions
with the capacity to fulfill its educational purposes.
The Preparatory Review revolves around WASC’s
four standards, which, in summary, ask if the institution demonstrates
a capacity to function with clear purposes, high levels of institutional
integrity, fiscal stability, and with organizational structures
to fulfill its purpose.
Phase 3: The Educational Effectiveness Review (due
in spring 2007)
The purpose of the Educational Effectiveness Review is to invite
sustained engagement by the institution on the extent to which it
fulfills its educational objectives. This is accomplished through
use of and reflection on evidence.
What is the difference between “Institutional Capacity”
and “Educational Effectiveness”?
WASC’s core commitments are to “Institutional Capacity”
and “Educational Effectiveness”:
