City College of San Francisco is fighting for its accreditation.With a determination on the hereafter of City College of San Francisco due equally early on as Wednesday afternoon, most community college leaders are optimistic that the credentialing commission that ordered the college to "prove cause" as to why it shouldn't be shut down will allow City Higher to keep its accreditation and perchance movement it to a lower level of sanction.

"Everybody thinks it'south a foregone conclusion that it (City College) volition be moved toprobation, and I call up that, too," said Ron Galatolo, chancellor of the neighboring San Mateo Community College District.

For the past year, the 85,000 pupil Urban center Higher, the largest in the state, has been engaged in an intensive process to keep its doors open.

The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) notified City College in a July 2, 2012, alphabetic character that it had been placed on the most astringent sanction, and ordered the college to "evidence crusade" as to why it should not lose its accreditation, citing a range of fiscal, direction and other concerns. Two lesser sanctions that the committee could impose are probation and warning status, the lowest level.

Placing a college on probation means it has "deviated significantly" from those standards. A warning means that a higher has "deviated" from the commission's requirements for eligibility and other standards.

"Accreditation is under a large magnifying glass," said Robert Agrella, the special trustee overseeing City College of San Francisco's efforts to retain its accreditation. Source: City College of San Francisco. (Click to enlarge).

Robert Agrella

Bob Agrella, the special trustee appointed to guide City College through the renewal process, said probation would be the best they could hope for given the amount of piece of work that however needs to be done to see all the committee's concerns, based on its most recent report.  That study remains confidential.  Agrella was part of a pocket-sized group of Urban center Higher leaders given fourth dimension at last month's ACCJC meeting for a final opportunity to provide details of the progress they've made, particularly since April, when a committee review team visited the campus. The commission voted in closed session on the fate of City Higher and 45 other western colleges under review.

"Nosotros told them about moving on with the planning and budgeting procedure, clarified that we were moving forth with the participatory governance process in the institution and we told them nosotros were very pleased with the progress we'd made in student learning outcomes and how that had been embraced by the faculty," Agrella said.

The Commission had 30 days after that vote — until this Dominicus, July 7 — to release its ruling. Anyone who knows the final verdict on accreditation has and then far refused to comment, leading to a lot of hearsay.

"What nosotros've heard is anecdotal," said Chris Hanzo, executive director of AFT Local 2121, which represents the Metropolis College faculty.  "We think we'll continue on sanction, possibly 'show cause', which would be very bad."

Karen Saginor, president of the Urban center College of San Francisco Academic Senate, suspects the college will be placed on probation, but said she wouldn't exclude anything at this point. "Considering the consequence is so politicized, I can run across anything from taking away accreditation to probation," Saginor said.

Moving to probation or remaining on "bear witness crusade" status would effectively give the school more fourth dimension to accept intendance of the issues identified past the Commission, but not an unlimited amount of time. A federal law, known every bit the "ii-year rule," requires an accreditation commission to revoke accreditation from a higher if information technology hasn't complied with standards within that period of time, no thing what level of sanction they're on.

The commission is facing its ain review regarding its recognition as an accrediting agency past the federal government, which may be afflicted by a almost 300-page complaint filed by the City Higher faculty union alleging, among other charges, a conflict of involvement because the ACCJC president's husband was on the City College evaluation team. Although the commission has rejected the charges, the U.Due south. Department of Instruction sent a letter to the commission president earlier this month, asking for more documentation to show that it'south in compliance with its own standards.

The marriage escalated its allegations against the committee on Tuesday, filing an amended complaint with additional charges.

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