10-year NEASC accreditation reaffirms CCRI mission, goals

Kelcy Dolan
Posted 2/26/15

The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) recently reaccredited the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) for 10 years, the maximum reaccredidation.

The process involved an …

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10-year NEASC accreditation reaffirms CCRI mission, goals

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The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) recently reaccredited the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) for 10 years, the maximum reaccredidation.

The process involved an extensive three-year self-study before NEASC commission of representatives visited the school for two-and-a-half days to evaluate how well the college is holding to their mission and progress made on their goals.

President of CCRI Ray Di Pasquale said, “As one could imagine, you learn a lot about an institution through such a sustained discussion – you really get down to the specifics of what’s working well and why, and how you generalize best practices to affect change in other areas of the college to improve operations.”

With such an extensive self-study, Di Pasquale said the college was confident going into the review that there weren’t any “surprises.”

NEASC found that CCRI was “substantially in compliance” with NEASC standards as well as CCRI’s own mission and goals as an institution of higher education.

The accreditation, according to Di Pasquale, is “essential” in providing for its students, faculty and staff and keeping the positive reputation it holds among New England educational institutions.

He said, “It is absolutely critical to be accredited, otherwise we wouldn’t be doing anything for our students. If they were to go on to a higher education, they need their credits to count and if they were heading to the workforce, they need to know they are prepared. The reaccredidation assures that.”

As part of the process, CCRI will have to submit a fifth year report in 2019. In it, the college will discuss the “assessment of student learning outcomes,” changes and issues in regards to the college’s “Master Plan,” focusing on meeting the needs of students with extra needs, as well as the impact of government on public higher education.

Di Pasquale believes Governor Gina Raimondo will take positive steps to enhance education.

He said, “I have spoken with Governor Raimondo and she is really listening and there is definitely going to be more conversations between the two of us. She’s invested.”

If President Obama’s education proposal, which would make two years of community college free for “responsible students,” were put into action, the school would have to address that.

Di Pasquale said it was an “interesting proposal” but believes it is in for a long debate.

He said many students at CCRI are already receiving financial aid but with the right incentives, Obama’s plan could do a lot of good.

“Certainly anytime a student can receive financial help, it encourages them to go on to get more education and we want our citizens to be empowered to receive an education,” Di Pasquale said.

With reaccredidation, CCRI isn’t relaxing.

Di Pasquale said the college will continue to make sure students are well prepared for wherever they go, whether it is into the workforce or a four-year institution.

Di Pasquale said, “The work never ends. We will always be improving. We will continue to find even better ways to give our students a quality education.”

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