WASC Accreditation

Presidio Accreditation Steering Committee

Presidio Graduate School is currently accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) through our affiliation with Alliant International University. However, Presidio has applied for independent accreditation through WASC.

Currently, we are a candidate institution on Pathway B. Pathway B is the fast tracked process recommended by WASC based on our successful track record. This process has two major components.

The first component is our self-study document. This document is intended as a detailed self-reflection examining the institution’s strengths and weaknesses. Quantitative and qualitative research including data exhibits, surveys, and assessment tools are a critical component of the document. Presidio submitted the self-study on August 23, 2012.

The second component is a site visit conducted by a team of WASC representatives. The site visit is essentially an audit of the institution, conducted to validate the self-study and answer unresolved questions. The Presidio site visit took place November 14-16, 2012.

WASC made a decision regarding our application in March of 2013. The Commission chose to defer any action for three months until the next WASC Commission meeting in June. The Commission has asked us to provide a more detailed plan for separation from Alliant, including a timeline and transition of key services/functions, and further financial information. We are required to provide this information to WASC on or before May 15. You can read the full letter here.

About WASC:

WASC is one of six regional associations that accredit public and private schools, colleges, and universities in the United States. The Western region covers institutions in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Pacific Basin, and East Asia, and areas of the Pacific and East Asia where American/International schools or colleges may apply to it for service.

WASC Aims of Accreditation:

Voluntary, non-governmental, institutional accreditation as practiced by the WASC and the other regional commissions is a unique characteristic of American education. In many other countries the maintenance of educational standards is a governmental function. No institution in the United States is required to seek accreditation, however, because of the recognized benefits, most of the eligible institutions in this and other regions have sought to become accredited.

The WASC accreditation process aids institutions in developing and sustaining effective educational programs and assures the educational community, the general public, and other organizations that an accredited institution has met high standards of quality and effectiveness.

The Commission accredits institutions, not individual programs. Therefore, in addition to assessing the academic quality and educational effectiveness of institutions, the Commission emphasizes institutional structures, processes, and resources.

The accreditation process is aimed at:

Assuring the educational community, the general public, and other organizations and agencies that an accredited institution has demonstrated it meets the Commission's Core Commitments to Institutional Capacity and Educational Effectiveness, and has been successfully reviewed under Commission Standards;
Promoting deep institutional engagement with issues of educational effectiveness and student learning, and developing and sharing good practices in assessing and improving the teaching and learning process;
Developing and applying Standards to review and improve educational quality and institutional performance, and validating these Standards and revising them through ongoing research and feedback;
Promoting within institutions a culture of evidence where indicators of performance are regularly developed and data collected to inform institutional decision making, planning, and improvement;
Developing systems of institutional review and evaluation that are adaptive to institutional context and purposes, that build on institutional evidence and support rigorous reviews, and reduce the burden and cost of accreditation; and
Promoting the active interchange of ideas among public and independent institutions that furthers the principles of improved institutional performance, educational effectiveness, and the process of peer review

(Handbook of Accreditation, WASC, 2009)

Self-Study:

Read the Self-Study Guide (PDF)

Download the Self-Study (PDF)

Team Report for Pathway B Visit Fall 2012 (PDF)

View the Appendices

Presidio Accreditation Steering Committee

All members of the Presidio Accreditation Steering Committee welcome questions and input. Please contact the Accreditation Liason Officer.

Laura Hannemann, Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs & Accreditation Liaison Officer

Jennifer Taylor, Chief Operating Officer

William Shutkin, President and CEO