Porterville College earned a good review

As administrators and faculty at Porterville College collectively held their breathe last week, the 12-member accreditation team reported that Porterville College is a good institution of higher learning and is doing most things correctly. You could feel the collective sight of relief.

The local college underwent four intense days of evaluation by the state Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. It is an important fact of life for colleges to go through the important process. Being or not being accredited is huge. Not being accredited can affect students in several ways, including what financial aid is available and if the credits they receive are accepted by most universities.

Michael Claire, chair of the team visiting the college, praised officials for many of the things they found. He said the campus has a good “family atmosphere” with a strong “students first attitude.”

The committee will take the next two weeks compiling their recommendations and comments, then college officials will take several weeks pouring over those comments and make needed corrections. It does not appear many corrections will be needed.
In these tight financial times, it is good to know the local college is a good alternative to a four-year school where local students can improve their chances for a good paying job later in life.

PC President Dr. Rosa Carlson, her staff, the faculty and employees of Porterville College should all be proud of the initial findings by the accreditation team. It is by no accident that Porterville College received praise and that students at the college are getting a good, quality education.

Going through an accreditation visit is a strenuous and stressful task and one that must be done. We know a lot of hard work went into preparing the staff and campus for the visit.
Porterville College appears to have passed the inspection with flying colors and no one in the community should be surprised.