NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release: January 23, 2024
For further information contact:
Ryan Brown Phone: 408-531-6172 | ryan.brown@sjeccd.edu
Evergreen Valley College, San José City College Accreditation Reaffirmed
(San José, Calif.) — San José – Evergreen Community College District (SJECCD) learned this week that both of its Colleges—Evergreen Valley College (EVC) and San José City College (SJCC)—received full reaffirmation of their accreditation status for seven years, based on a comprehensive review by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC).
“The purpose of this review was to determine whether the College continues to meet ACCJC’s Eligibility Requirements, Commission Policies, and Accreditation Standards,” letters from ACCJC to the College presidents read. “…the Commission acted to Reaffirm Accreditation for seven years,” the letters continued.
The letters also note zero compliance requirements and zero recommendations for improving institutional effectiveness, highlighting the successful accreditation cycle for both colleges.
Both EVC and SJCC completed accreditation site visits in October, during which time teams of evaluators from ACCJC spent multiple days on the campuses analyzing data and reviewing reports and operations at the Colleges and District.
“The accreditation process is vital to the ongoing improvement of our Colleges and we are grateful for ACCJC’s work in ensuring that we continue to meet their high standards for institutional effectiveness,” said Dr. Beatriz Chaidez, SJECCD’s interim chancellor. “The fact that both Colleges have had their accreditation reaffirmed reflects the hard work taking place on our campuses; our commitment to continuous improvement; and the dedication of our faculty, classified staff, and administrators to serving students.”
While the accreditation process was time consuming and required many resources at both Colleges, Dr. Rowena Tomaneng, SJCC president, indicated that it was very much a team effort that involved all constituency groups at the College. “Having our accreditation reaffirmed is a great achievement and I am proud of our faculty, classified staff, administrators, and students for their efforts in making San José City College a great institution of higher learning,” she said. “It’s important that we always work to improve upon and adapt the programs and services of the College to meet the needs of today's learners, as well as the education and job training requirements of the regional workforce.”
“Our accreditation is critical to ensuring that our students and the public are aware that the quality of our instruction and student support services have been recognized as meeting the very high standards set by ACCJC,” said Dr. Denise Noldon, interim EVC president. “The fact that the evaluation process is peer-led confirms that community college educators and administrators from throughout the region have recognized the value of a degree or certificate from EVC.”
As part of the next seven-year accreditation cycle, both Colleges will provide midterm reports to ACCJC on October 15, 2027.