WASC Seeks Nominees for the Accrediting Commission

WASC is inviting the submission of nominees to serve on the Accrediting Commission. Each year there is a different number of vacancies open for election or re-election because of the nature of Commission staggered terms and occasional resignations and retirements. This past year there has been significant transition at WASC, and nine commissioners are rotating off after completing their terms. The Commission has decided to fill at least six vacancies this year and additional vacancies the following year to allow for more regularized rotations onto the Commission. New commissioners will also oversee the implementation of the new WASC Handbook of Accreditation and wok with a new President.

The following Commissioners are rotating off and are to be replaced:

Jackie Donath, CSU, Sacramento
Linda Johnsrud, University of Hawaii System
Roberts (Bob) Jones, public member
Tom McFadden, Marymount College, community college representative
Leroy Morishita, CSU, East Bay
Sheldon Schuster, Keck Graduate Institute
Carmen Sigler, San Jose State University
Timothy White, UC Riverside (now Chancellor, CSU) Paul Zingg, CSU, Chico

Additionally, the following commissioners are eligible for reappointment to a three-year term:

Barbara Karlin, Golden Gate University
Margaret Kasimatis, Loyola Marymount University
Stephen Privett, University of San Francisco
Ramon Torrichila, CSU, Dominguez Hills
Sharon Salinger, UC, IrvineLeah Williams, WestEd (public member)

Under Commission by laws and Federal law, at least three vacancies must be filled with 1) a public member; 2) an institutional representative from Hawai'i or the Pacific islands; and 3) an institutional representative from the  community colleges. Three additional vacancies are to be filled with institutional representatives from throughout the region.

Under Federal law, a public member cannot be a current trustee or receive any compensation from an institution the Commission accredits. We therefore need nominees who are former trustees or have demonstrated interest in higher education.

The community college representative should be someone has served on the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges or has served in an administrative or faculty position for institutions accredited by such bodies, preferably with accreditation experience.

The current roster of the Commission can be found here and a description of the qualifications for Commission members as well as Article IV of the Bylaws can be found here. Please note that Commissioner service requires a considerable investment of time over the course of each year, and prior experience with accreditation is preferred, though not required.

Your responsibility as nominator will be to contact nominees to see if they are willing to serve. Please submit nominations to rsilva [at] wascsenior [dot] org and include a CV or resume for each nominee you submit. Self-nominations are acceptable. The Bylaws require that only the chief executive officer of an accredited institution may submit nominations.

All nominations are due in the WASC office by February 11, 2013; for expediency, please fax (510) 995-1477 or express mail your nominations to Rhonda E. Silva, WASC, 985 Atlantic Ave., #100, Alameda, CA 94501.

Please contact Rhonda Silva, Executive Assistant to the President (rsilva [at] wascsenior [dot] org) for questions about any part of the nominating process.

Following this nomination period, the Nominating Committee will review all candidates and prepare a slate for consideration by the region. We appreciate your attention to this process.

FROM: Nominating Committee for the Association of Senior Colleges and Universities

Institutional Representatives:
David Oxtoby, President, Pomona College
Timothy White, Chancellor; California State University
Alex Gonzalez, President, CSU, Sacramento
Barry Corey, President, Biola University

Commission Representatives:
Harold Hewitt, Executive Vice President, Chapman University
Julia Lopez, CEO, College Access Foundation of California
Leroy Morishita, President, CSU, East Bay

Ralph A. Wolff
President, Senior College Commission
Western Association of Schools and Colleges