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A group of female students at Pima's Graduation

2022 Focused Visit

Text of the letter from Higher Learning Commission (HLC) President, Barbara Gellman-Danley

October 6, 2022 
Dr. Lee Lambert Chancellor 
Pima County Community College District 4905C E. Broadway Blvd. 
Tucson, Arizona 85709-1005

Dear Chancellor Lambert: 

This letter serves as formal notification and official record of action taken concerning Pima County Community College District by the Institutional Actions Council of the Higher Learning Commission at its meeting on October 3, 2022. The date of this action constitutes the effective date of the institution’s new status with HLC. 

Action with Interim Monitoring. IAC concurred with the evaluation team’s findings and affirmed that the institution is addressing the concerns related to core component 2.C. In conjunction with this action, IAC required the following interim monitoring. 

Interim Report. An Interim Report due September 1, 2023, on aspects of Core Component 2.C. The report should provide evidence demonstrating the institution has addressed the following: 

Board Effectiveness 

Continued work on processes to improve adherence to appropriate Board and State policies with a focus on the role of shared governance by the Board of Governors and Senior Administrators. This includes, for example: 

  • Board members using resources provided by the institution in preparation of the meeting.
  • Processes to ensure transparency of decision making at the Board and Senior leadership levels. 
  • Continue to use board training to help all members of the Board understand their role, responsibilities, and governance. 
  • Executive Leadership focus on engaging the community and the Board of Governors in meaningful dialogue to address ongoing challenges and communication strategies. 

Embedded Report. An embedded report in the next Comprehensive Evaluation in 2024-2025 to address the following: 

Dispute Resolution 

The institution should define more clearly the roles of the Office of Dispute Resolution and Human Resources and the processes by which employees may register a complaint and receive resolution of the complaint. 

In taking this action, the IAC considered materials from the most recent evaluation and the institutional response to the evaluation findings. 

Rationale: A review of the focused visit team report, initial information provided by the institution, and subsequent information provided by the institution in its institutional response indicated the team findings related to Criterion 2 were warranted. IAC modified the monitoring requirements to provide more specificity and clarity. IAC removed parts of the monitoring recommended by the visiting team due to a lack of sufficient evidence to support aspects of the recommended monitoring. 

In two weeks, this action will be added to the Institutional Status and Requirements (ISR) Report, a resource for Accreditation Liaison Officers to review and manage information regarding the institution’s accreditation relationship. 

Accreditation Liaison Officers may request the ISR Report on HLC’s website at https://www.hlcommission.org/ isr-request. 

Within the next 30 days, HLC will also publish information about this action on its website at https://www.hlcommission.org/Student-Resources/recent-actions.html. 

If you have any questions about these documents after viewing them, please contact the institution’s staff liaison Linnea Stenson. Your cooperation in this matter is appreciated. 

Sincerely, 
Barbara Gellman-Danley President 

CC: ALO 

2022 Focused Visit - Key Documents

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) has rejected the specific recommendations made by a team of reviewers “due to a lack of sufficient evidence.” Please see the letter above from HLC President Barbara Gellman-Danley. 

2022 Focused Visit - All Documents

 

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