Virtual Open Forums this March with the ACCJC (Accreditation) Visiting Team

Dear SMC Colleagues, Students, and Community Members:

Santa Monica College is scheduled for its periodic accreditation onsite visit in Fall 2023 (during the week of September 25, 2023; exact dates and times forthcoming). In preparation for the onsite visit, many of you have directly and indirectly contributed to the preparation of the Santa Monica College Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (ISER), required by our accrediting body, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), towards the reaffirmation of SMC’s accreditation. Completing the accreditation process for reaffirmation by ACCJC, which takes place every six years, is a crucial step in demonstrating that the college meets the required levels of quality and accountability. Equally, it is an opportunity to focus on ways to improve and strengthen SMC as a teaching and learning organization, and identify ways we can serve students and meet their changing needs even better. 

The SMC Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (ISER)—which was submitted to ACCJC on December 14, 2022—provides information and reflection on the College’s many accomplishments, challenges, and evolution over the past six years, and it also identifies areas in need of improvement and modification. 

A notice from the Accreditation Visiting Team’s Chair, Dr. Keith Flamer, was sent to me and the SMC Accreditation Liaison Officer, Dr. Dione Carter, on March 9, 2023, requesting that a college open forum be scheduled in March, following the submission of the ISER and prior to the visiting team’s in-person visit in Fall 2023. 

The ACCJC Visiting Team therefore invites SMC staff, faculty, administrators, students, and community members (excluding the Superintendent/President, Senior Staff, and the Board of Trustees) to two virtual College-Wide Open Forums this month:

Save the Date(s)

• When: The virtual Open Forums are scheduled for Tuesday, March 21, 2023, 3-4 p.m. PST and Tuesday, March 28, 2023, 3-4 p.m. PST. Please choose only one session – whichever works best for your schedule—as the content will be the same.
• Where/How to Attend: Via Zoom. Registration links will be posted on the SMC Accreditation webpage but you can also make a note of registration and access information, including a PDF of the Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (ISER), for both forums:
  
  

Option 1

• When: Mar 21, 2023, 3 p.m. Pacific Time (US and Canada)
• Register in advance for Option 1 meeting
  (After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting)

Or

Option 2

• When: Mar 28, 2023, 3 p.m. Pacific Time (US and Canada)
• Register in advance for Option 2 meeting
  (After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting)

Important Note: Participants will need to register by Monday, March 20 for the March 21 open forum and by Monday, March 27 for the March 28 forum. 

• What to Expect: The Visiting Team’s Chair, Dr. Keith Flamer, will welcome and introduce himself and his fellow Visiting Team members, and then respond to the SMC community’s questions and comments.

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For more information, email Dr. Dione Carter, Accreditation Liaison Officer, carter_dione@smc.edu. Also, you may visit the SMC Accreditation webpage to access accreditation memorandums, guidelines, manuals, information on the SMC Accreditation Leadership Team, the SMC Institutional Self-Evaluation Report submitted to the ACCJC in December 2022, and the ACCJC Visiting Team Roster. 

I hope you will take the time to participate and learn more about this important process!

Kathryn E. Jeffery, Ph.D.
Superintendent/President