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NWCCU Action Reaffirming Accreditation Big Bend Community College 2-12-2021

February 12, 2021

Sara Thompson Tweedy
President
Big Bend Community College
7662 Chanute Street NE
Moses Lake, WA 98837

Dear President Thompson Tweedy:

This letter serves as formal notification and official record of action taken by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) at its meeting on January 13-15, 2021, concerning the Fall 2020 Evaluation of Institutional Effectiveness of Big Bend Community College. This action was taken after consideration of evidence, including the institution’s Self-Evaluation Report, the Peer-Evaluation Report, the optional Institutional Response to the Peer-Evaluation Report, and information received as part of the institutional representative meeting with Commissioners.

Accreditation

Reaffirm Accreditation

Commendations
The Commission commends Big Bend Community College for:

  1. Development of a data-focused culture that engages employees in use of institutional data to identify student needs, provision of resources that enhance student success, and assessment of the impacts of initiatives on student achievement.
  2. The William C. Bonaudi Library staff is commended for their outstanding commitment to student service during the COVID Pandemic as evidenced by providing drive-up food distribution from the Viking Food Pantry, printing, technology and textbook services; as well as delivery of these items to students without transportation.
  3. The data-driven efforts to close the achievement gap for Historically Underrepresented Groups, including expanding assistance for transfer to Bachelor Degree programs, implementing accelerated paths for developmental math and English programs, providing faculty development in equity-based pedagogy, and intentional grantmaking that includes the Title V grant targeting increased student success.
  4. Fostering a proactive environment focused on student success, as evidenced by the responsive changes made in admissions, financial aid, and advising to remove perceived barriers for student enrollment and retention.

Recommendations Substantially in Compliance but in Need of Improvement
The Commission recommends that Big Bend Community College:

Recommendation 1: Fall 2020 Evaluation of Institutional Effectiveness - Review and articulate its goals, objectives, and indicators to provide consistent and meaningful direction for planning to determine mission fulfillment and improve effectiveness in the context of and in comparison with regional and national peer institutions. (2020 Standard(s) 1.B.2)

Future Evaluations

Per USDE guidance, all virtual accreditation site visits shall be followed by in-person campus visits within a reasonable time when public health conditions improve and are authorized by applicable law. Campus visits may be limited to focus on items identified in the Peer-Evaluation Report and may include fewer than all evaluation team members.

NWCCU is committed to an accreditation process that adds value to institutions while contributing to public accountability, and we thank you for your continued support of this process. If you have questions about any of the information in this letter, please contact your staff liaison, Dr. Selena Grace, at sgrace@nwccu.org.

Sincerely,
Sonny Ramaswamy Signature

Sonny Ramaswamy
President

cc:

Ms. Valerie Parton, Dean, Institutional Research and Planning, Accreditation Liaison Officer
Mr. Stephen McFadden, Chair, Board of Trustees
Dr. Stacey Sherwin, Director of Institutional Effectiveness, Salish Kootenai College

 

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