Western Association of Schools and Colleges

At its meeting on February 18-20, 2009, the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities acted to place Phillips Graduate Institute on Probation. Probation is imposed when an institution has been found to have serious issues of noncompliance with one or more of the Commission Standards. While on Probation, the institution is subject to special scrutiny and any new site or degree program is subject to review through WASC's substantive change process.

The Commission reviewed Phillips Graduate Institute under the WASC Handbook of Accreditation and found that the College was not in compliance with elements of all four of the WASC Standards for Accreditation: Standard 1 (Defining Institutional Purposes and Ensuring Educational Objectives), 2 (Achieving Educational Objectives through Core Functions), 3 (Developing and Applying Resources and Organizational Structures to Ensure Sustainability), and 4 (Creating an Organization Committed to Learning and Improvement).

This action was taken following a comprehensive review of Phillips Graduate Institute, which included a Capacity and Preparatory Review visit in spring 2007 and an Educational Effectiveness Review visit in fall 2008. Special Visits will be scheduled for summer 2009 and summer 2010 to evaluate Phillips' progress in addressing the Commission's concerns.

This action is subject to a right of review under the WASC Policy on Commission Review Process.

The Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities accredits 161 baccalaureate and graduate degree-granting institutions in California, Hawaii, Guam and the Northern Marianas Islands. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of seven regional accrediting commissions and is recognized by the United States Department of Education.

This statement has been reviewed and approved by the institution.

March 5, 2009