The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) acted to reaffirm Diablo Valley College’s accreditation through 2027 at a meeting held Jan. 12-14, according to DVC President Susan Lamb.

In a recent email to The Inquirer, President Lamb expressed her thanks to the members of the Accreditation Advisory Council, Constituency Leadership and Management Team, and the Tri-Chairs of the Standards – all groups that contributed knowledge and leadership in helping to create DVC’s June 2020 Institutional Self-Evaluation Report, a critical component for the school’s accreditation.

“Both visits and the ISER were flawless and received positive acknowledgments by the visiting teams,” wrote Lamb, who praised accreditation liaison officers Lindsay Kong and Dr. Becky Opsata for their work organizing the visits from the ACCJC review teams.

Accreditation is crucial for colleges because it means that the education provided by the institution meets a regionally or nationally acceptable level of quality. Students at accredited institutions are eligible for state and federal financial aid, and employers are more likely to recognize degrees earned at accredited schools.

The ACCJC oversees regional-level accreditation and is the sole accreditor of California Community Colleges. If DVC were to become unaccredited, students would find themselves unable to transfer their credits to other universities.

Over a six-year review cycle, according to the DVC website, the school “conducts and publishes several review instruments, including an annual report, annual fiscal report, midterm report, comprehensive institutional self-evaluation, and an evaluation review by a team of peers.”

Lamb said DVC’s successful accreditation was the result of a comprehensive effort that involved the work of many individuals.

“Therefore, I would like to offer congratulations to each of you for the amazing and caring work that you do every day to help our students be successful,” she wrote.

The process for DVC’s accreditation cycle will see the college submit its next midterm report in October 2024, followed by an ISER and peer review visit in 2027. Additional information related to the accreditation process can be found here.