News

We have been chided, on occasion, for only focusing on the bad. The bad. And the bad. And, you know, the bad. And so on. C'mon, there's gotta be some good news coming from the College of the Redwoods.

Well, of course there is. Tons of it, like interesting profs doing interesting stuff, that kind of thing (enough with the gratuitous linkage, ya say). There's also that particularly fantastic news that CR will be getting $2.5 million from the U.S. Department of Labor to develop 12 job-training programs aimed to steer students toward the "targets of opportunity" types of jobs that experts are saying define our evolving new economy here in Humboldt.

And then there's the "whew," brow-wiping great news, delivered by e-mail to us today from CR's  Director of Communications and Marketing, Paul Demark: "CR receives Accreditation clean slate"

We're just going to give you the whole dang news release, for now:

CR receives Accreditation clean slate: commission removes college from warning status

College of the Redwoods received notice on Wednesday, Feb. 4 that it had been removed from accreditation warning status and given a clean slate by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) following the Commission's semi-annual meeting in January.

"We are delighted that the accrediting commission recognized the hard work of the College of the Redwoods faculty, staff, administration and Board of Trustees to address its concerns regarding our accreditation," CR President Jeff Marsee said. "The Commission has identified several other issues that we need to continue working on.

"This news sends the message to the community that CR is back and continues to deliver the excellent academic and career technical education for which it has always been known."

When CR was notified in February 2006 by the ACCJC that it had been placed on warning status, there were four areas of concern the commission identified. Those four areas have now been addressed to the commission's satisfaction. Marsee stressed that CR continued to be fully accredited by the commission during the last three years it was on sanction.

"At no time did the accrediting commission criticize the academic excellence of its faculty or the services provided to the community," Marsee added.

ACCJC President Barbara Beno in a letter to Marsee wrote that CR had "addressed the self-identified plans for improvement which were included in the institutional self study. The institution is commended for achievements to date and to take the recommendations of the commission seriously."

CR recently completed its draft Educational Master Plan 2009-2020, which it submitted to the commission, and is currently working on its draft Facilities Master Plan 2009-2020. In her letter, Beno said, "The commission expects the college to continue its momentum, sustain the achievements to date and completely resolve the remaining issues related to the integrated planning and Educational Master Plan."

Marsee said that CR accepts the challenge to continue developing its long-range planning and is fully confident that those  goals will be met.
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