Pima Community College got word today that it will most likely have its probation lifted, based on a report by the Higher Learning Commission.
The report, which was put together based on a visit to Pima in September, will be one of the main pieces of evidence the commission takes into consideration when deciding the college’s fate in early 2015. The report included the caveat that while the college has made some good progress, many of the programs that have been implemented are still new. As a result, the team is recommending that the college be taken off probation, but put “on notice”—essentially saying that while the progress looks promising, the HLC should make sure everything holds up over time.
“I see today’s recommendation as positive news of where we’ve come and where we’re headed,” Pima Chancellor Lee Lambert said at a press conference. “The team that spent the most time with the college is coming back with this positive recommendation. I think it will be hard for them not to follow that.”
The announcement, which Lambert made encircled by smiling college employees, was met with a standing ovation.
The college’s accreditation has been on probation since the spring of 2013, when community concern brought the HLC to Tucson to look into problems at the college. During that evaluation, the HLC found five standards for accreditation that the college did not meet, including failing to investigate sexual harassment allegations quickly and abusing the college’s HR practices.
Read the full report that will be submitted for Pima’s upcoming trial here.
This article appears in Dec 11-17, 2014.
The college, under Lambert’s leadership, has made strides toward correcting serious issues from the Flores/Miles era. However, please note this is not a blanket endorsement saying there is no need for further oversight. The point is clearly made that the remainders of the Flores board could still revert to their former attitudes and lax behaviors which allowed the abuses which brought PCC to this present probation. The arrogance and disrespect displayed by Stewart, Cortez, and Longoria need to be corrected or they must be replaced. PCC is and should be a people’s college, paid for by taxpayers and students, and open to all. Fairness in hiring and promotion, respect for all employees, and a genuine interest in TEACHING all students who register is a critical need.
Nothing has changed in the HR department, which exhibits its incompetence at every opportunity. The college treats its adjunct faculty members, who teach 80% of the courses at Pima, with utter disdain and contempt, and the hiring process is anything but impartial and transparent. Aside from the entire BOD, the college needs to replace all senior administrators in HR and replace them with competent professionals from out of state who will not fall into the old patterns of discrimination, harassment and corruption.