ACCJC’s decision to revoke the college’s accreditation came as a surprise to many in higher education. Nevertheless, San Francisco’s attorney’s office rallied around the CCSF, launching a lawsuit against the commission. The court blocked the commission’s vote to strip the college of accreditation in 2014.
More recently, in January, the college won a further two-year reprieve, during which time it will maintain its accredited status. A judge ruled that the ACCJC must revisit its 2013 decision and prepare a written report specifying the college’s “deficiencies” prior to 2013, on Tuesday.
Currently, the college is in “restoration status,” meaning that it is open and accredited. The college is working to meet the accrediting standards by 2017.
All this is good news for the college, but the uncertainty surrounding its fate has caused enrollments to drop substantially, from over 100,000 students before ACCJC began its campaign against the college, to today’s roughly 79,000. Due to declining enrollments, CCSF has been forced to cancel and consolidate classes.
“In that regard, ACCJC is winning. They’re definitely succeeding in downsizing our school,” said Dr. Karen Saginor, CCSF library department chair and former Academic Senate president. The current Academic Senate president, Lillian Marrujo-Duck, declined to speak about the battle between the ACCJC and CCSF.
Saginor says that she and other faculty are trying to raise awareness about the college to increase declining enrollments.
