Reaccreditation
The University of Redlands is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), one of seven regionalized accrediting commissions in the United States. Voluntary, non-governmental, institutional accreditation as practiced by WSCUC is a unique characteristic of American education. In many other countries the maintenance of educational standards is a governmental function. No institution in the United States is required to seek accreditation, however, because of the recognized benefits, most of the eligible institutions in our and other regions have sought to become accredited. Accreditation allows, for example, us to offer our students federal financial aid, such as Pell Grants, federal loans, and work-study jobs.
The WSCUC accreditation process aids institutions in developing and sustaining effective educational programs and assures the educational community, the general public, and other organizations that an accredited institution has met high standards of quality and effectiveness. The Commission accredits institutions, not individual programs. Therefore, in addition to assessing the academic quality and educational effectiveness of institutions, the Commission emphasizes institutional structures, processes, and resources. Accreditation is best thought of as a regularized process through which we affirm, demonstrate, and ensure our core commitments in teaching and learning.
Reaffirmation 2023
In June 2023 the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) reaffirmed accreditation for the University of Redlands through June of 2029. The Commission has confirmed that we have addressed the three Core Commitments required for accreditation. The Action Letter from the Commission is posted publicly on their website. We are providing both the Action Letter and the Visiting Team Report to ensure open communication of the feedback we received. We hope that you will review these materials and be involved in our continuous improvements.
The Commission Action Letter commended the University of Redlands on the following:
- Students are engaged and positive about their experiences at the university, report feeling cared for by both faculty and staff, and value personal interactions, small class sizes, and a sense of community.
- Faculty, staff, and alumni expressed a strong sense of family and spirit of community.
- University leadership has guided an inclusive strategic planning process that brought faculty and staff to the table for input, recommendations, and updates, chipped away at the silos that have long separated departments and divisions across campus, and made clear that substantial, not incremental, changes are necessary.
- The implementation of cost reduction measures, including centralization of key marketing services, has yielded significant savings.
The Commission has tasked us to make improvements in the following areas over our accreditation cycle:
- Financial sustainability
- Strategic Enrollment Planning
- Assessment and Program Review
- Shared governance
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB)
- Morale and workload pressures
- Faculty staffing
The University will be required to submit a progress report on our strategic plan implementation and strategic enrollment plan and implementation on March 1, 2024. Updates to progress on recommendations will be included in our strategic planning progress reporting. We will have a special visit in spring of 2025 to cover the topics of financial sustainability, strategic enrollment planning, and faculty scale and morale.