WASC accreditation report gives Fresno State a passing grade for educational effectiveness

By REBECCA MARTIN

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) approved re-accreditation for Fresno State, completing a thorough overview of the academic programs.

A campus portfolio linked to Fresno State’s official Web site has a detailed document on the process, including a letter from university president John Welty, who expressed his appreciation of the positive review.

In a letter to Ralph Wolf, the executive director of WASC, Welty wrote, “the WASC accreditation process has helped reinforce to academic departments the importance of the assessment of student learning.”

The report not only has an extensive review on Fresno State’s academic programs, but also a listing of the programs and faculty at Fresno State.

The report says that during the 2003-04 academic year, almost one in four students at Fresno State was enrolled in a post-baccalaureate or graduate program. Fresno State awarded 3,500 degrees in the same year.

The school currently offers 54 bachelor’s degrees, 41 master’s degree programs, seven certificates of advanced study and one joint doctoral program in educational leadership with UC Davis.

Ninety-six percent of Fresno State tenured faculty has a doctoral or other terminal degree in their discipline.

It is a three-year process to become re-accredited by a WASC committee, and the main review is the preparatory review.

This review is to analyze Fresno State’s first commitment to its students, offering quality education.

The review is focused around the main theme of Fresno State being “a learning community.”

Three more specific themes, opportunity, exploration and interaction help increase their educational effectiveness. Committees were formed to explore each of these three areas.

For more information regarding the WASC reports or the WASC campus portfolio, visit the Fresno State Web site, www.csufresno.edu/portfolio.