UH Mānoa reaccreditation process moving ahead after positive review

The Western Association of Schools & Colleges (WASC) Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities has reviewed the report of its visiting team’s Capacity and Preparatory Review (CPR)—based on a visit to UH Mānoa December 7-10, 2009—and has commended the campus for making considerable progress since its last special visit three years ago. Based on such positive feedback, the Commission has approved the advancement of UH Mānoa’s reaccreditation process, including a scheduled Educational Effectiveness Review in Spring 2011.

 

In a March 5, 2010 letter to Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw, Commission President and Executive Director Ralph A. Wolff acknowledged significant improvements at UH Mānoa: “The (visiting) team had the distinct impression of a sense of community across the campus, a willingness to collaborate, to facilitate partnerships at all levels and a keen realization that this collegiality was essential to help weather the current economic crisis. We sensed a great deal of excitement and pride about the unique place of Hawaiian Learning and what an extraordinary opportunity the campus has to highlight Hawaiian Knowledge.”

 

The Commission also endorsed the CPR team’s findings, commendations and recommendations in the particular areas of strategic planning, educational effectiveness and student access. “Perhaps the most outstanding discovery by the team was the progress made with the Student Success Initiatives,” reads part of the site visit report. “We found the Student Success Center, Residential Learning Community, First-Year initiatives, and Composition 100 to be exemplary. In fact the breadth of initiatives across the campus became a challenge for the team in deciding which to include in this report.”

 

Chancellor Hinshaw said she was pleased that the report recognized the tremendous strides made by the campus in becoming a destination of choice for outstanding students, faculty and staff. “The challenge for us is sustaining the progress we’ve made despite substantial reductions in our budget—at least $66 million. We’re certainly encouraging state decision-makers, along with our UH Mānoa alumni, donors and friends, to help us keep moving forward to meet the educational and research needs of our community.”

 

Added Reed Dasenbrock, vice chancellor for academic affairs and accreditation liaison officer, “The site visit report, and the WASC Commission action in endorsing that report, shows the progress we are making on revitalizing undergraduate education at UH Mānoa, despite the financial challenges of the present moment.” 

 

The Commission letter, along with all other WASC documents, may be downloaded from the UH Mānoa WASC web site at http://manoa.hawaii.edu/wasc.