Modesto Junior College received some good news recently as the college was removed from probation status and was reaffirmed accreditation from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. 

“The action by the Commission is the formal acknowledgment that MJC fully reflects the statements of quality and standards of the Commission. This action is a result of the collaborative effort of faculty, staff, and leadership and students who joined together with a renewed focus on access and student access,” said MJC President Jill Stearns in a statement released Monday.

Accreditation certifies to the public that an institution meets or exceeds specific standards regarding quality of education and is a process reaffirmed by the Commission every six years. The standards include an analysis in the areas of governance, student services, resources, leadership and the effectiveness of the institutional mission. The accreditation process is one of self and peer review that requires colleges to assess and provide evidence that it is living up to its commitments to students and the community and is consistently making efforts to improve. 

MJC’s probation status dates back to October 2011, when the college submitted a self study which was followed by an external evaluation in November.  In February 2013, MJC was notified that it did not meet Commission standards and was sanctioned with probation. At that time, MJC was charged with addressing eight recommendations.

 According to the notice of reinstated accreditation from the Commission, “Modesto Junior College has completed significant work on the integration of the mission statement into college planning and resource allocations. The College has worked historically to create institutional acceptance of the revised mission, mission integration and mission specific planning.”

While probation did require MJC to make efforts to exhibit that it is reaching those standards, it did not impact students’ education.

“Probation does not affect instruction taking place in the classroom or students’ access to their financial aid. If you lost accreditation that would have certainly have an impact, but being on probation does not affect the daily operations for students or the quality of education,” said Linda Hoile, marketing and public officer for MJC.

MJC’s sister college under the Yosemite Community College District, Columbia College, was also removed from warning status.