January 26, 2023
Dear Peralta Community,
We are thrilled to announce that earlier today, we were informed that the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (“ACCJC,” or the “Commission”) has acted to reaffirm accreditation for Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney College, and Merritt College. This news underscores the Colleges’ and District’s continued commitment to providing quality academic, career, and student support programs to the communities we serve.
The four colleges were placed on “Probation” status by the ACCJC in January 2020 based on financial and governance concerns at the District. These were the same concerns identified by the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) report from June 2019. Over the next two years, the District diligently followed up on FCMAT recommendations. The Commission recognized the progress and in January 2022, ACCJC downgraded the sanction from “Probation” to “Warning” with follow-up reports due October 2022.
The Commission reviewed the Follow-Up and Site Visit Reports in January 2023 and found that the District and Colleges had addressed the compliance requirements, corrected deficiencies, and meets all of the standards.
“On behalf of the Commission, we wish to express appreciation for the diligent work and thoughtful reflection that [each college and the district] undertook to respond to these requirements,” wrote Dr. Mac Powell, President of ACCJC, and the chairs of each college review committee.
“In January 2020, just before COVID sheltering in place began, the District was looking into the abyss,” commented Dr. Jannett N. Jackson, Interim Chancellor of the Peralta Community College District. “The amount of work it took to address the financial and governance concerns while simultaneously dealing with a global pandemic is staggering. But thanks to our committed Board of Trustees, our Finance team, Administrators, ALOs, Faculty, and Staff, we did it! Three years later, we’re looking at a future of exceeding standards of excellence, which our students and community deserve.”
The ACCJC letters to the presidents and the October 2022 site visit reports are posted at https://www.peralta.edu/accreditation and on the college websites.
Thank you all for your collaboration,
Dr. Jannett N. Jackson, Interim Chancellor, Peralta Community College District
Dr. Stephanie Droker, Interim Deputy Chancellor/Chief Operating Officer, Peralta Community College District
Dr. Angélica Garcia, President, Berkeley City College
Dr. Diana Bajrami, Acting President, College of Alameda
Dr. Rudy Besikof, President, Laney College
