It takes a village to raise a child, or in Pierce’s case, a college student.
The latest scheduled comprehensive re-accreditation review and open forum panel took place in Building 600 on Monday, Feb. 27.
According to the panel, Pierce College is not your average campus.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been to a campus that has gone from a chicken coup to an automotive center,” said President of Crafton College and Accreditation Commission Member Kevin Horan.
Accreditation is a school’s way of being vetted, making sure that the processes and procedures that are in place are being followed as planned.
According to English Professor and Faculty Accreditation Coordinator Yvonne Grigg, the concept closely parallels the idea of cause and effect. In the case of Pierce College, the former are the outlines of procedures that have been followed accordingly and the latter is being approved by the Accreditation Committee.
“Accreditation is not about being perfect, we are not perfect, but the point is we have procedures and [Pierce] following them,” Grigg said.
Problems that students may face when not attending an accredited school is transferring. For example, taking courses at a non-accredited college or university would cause schools such as CSUN to deny your ability to transfer.
By sharing the roles that each department plays in a student’s success, and how said success can be viewed numerically in areas such as an increase in enrollment, transfer and graduation rates, the Accreditation Commission gave the greenlight, marking the continuation of Pierce as an accredited school.
“Accreditation gives students the ability to have federal financial aid and a piece of paper that makes their education valuable to an employer,” Grigg said.
The event shared numerous examples of how Pierce College has been aiding students in leveraging every department to their advantage. From career counseling, to financial aid fairs, to the use of the Center for Academic Success. Every part of Pierce College’s campus is made ready to help students meet their goals.
Dean of Academic Affairs Sharon Dalmage said that gathering together in situations like the open forum panel speaks to the dedication those at Pierce College have to the school and its success.
“What was special about the event was getting an opportunity just to see how all of our collaboration between students, faculty and staff has resulted in so many different programs that are benefiting the community,” Dalmage said.
Dean of Career and Technical Education Mon Khat provided an example of Pierce helping to facilitate career goals by discussing the inner workings of the Automotive Department.
According to Khat, the department applies consistently updated class teachings to parallel real world work settings, detailing how students can also take classes as needed and immediately apply them to jobs, then come back to fulfill degree requirements when ready.
Khat made specific mentions of having partnerships with brands such as Ford, Tesla and Chrysler in order to give students the opportunity to learn with the most updated auto parts and engines.
“If they get hired by Ford or Chrysler, they won’t come in as a low level mechanic, they will come in as a Level 2 or Level 3, and get paid more because they have experience and training with those engines,” Khat said.
The forum closed after a uniquely short visit, only solidify in the Brahma pride and reaffirming the hard work that students, faculty and staff bring to the campus.
“The Accreditation Commission saw how we like working together, how we really are like a family and how we want to create that sense of family and unity with our students as well,” Grigg said.
