Pierce Accreditation Problems Exaggerated

* In response to the editorial of Oct. 1 (“Pierce College Must Act Quickly on Problems”) and to the article of Sept. 22 (“Accreditation Panel Defers Pierce Renewal”), I would like to assure you that Pierce College continues to be accredited. Its programs continue to be fully transferable, and its alumni continue to be accepted at a large number of universities.

In spite of the alarmist articles published by The Times, the accreditation commission report did not “threaten” Pierce’s accreditation. But, as I indicated when interviewed by The Times, it did point out areas, mostly dealing with internal and district processes, that need to be revised before renewal is granted. In the meantime, the college maintains its status as a fully accredited institution.

The latest accreditation team pointed out that the college had not responded to the previous team’s recommendations. Most of the areas to be corrected were caused by a state of inertia that had plagued the college under previous administrations. Under the current leadership, however, the inertia has been reversed and the whole college is acting rapidly to respond to the accreditation commission’s report and to its own self-study.

Even before the report was received, programs were undergoing review, one was eliminated (over the protests of The Times, among others), others were reformulated to make them more responsive to student needs. Various groups of employers have been invited to meet with faculty and to indicate what kind of training they require for future employees.

In spite of the negative opinion reflected by your articles, Pierce continues to enjoy one of the highest transfer rates in the state and its graduates continue to have a higher grade-point average at the four-year schools than native students. Moreover, graduates of Pierce’s occupational programs continue to find immediate placement in well paying jobs.

This is not a college in trouble, but one that is busy reinventing itself, as all organizations must do periodically to keep up with the changing needs of the population they serve. I hope that the editorial opinion writers will take the time to come and visit the school to see for themselves what has been done and what is currently under way.

CARMELITA THOMAS

Encino

Thomas is vice president of academic affairs at Los Angeles Pierce College