PCC is on Accreditation Probation

By Hoyt R. Hilsman

In the past eight years, Bill Thomson and the PCC Board of Trustees have brought PCC to the brink of disaster through slowness to act, bad judgment, inattention and poor decisions.

In its report the Accrediting Commission wrote:

"Code of Ethics/Standards of Practice demands that members of the Board of Trustees demonstrate "respect and consideration for each other, college staff, and community members" and make attempts to "re-establish collegial communications in the event that violations of norms are perceived to have occurred. There is ample evidence to suggest that these policies are widely disregarded and are not enforced. The climate of distrust, the erosion of participatory governance, and the lack of respect recounted in the Self Evaluation Report and confirmed by a variety of on-campus interviews with employees of all job classifications support that these policies are not being followed and that there are no apparent ramifications for those individuals who violate the codes of ethics." p. 37

"At Pasadena City College, board policies and procedures are in place to define the roles of constituent groups in the shared governance process. Additionally, board policies and procedures are in place to support institutional improvement and effectiveness. Unfortunately, the systematic and ongoing implementation of those policies and procedures is not fully realized, resulting in a dysfunctional campus climate where shared governance is not respected or actualized. Residual mistrust, unprofessional behavior, and a lack of civility still permeates through and among faculty and administration..." p. 48

"It is clear that over the past six years since the last comprehensive evaluation, the governing board, administrators, faculty, staff and students have not worked together for the good of the institution." p.50

" Over the past six years, effective communication has deteriorated, and has manifested into a power struggle specifically between administration, Board, and the Academic Senate, with culpability on all parties that are interfering with the operation and improvement of the College. This has created a campus climate that has been toxic at times, and certainly does not reflect collegiality among constituent groups." P. 50

"The Board has not always acted in a manner consistent with its own policies, with particular concern regarding BP 2000 on shared governance and BP 2715 on ethics and standards of practice." p. 54

"A pervasive theme, however, was the lack of collegiality and the escalation of disrespectful behavior that occurred under the previous Superintendent/ President." p. 54

It is time for new leadership on the PCC Board of Trustees.