Eight-year reaffirmation longest in UOG history

(July 2, 2009)

The University of Guam marked an historic milestone in June when the Senior Commission of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges voted to reaffirm the institution’s accreditation for eight years, the longest period of reaccreditation in the institution’s history.

“Our next Educational Effectiveness Review site visit will occur in 2017,” said UOG President Robert A. Underwood. “All of our work to enhance academic quality and student success, to increase our commitment to our land-grant mission, and to improve our effectiveness and efficiency has paid off. The entire University community, our accreditation liaison Dr. Helen Whippy, the faculty members who wrote the essays for the Educational Effectiveness Review, and the WASC EER team are to be congratulated for their efforts. This outcome is a reflection of our maturity as an institution. Along with several consecutive years of enrollment growth, favorable audits, and increases in federal grants, the reaffirmation of accreditation signals that the institution is poised to develop a sustainable, educated community that will thrive through the military buildup, and beyond.“

In a letter from WASC President and Executive Director Ralph A. Wolff, the University, “Fulfilled the outcomes it envisioned in its 2004 proposal for the comprehensive review. In striving to meet these self-set objectives in the face of fiscal obstacles and challenges that other institutions might have found insurmountable, the university has established strong and more effective administration structures, sounder fiscal practices and policies, and more vigorous academic programs, and a highly participatory culture of evidence and continuous improvement.”

The maximum period of reaffirmation of accreditation an institution can earn is ten years. Prior to this announcement, UOG’s longest period of reaccreditation was five years, which the institution earned in 1968 and 1995.