The College of the Sequoias could be forced to shut down by May 2014. The Visalia school is in danger of losing its accreditation, according to President/Superintendent Stan Carrizosa. COS is in “noncompliance” of five areas addressed by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges in 2006.
COS is Fresno State’s third-largest feeder school, sending 1,199 transfers since fall 2008, with 190 in fall 2012. Although Fresno State would not be impaired dramatically, it would likely feel some effects.
If COS lost its accreditation, Bernard Vinovrski, the associate vice president for enrollment services at Fresno State, feels it would be a tragedy for the community.
“COS is very valuable to us. We do not want this for them. It’s Fresno State’s job to serve this region,” Vinovrski said.
If COS is forced to close, Vinovrski worries that some students will not have the chance to attend college at Fresno State. The university maintains strict guidelines for incoming freshmen, and many students do not meet the qualifications.
COS offers open enrollment that permits students who are turned away from a four-year college another chance at higher education. If COS does not maintain its accreditation, several students in the Kings and Tulare county areas could lose out on an education, he explained.
The ACCJC is requiring that COS respond by Oct.15 with a Show of Cause and Closure Report.
“Show cause order is the most extreme response we can get,” Carrizosa said in a meeting with faculty and students Feb. 14.
Instructors and students are worried but maintain hope that COS will pass the accreditation process. Tom Weise, a communication instructor at COS, feels that the school will pass accreditation as long as everyone works together.
“The board and the administration need to take the 2006 recommendations to heart, now that the accreditors reiterated the need to build trust in the college community,” Weise said.
COS has three campuses: Visalia, Hanford and the newly opened campus in Tulare. If it is forced to close, students like Veronica Contreras, president of Alpha Gamma Sigma at COS, are concerned about the implications it could have on the entire community.
“We need to think about our community. If this happens, so many students and instructors will be out of work, and this college has a huge impact on us economically,” Contreras said. “Our chapter raises and donates money every year to charities around here, and our members pride themselves on volunteer work.”
Some officials are shocked that COS is at this point in the accreditation process based on the results they have seen from COS transfer students.
“I never had a feeling that COS transfer students were performing poorly. It would have been brought to my attention if these students were not performing, but the numbers when they transfer do not reflect that. We didn’t expect this,” Vinovrski said.
Vinovrski worries some students who are attending Fresno State will hear about the possible shutdown and become worried about their transfer credits.
“I think students who have graduated from COS will have a lot of questions. They will want to know if they are safe and if they will be fine here at Fresno State. As long as they transferred when the college was accredited, they have nothing to worry about,” Vinovrski said.
Several colleges across the state have been at this level in the accreditation process and have met the goals needed to maintain accreditation. This leads many to believe COS will pass accreditation and will not be forced to close its doors.
“When people are up against a wall, they roll up their sleeves and work together. My guess is they will get it done,” Vinovrski said.