President Denies Pierce Has Lost Accreditation

The president of Pierce College moved Monday to quell a persistent rumor that the community college had lost its accreditation.

The college is under orders to improve management and correct problems cited by the state Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, President E. Bing Inocencio said. But it is still accredited.

The rumor, Inocencio said, stems from misunderstanding of the commission’s June 1995 action to hold back on its coveted renewal of Pierce’s accreditation. But that is not the same as removing or canceling it.

“The University of California schools and California State University schools continue to accept our graduates,” Inocencio said.

Although instructors, admissions officials and other staff have tried to dispel the rumor when they encounter it, many potential students--primarily recent high school graduates--still ask about the Woodland Hills college’s status.

David Wolf, executive director of the accreditation commission, said the college continues to be an accredited academic institution, and he called the idea that it is otherwise “nonsense.”

He said the commission has several choices when it comes to evaluating a school--from renewing accreditation outright to terminating it. In the case of Pierce, the decision was made to defer renewal of the school’s accreditation while keeping its current credentials in place.

“Pierce is accredited,” he said. “They are just working on some issues that are somewhat more serious than that found at a reaffirmed campus. With deferment, the implication is that once those [corrective] actions are taken, reaffirmation would take place.”

The issues Pierce officials are addressing are twofold--administration instability and financial instability, which are both expected to be addressed by hiring Inocencio on a three-year contract.

“The key is to put in new management to keep on top of these things,” Inocencio said.

The accrediting panel is expected to visit the campus in April to determine if the issues have been corrected, at which time officials hope that the college will be reaffirmed.