Reporter staff

The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) reaccredited Green River Community College, with campuses in Auburn and Kent, for seven years.

An independent, nonprofit body, the NWCCU monitors and assesses the quality of colleges and universities in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

While individual programs, such as the trade or professional career courses have their own accrediting organizations, NWCCU is in charge of assessing the overall quality of the school. The U.S. Department of Eduction recognizes NWCCU and uses its accreditation standards when authorizing schools for federal funds.

“This is the college accreditation, the main thing that keeps our doors open,” said Green River spokeswoman Vicki Sheehan, “without it we wouldn’t get Title IX funding.”

The accreditation process involved an application and self evaluation as well as a three-day, on-site evaluation conducted by faculty and administrators from other regional colleges in the Northwest. The teams interviewed students, staff, faculty and administrators to analyze the college’s ability to meet it’s instructional goals.

At the end of the process, the commission commended GRCC’s dedication to student success and passion for teaching and learning, but also had five recommendations for the school: ensure the college’s mission and themes are aligned, clarify its system of government, implement a review of policies by the Board of Trustees, have an external financial audit, and start comprehensive assessment system of the curriculum to check on student learning.

Green River was first granted accreditation from the NWCCU in 1967. The positive status allows the college to receive federal financial aid for students.