University of La Verne Receives Eight-Year Reaccreditation From the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)

Following a year-long preparation and review process, the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) has reaffirmed the University of La Verne’s accreditation for eight years, with a mid-cycle Special Visit in fall 2023.

The WASC accreditation process aids colleges and universities 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 eight-year reaccreditation is a significant achievement for the University of La Verne,” President Devorah Lieberman said. “It reflects both our strengths and areas for continued improvement. We are grateful to the WSCUC accreditation visit team and the commission for their thorough and thoughtful review.”

At the conclusion of its review, the WSCUC provided the university commendations in five areas and recommendations in six areas.

The commendations are:

1. Providing postsecondary access and opportunity to diverse undergraduate, graduate, and adult learners across an expansive geographic footprint and range of modalities.
2. Developing a diverse Board of Trustees that exemplifies a range of expertise and a deep commitment to the institution.
3. Making a concerted effort to restructure and increase capacity in both institutional research and educational effectiveness reflecting a commitment toward continuous improvement and quality assurance.
4. Demonstrating strong financial discipline with consistent annual operating surpluses, bolstered by the completion of a $125 million fundraising campaign and endowment growth.
5. Implementing a strategic approach to enrollment management that shows early signs of success including a 38% increase in autumn 2020 freshmen enrollment compared to the prior year and substantial growth in the LaFetra College of Education.

The recommendations are:

1. Inculcate a culture of assessment and program review across academic and co- curricular programs that reflects leadership by and engagement of ULV’s faculty.
2. Achieve stability in leadership through the appointment and retention of permanent administrative and academic leaders.
3. Implement diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to benefit constituents at all locations and modalities and foster a culture of student success for diverse undergraduate and graduate students.
4. Pursue a sustainable, strategic approach to decision-making that includes a shared governance model, ensuring that faculty and other key constituents are collaboratively engaged in institutional reflection, planning, and evaluation.
5. Systematize data ownership to ensure data integrity and develop effective processes to harness, share, and use data for institutional decision-making.
6. Rigorously and consistently implement and assess the La Verne Experience across all four components to substantiate the larger structural integrity of GE and BLO attainment across all disciplines, locations and modalities.

The university has incorporated the WSCUC recommendations into its strategic planning.

For more information on the University accreditation history, the 2019 institutional report, and the 2020 WASC visiting team report, visit the WSCUC community page in the La Verne Portal.