TMCC reaccredited following site visit. Pictured are 2015 Phi Theta Kappa members and grads (l to r): Stephanie Prevost, Neil Siegel (PTK advisor), Ben Siegel and Ryan Gerchman.
The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) has reaccredited Truckee Meadows Community College on the basis of the Fall 2015 Year Seven Mission Fulfillment and Sustainability Evaluation.
“The Commission’s recent letter of reaccreditation included several commendations that we’re very proud of, particularly the commitment of faculty to student success,” said J. Kyle Dalpe, PhD, acting president of TMCC. “The staff of the College’s student services division was applauded for excellence, and our professional development office’s variety and range of training programs were also noted.”
Dalpe added that there were two other areas commended.
“TMCC Foundation was praised for its success in acquiring resources, and the College’s Facilities Master Plan was called exemplary,” he said. “I would like to thank everyone at the college – faculty, staff and students – who participated in this process to ensure TMCC is best serving our community.”
NWCCU announced the reaccreditation on Jan. 29. Leading up to the announcement, TMCC submitted a Year Seven Self-Evaluation Report, hosted an October evaluator site visit, and College officials appeared in January before the Commission at their headquarters in Bellevue, WA.
“The Commission commends the College’s staff and faculty for their broadly-evidenced, clearly articulated commitment to student success through a strongly collegial atmosphere which enhances the institution’s ability to support mission fulfillment,” writes Sandra Elman, president of the NWCCU.
The agency also made recommendations that the college will be addressing in the coming year. Recommendations include that TMCC renews its look at all aspects of the College’s mission and how it is supported in core themes that the College has already identified as priorities. NWCCU also recommends that the library engage in more regular resource planning that is guided by data, that the college develops clearer policies and procedures for handling hazardous materials, and that a more systematic method of evaluating student mastery of general education goals be implemented.
Seven-year accreditation cycle
The NWCCU is one of seven regional organizations recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit postsecondary institutions.
NWCCU’s accreditation cycle is a seven-year process whereby colleges and universities demonstrate how they meet five standards and twenty-four eligibility requirements. In year one, colleges identify their mission and core themes in a strategic master plan and define how they will fulfill their mission. By year three, colleges describe their resources and capacity and must begin to show evidence of mission fulfillment. And in year seven, colleges conduct a comprehensive self-evaluation on all of NWCCU’s standards and eligibility requirements, including sustainability, and prepare a Year Seven Self-Evaluation Report for the Commission. A site visit is then conducted by one of the Commission’s evaluation teams before their final letter of decision is granted.
For more information about NWCCU, please visit TMCC's Accreditation Office online, or call 775-337-5649.