Accreditation Agencies and Related Organizations

1. Western Association of Schools and Colleges⁽⁷⁾

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) is one of six regional accrediting associations that cover the United States, whose purpose is continual improvement of education and cooperation among educational institutions and agencies.

WASC was formed July 1, 1962 for the purpose of evaluation and accreditation of schools, colleges, and universities in California, Hawaii, and Pacific Island areas.

WASC functions through a board of directors and three accrediting commissions. The Board of Directors consists of nine members, three of whom are elected by each of the WASC commissions. The Board annually elects one of its members to be chairperson of the Board and president of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. It also elects a Secretary-Treasurer, who is usually the executive director of one of the three accrediting commissions.

The Board of Directors and the Secretary-Treasurer are responsible for the annual publication of the WASC Directory, which lists WASC-accredited and candidate institutions.

Each commission develops its own standards, procedures, and fiscal policies under the authority of, and subject to, the approval of the WASC Board of Directors.

Those institutions which have been evaluated by commissions and have received approval are accredited by WASC. Any such accreditation shall cease whenever an institution is dropped from the accredited list of the association, or fails to pay its annual fees, or requests in writing that its accreditation be terminated.

The WASC office is located at 533 Airport Boulevard, Suite 200, Burlingame, CA 94010. Telephone (415) 344-4805, FAX (415) 375-7790. The WASC office is administrated by Donald G. Haught, Secretary-Treasurer.

The three accrediting commissions of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges are:

a. Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities

Ralph A. Wolff, Executive Director. The Commission maintains an office on the campus of Mills College. The mailing address is P.O. Box 9990, Oakland, California 94613. The telephone number is (510) 632-5000.

b. Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

David B. Wolf, Executive Director. The Commission office is located at 3402 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95403. The telephone number is 707-569-9177.

c. Accrediting, Commission for Schools

Donald G. Haught, Executive Director. The Commission office is located at 533 Airport Boulevard, Suite 200, Burlingame, California 94010. The telephone number is (415) 696-1060.

2. Other Regional Commissions in the United States

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104. Telephone (215) 662-5606. Executive Director, Jean Avnet Morse.

New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, Charles M. Cook, Director; Commission on Vocational, Technical, Career Institutions, Richard E. Mandeville, Director, 209 Burlington Road, Bedford, Massachusetts 01730. Telephone (617) 271-0022.

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, 30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, Illinois 60602. Telephone (312) 263-0456, (800) 621-7440. Executive Director, Patricia A. Thrash.

Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Colleges, 3700-B University Way, N.E., Seattle, Washington 98105. Telephone (206) 543-0195. Executive Director, Sandra Elman.

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges, 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033. Telephone (404) 679-4500. Executive Director, James T. Rogers.

REGIONAL ASSOCIATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES

WESTERN:
American Samoa
California
Guam
Hawaii
Micronesia
Other Pacific Basin countries in Asia

NORTHWEST:
Idaho
Montana
Oregon
Utah
Washington

NORTH CENTRAL:
Arizona
Arkansas
Colorado
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Minnesota
Missouri
Nebraska
New Mexico
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
South Dakota
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

SOUTHERN:
Alabama
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Louisiana
Mississippi
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
Mexico

WESTERN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES
CONSTITUTION
(Amended July 1994)

ARTICLE 1. Name and Purpose
This organization shall be entitled WESTERN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. Its purpose is to promote the welfare, interests, and development of elementary, secondary, and higher education through (1) improvement of educational programs, (2) close cooperation among the schools, colleges, and universities within the territory it undertakes to serve, (3) certification of accreditation or candidacy status, and (4) effective working relationships with other educational organizations and accrediting agencies.

ARTICLE II. Accrediting Region and Certification
Section 1. The accrediting region of the Association consists of the states of California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands, the Pacific Basin, and East Asia, and areNas of the Pacific and East Asia where American International schools or colleges may apply, and such other areas as may apply to it for service, subject to approval by the Board of Directors.

Section 2. Any university, college, or school shall be certified by the Board of Directors as a candidate or accredited institution upon report of action taken by the appropriate Accrediting Commission. Any such certification shall cease whenever an institution resigns, is dropped from the accredited or candidate list of the Association, or fails to pay its annual fees by the date set by the appropriate Accrediting Commission for payment.

ARTICLE III. Organization
Section 1. The Board of Directors shall consist of nine persons, three to be selected for staggered three-year terms from and by each of the three Accrediting Commissions hereinafter named and described. One of each Commission's appointees shall be its Chair or Assistant/Vice Chair. The Board shall elect its Chair from among its members for a one-year term. The Chair may be re-elected for one additional one-year term, but may not serve more than two such terms in succession. The Chair of the Board shall be the President of the Association. The Secretary-Treasurer of the Association shall be selected by the Board.

Section 2. The Board of Directors shall meet annually at such time as may be determined by the Board, and may hold other meetings at the call of the Chair or on the request of any three members of the Board of Directors.

Section 3. There shall be three accrediting Commissions, as follows:

a. Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities.

This Commission shall consist of members appointed for overlapping three-year terms by the Western College Association, one of whom shall be named Chair. One member shall be appointed from either the present or former Commission membership by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. One member shall be appointed from either the present or former Commission membership by the Accrediting Commission for Schools. The Pacific Basin, the Northwest region, and the general public shall also be represented. The President of the Western College Association shall be an ex officio member.

Nominations for members of the Commission shall be solicited from member institutions by a Nominating Committee, appointed by the Western College Association Executive Committee and composed of. the President Elect of the Western College Association, the Chair of the Commission, the Western College Association Executive Secretary-Treasurer, and faculty, administrative, and public representatives. The Executive Committee shall ensure that there is a balance on the Nominating Committee among public and independent institutions.

Members of the Commission shall be allowed to complete their terms upon retirement from their institutions. Non-public Commissioners who lose their institutional base for any reason or who move out of the WASC region or the Northwest region, in the case of members appointed from that region, shall be ineligible to serve beyond the end of the academic year.

b. Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

This Commission shall consist of seventeen members. The Chancellor for California Community Colleges and the President of the University of Hawaii shall each appoint one member. The Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities and the Accrediting Commission for Schools shall each appoint a present or former member from their respective commissions. The remaining members, selected for overlapping three-year terms, shall be named by a special Selection Committee. At least five of the appointments shall be faculty; at least three of the appointments shall represent the public interest; at least one of the appointments shall represent the independent institutions; one shall represent institutions in the Pacific Basin.

The Selection Committee shall consist of six members, two of whom shall be faculty, two administrators, and two public. The Commission Chair shall appoint two of these members from the Commission, one of whom shall chair the Committee. The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, the California Chief Executive Officers, and the California Community College Trustees shall appoint respectively whatever additional faculty, administrative, and public members are required to complete the composition of the six-member committee. The Committee shall be constituted in the spring of each year.

c. Accrediting Commission for Schools.
This Commission shall consist of twenty-five persons selected for staggered three-year terms. Public school representatives shall be appointed as follows: Seven by the Association of California School Administrators (including representation from the district office level and school-site level); one by the California Teachers' Association; one by the California Federation of Teachers; one by the California Department of Education; one by the Hawaii State Department of Education; one by the Hawaii Government Employees' Association; one by the California Association of Independent Schools; one by the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools; one by the East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools; three by the Western Catholic Educational Association, one of whom must be a practicing classroom teacher; one by the Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists; one practicing classroom teacher on a rotational basis from the Hawaii, Pacific Islands, EARCOS region; one practicing classroom teacher from the California Association of Private School Organizations (CAPSO); one school board member by the California School Boards' Association; one parent by the California Congress of Parents and Teachers. The Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities and the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges may each appoint one currently sitting member of the respective Commission to serve as liaison to the Schools Commission. The Commission shall elect its own Chair.

If a chan e of status, which affects eligibility for constituency appointments of any of the above appointees occurs during the term of office, the individual may at the discretion of the appointing agency, serve the remainder of the term or may be replaced. A person completing a term after a change of status may not be reappointed.

Section 4. The Executive Director of each Accrediting Commission shall be appointed by the Commission. Changes in the size and composition of each Accrediting Commission may be made by the Commission with the approval of the Board of Directors. The composition of each Accrediting Commission shall be published in the annual Directory of the Association.

Section 5. Recognizing that the Board of Directors retains ultimate authority over administrative structures, budgets, fiscal policies, contracts and leases, including those entered into by the Accrediting Commissions, the Board may delegate actual management over such matters, including the actual review and approval of such matters, to the Commissions to the extent it deems prudent.

Section 6. Action taken by any Commission to deny or withdraw accreditation or candidacy shall be reported in writing to the WASC Board at its annual meeting.

ARTICLE IV. Criteria for Certification
Section 1. Each of the Accrediting Commissions shall adopt its own criteria, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors of the Association. The criteria shall provide for the evaluation of each institution on the basis of the degree to which it is accomplishing the purposes and functions outlined in its own statement of objectives, and on the appropriateness of those purposes and functions for an institution of its type.

Section 2. The actions by each Accrediting Commission, subject to its review procedures and the appeals procedures provided for in Article VI, shall be final and shall be certified by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE V. Duties of Officers
Section 1. The Chair of the Board of Directors shall preside at all meetings of the Board and shall have the right to vote on all issues that come before the Board for decision. As President of the Association, he/she shall be the official spokesperson for the Association, representing the Association in accord with policies established by each of the three Accrediting Commissions and the Board.

Section 2. The Secretary-Treasurer shall serve as the Secretary of the Board of Directors and shall maintain a complete file of minutes and Board decisions. He/she shall receive from the Directors of the three Accrediting Commissions the lists of accredited and candidate institutions and shall provide for the publication of a total Association list of accredited and candidate institutions at least once each year.

Section 3. The Director of each of the three Accrediting Commissions shall maintain a careful record of the actions and decisions of the Commission, shall be responsible under the Commission's direction for the scheduling of accreditation visits, appointment of visiting committees, distribution of necessary accreditation materials, and for such other matters as the Commission may delegate to the Director for the effective administration of the Accreditation program. Following each meeting of the Commission at which accreditation decisions are made, the Director shall promptly notify the Secretary-Treasurer of the Board of Directors of all changes in the list of accredited and candidate institutions. At its annual meeting the Board of Directors shall certify the list of accredited and candidate institutions submitted by each Accrediting Commission.

ARTICLE VI. Appeals
Section 1. The WASC Board of Directors shall elect annually a WASC Hearing Panel from which shall be selected a Hearing Board established for the purpose of deciding appeals by any institution against the decision of any of the WASC Commissions denying or terminating accreditation or candidacy. This Panel shall consist of twenty persons as follows: (1) five from elementary/secondary schools; (2) five from junior or community colleges; (3) five from senior colleges and universities; and (4) five lay members of governing boards. None of the twenty shall be a current member of an Accrediting Commission.

a. The Hearing Board shall consist of five persons, including at least one person from each of the above categories, selected on random basis from the Hearing Panel and appointed, after such selection, by the WASC President. None of those selected shall have been involved in the accreditation process which resulted in the appeal. ne Hearing Board shall elect its Chair from its own membership. Each member, including the Chair, shall have one vote.

b. Hearing Board members to replace those who are absent or have a conflict of interest shall be selected on the same random basis and appointed by the WASC President from the remaining members of the Hearing Panel.

Section 2. Costs. An institution making an appeal shall assume all necessary costs of the Hearing Board including the cost of any legal fees of the Hearing Board.

a. The WASC Board of Directors shall establish a differential deposit, depending upon whether the institution chooses to be represented by counsel in the conduct of the hearing. At the time it makes its appeal the institution shall declare whether or not it wishes to have an attorney conduct its portion of the hearing and represent it before the Hearing Board.

b. An institution making an appeal shall deposit at the time it files its appeal an amount to be established annually by the WASC Board of Directors [ten thousand dollars ($10,000)] with the Secretary-Treasurer of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges if the institution wishes to conduct the hearing without the use of an attorney to represent it. If the institution wishes to have an attorney conduct its portion of the hearing and represent it before the Hearing Board the deposit shall be twenty five thousand dollars ($25,000).

c. In the event the necessary costs exceed the amount of the deposit, the institution shall be responsible for the balance or, in the event the deposit exceeds the necessary costs, the institution shall receive a refund in the amount of the difference.

Section 3. If an institution, after availing itself of any review or appeal procedures of its appropriate Commission, still believes itself aggrieved by that Commission's denial or termination of candidacy or accreditation, its governing board may appeal such action within thirty (30) calendar days of receipt of notice thereof to the President of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges through the appropriate Commission's Executive Director. During the period up to and including the appeal, the institution's status with the Commission shall remain the same as it was prior to the decision being appealed.

a. The President of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges shall then arrange a hearing at the earliest practicable date for the representatives of the institution before the Association's Hearing Board, established for this purpose as prescribed in Article VI, Section 1, of this Constitution.

b. This hearing shall be informal and conducted under rules and procedures established by the WASC Board of Directors. Those testifying shall not be placed under oath. Legal counsel may be present as advisors but they shall not conduct the case unless the institution has filed a declaration at the time it filed its appeal, as provided in Article VI, Section 2, of this Constitution.

c. At least forty five (45) calendar days before the time set for the hearing of such an appeal, the President (or Secretary-Treasurer) of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges shall cause notice of the time and place of the hearing to be mailed by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, to the chairman or president of the governing board of the institution with a copy to the chief executive. Proof of notice shall be made at the hearing.

d. Subject to limitations set forth below, representatives of the institution shall have an opportunity to present written documents, other evidence on the institution's behalf, oral testimony, and arguments. Representatives of the appropriate Commission and of the evaluation team shall have a similar opportunity to present evidence, oral testimony, and arguments on the Commission's behalf. Neither party shall have the right to subpoena or to call any witnesses from the other party.

e. The Hearing Board, in addition to considering evidence adduced at the hearing, will also consider the institution's self study report, the evaluation team report, and all other material relied upon by the Commission in reaching the decision which is being appealed, including the reports filed as a result of any internal Commission appeal process.

f. The appeal shall be based on one or more of the following grounds: (1) there were errors or omissions in carrying out prescribed procedures on the part of the evaluation team and/or the Commission which materially affected the Commission's decision; (2) there was demonstrable bias or prejudice on the part of one or more members of the evaluation team or Commission which materially affected the Commission's decision; (3) the evidence before the Commission prior to and on the date when it made the decision which is being appealed was materially in error; or (4) the decision of the Commission was not supported by substantial evidence.

g. No more than thirty (30) calendar days after the institution has submitted its request for an appeal to the President of WASC through the Secretary-Treasurer, the institution shall, in addition, file an appeal brief which shall set forth with greater specificity the grounds and the facts upon which the appeal is based. Such appeal brief shall follow the format specified in the appeals manual.

h. The appeal shall be heard on the record and confined to actions taken by the institution and the Commission up to and through the date of the Commission decision which is being appealed. Only information and material before the Commission up to and through the date of the Commission's decision that is being appealed may be introduced, including that which was reviewed as part of the Commission's internal appeal process.

i. The Hearing Board shall make its decision by a vote of the majority on the basis of the admissible evidence and arguments presented to it at the hearing.

(1) If the Board finds for the institution on one or more of grounds (1) through (3) of Section 2f above, the Board shall remand the case to the appropriate Commission for reconsideration.

(2) If the Board finds for an institution on ground (4) of Section 2f above, it shall either remand the case to the appropriate Commission for reconsideration or, in the appropriate instance, grant the appeal and direct the Commission to take action which will effectuate the decision at its next meeting.

(3) If it finds against the institution on any of the four grounds in Section 2f above, it shall deny that portion of the appeal which is based on that ground.

(4) If the Board orders reconsideration, the appropriate Commission shall reconsider the matter according to procedures it may adopt for this purpose. The Commission's decision following such reconsideration shall be final.

j. At the conclusion of its deliberations, the Hearing Board shall issue its decision and the reasons therefor within forty-five (45) calendar days and inform, by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, the President of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the chairman of the governing board of the institution, and the Executive Director of the Commission concerned. Such decision shall be final.

ARTICLE VII. Financing
Financial support for the work of the Board of Directors of the Association shall be obtained by equal assessment on each of the three Accrediting Commissions.

ARTICLE VIII. Amendments
Proposed amendments to this Constitution may originate with any of the Commissions or with the Board of Directors. Such proposed amendments, except those relating to the size and composition of a Commission (See ARTICLE III, section 4), shall become effective upon approval by a two-thirds vote of each of the three commissions and of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE IX. Indemnification
The Association does hereby grant indemnification to any officer, director, commissioner, or other agent, or former officer, director, commissioner, or other agent, including but not limited to WASC employees and team members, for claims or actions asserted against said person arising out of acts or omissions alleged to have occurred in connection with, or as a result of his or her activities as an officer, director, commissioner, or agent, of this Association, to the fullest extent permitted by law; provided, however, as follows:

a. If any claim or action is asserted or threatened to be asserted, as described in such statutes, the person requesting indemnification must give timely notice thereof to the President of the Association or the Chairperson of the Board of Directors;

b. If the person requesting indemnification is not successful on the merits of the action, the Board of Directors, the members, or the court must determine that the person acted in good faith, in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the corporation, and without reason to believe his or her conduct was unlawful; and

c. Indemnification shall be provided herein only to the extent that valid and collectible insurance coverage under all existing policies of insurance held by the Association has been exhausted.

7. For the list of WASC candidate and accredited institutions, see the official WASC Directory.