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Preparing for the 2014 Educational Effectiveness Review
University of the West is currently preparing for the final phase in its reaffirmation of accreditation process with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The reaccreditation process consists of two main reviews, the Capacity and Preparatory Review (CPR), which took place in 2010, and the Educational Effectiveness Review (EER). The EER begins with a self-study, the EER report, which UWest will submit to WASC in summer 2014, followed by the EER visit in fall 2014. The WASC Commission decision on UWest’s reaffirmation of accreditation is expected in early March 2015.
The Fall 2012 Special Visit
Following the 2010 CPR visit, the WASC Commission made several recommendations for improvement that UWest needed to address before moving on to the EER. A Special Visit was scheduled for October 2012, during which a visiting team verified that UWest had made significant progress in seven areas of concern: mission, board of trustees, leadership, resources, academics, faculty, and assessment. Details of the university’s extensive preparations for the Special Visit can be found in UWest’s 2012 Special Visit Report. After the successful visit, the WASC Commission confirmed the EER visit for fall 2014 (see the March 2013 Action Letter, below).
Significant Progress
UWest has made important strides in many areas thanks to the improvements implemented in preparation for the 2012 Special Visit. These changes resulted in enrollment growth in the 2012/13 academic year, with a 75% increase in applications and a 30% increase in enrollment over 2011. The UWest student body now includes students from 33 different countries, and many have received financial support via the new donor-funded Lotus Scholarship. Student satisfaction has improved and UWest expects to graduate even more students in 2013.
Publishing the WASC Documents
In the spirit of transparency, UWest strives to keep all members of the campus community-- faculty, staff, students, alumni, trustees, and donors-- informed about the university’s progress towards successful reaccreditation. At the bottom of this page, you will find links to all of the pertinent WASC documents, beginning with the most recent: the March 2013 WASC Action Letter, and then in reverse chronological order, the UWest Response to the Report of the Special Visit Team, the Report of the WASC Special Visit Team, UWest’s 2012 Special Visit Report, the March 2011 WASC Action Letter, and the 2010 UWest Capacity and Preparatory Review Report.
For questions, concerns, or more information, please contact Dean Vanessa Karam, Accreditation Liaison Officer, at ext. 130,
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, or stop by her office in AD 221.
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