Accreditation is one way that universities assure quality. Accreditation is a voluntary, non-governmental process of peer review. The accrediting process examines the university as a whole, the sum of its parts. It requires the academic institution to meet certain criteria and or standards. In the United States, institutional accreditation is done by region. Cal Poly Pomona is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, or WASC as it is commonly known.
Without accreditation, students would find it difficult, if not impossible to get into quality graduate schools and would not be eligible for many, if not all, federal loan and scholarship programs. In addition, Cal Poly Pomona would suffer a tremendous blow to its national reputation that would negatively affect future employment for our graduates. The bottom line is that WASC accreditation must be taken seriously because the process is not automatic.
One of the steering committee’s goals is to foster a climate that will lead to the best possible understanding and knowledge of the entire WASC accreditation process and particularly Cal Poly Pomona’s efforts to achieve accreditation. We believe this will lead to a participative process that culminates in a successful accreditation. The WASC Steering Committee welcomes and appreciates comments and/or suggestions regarding any aspect of WASC preparation.
