If it’s good to save the best for the last part of the year, NVC has received the best news this week! Northwest Vista College received welcomed news on Tuesday that our accreditation was reaffirmed by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges – what a great way to top off the year that started with NVC being named best community college in the state.
It was one year ago that I delivered the disappointing news that NVC was placed on a warning status and given 12 months to address all concerns and provide documentation of all progress. Not only did NVC have a positive outcome, but its sister colleges St. Philip’s College and San Antonio College were also reaffirmed by SACSCOC. Northeast Lakeview College, was approved for accreditation after a decade-long process. In addition, Palo Alto College was also cleared at the annual SACSCOC meeting in regard to the same institutional autonomy concerns.
NVC’s good news is a culmination of a three-year effort, first led by Vice President of Student Success Debi Gaitan and later and now continued by Vice President of College Services Erin Sherman. I am extremely proud of the work they have done by collaborating with numerous teams across the college, and I commend them and the various NVC teams for their leadership, confidence and diligence in this process.
While NVC was working, in collaboration with the Alamo Colleges District, implementing changes to its policies and procedures, we received several other accolades along the way. We were nominated for the prestigious Aspen Award for Community College Excellence, and we are one of only 10 colleges in the U.S who are competing for the Bellwether Award.
And to top off the good news this year, NVC was recently ranked No. 8 in all disciplines when it comes to the most degrees awarded to Hispanic students at a community college by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.
Thank you for making 2017 one to remember!
To read more about the many achievements received by NVC, go here. To read about our reaffirmation, click here.