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PRESS RELEASE
February 20, 2002
ACCREDITATION TEAM TO VISIT HCC
BRIDGEPORT - Housatonic Community College will undergo a comprehensive
evaluation visit April 7-10 by a team representing the Commission on
Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools
and Colleges.
The commission is one of eight accrediting commissions in the United
States that provide institutional accreditation on a regional basis.
The commission, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education,
accredits approximately 200 institutions in the six-state New England
Region. Accreditation is voluntary and applies to the institution as
a whole.
Housatonic Community College had been accredited by the commission since
1972 and was last reviewed in 1992. Its accreditation by the New England
Association encompasses the entire institution.
For the past year and a half, Housatonic has been engaged in the process
of self-study, addressing the commission’s Standards for Accreditation.
An evaluation team will visit the institution to gather evidence that
the self-study is thorough and accurate.
The team will recommend to the commission a continuing status for the
institution. Following a review process, the commission itself will
take final action.
The public is invited to submit comments regarding the institution
to Public Comment on Housatonic Community College, Commission on Institutions
of Higher Education, New England Association of Schools and Colleges,
209 Burlington Road, Bedford, MA 01730-1433, E-mail, cihe@neasc.org.
Comments must address substantive matters related to the quality of
the institution and will not be treated as confidential.
Written, signed comments must be received by April 10. The commission
cannot guarantee that comments received after that due date will be
considered. Comments should include the name, address, and telephone
number of the person providing the comments.
The commission cannot settle disputes between individuals, institutions,
whether those involve faculty, students, administrators or members of
other groups. Individuals considering submitting complaints against
an affiliated institution should request the separate Policy and
Procedures for the Consideration of Complaints made Against Affiliated
Institutions from the Commission office.
With a five-year old campus in the heart of Connecticut's largest
city, Housatonic is one of the country's fastest-growing public
community colleges. Since it moved to the new downtown campus in January,
1997, HCC's enrollment has increased 60 percent. According to the
most recent statistics released by the Washington D.C.- based American
Association of Community Colleges, HCC was ranked among the nation's
34 fastest-growing public community colleges and was third in the Northeast.
In response to increased enrollments and changing workplace needs both
regionally and nationally, HCC has increased the number of programs
offered from 43 to 65 since moving to new campus.
