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I’m pleased to share with you that the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), the commission responsible for the accreditation process for colleges and universities, has completed its work and has reaccredited Saint Mary’s for six years with the next reaffirmation review and site visit scheduled in 2029, and a special visit in spring of 2026.

This is excellent news for Saint Mary’s as it affirms the quality of our education and the experience of our students, faculty, and staff, as well as our institutional commitment to continuous improvement. This successful reaffirmation of our accreditation can be attributed to a robust process that included participation and support from campus committees and community members, a variety of forum and small group consultations, and leadership from our Institutional Effectiveness Committee (IEC). It was a team effort and I very much appreciate everyone’s work.

The Review Team and Commission commended us for a number of positive developments at Saint Mary’s, including our firm commitment to the Lasallian mission, our focus on ensuring broad access to education for diverse students, and our development of pathways intentionally designed to facilitate enrollment of transfer students and their integration into the campus community. The Commission also applauded the careful recrafting of our core curriculum that allows students to engage in a richer educational experience that reflects and furthers the mission of the College, as well as the inclusive process we used to create and develop support for the Transformation 2028 strategic plan.

The Commission and Review Team also called out several areas for improvement that we have already begun to address, such as stabilizing and strengthening the College’s financial and budgetary situation, including budget transparency and consistent communication about the College’s financial status to the Board of Trustees and senior leadership; creating and implementing a strategic and comprehensive enrollment management plan for student recruitment and retention; and a continued focus on developing a culture of philanthropy on and off campus.

For more detail and other observations made by the accreditation review team, I’d encourage you to visit our Accreditation website, where you can find a link to the accreditation letter and full report as well as other documentation and information about the accreditation process.

We are firmly committed to addressing the Commission’s recommendations and will do so in an inclusive manner consistent with shared governance. 

Once again, I thank the IEC, campus committees and community members, and our Board of Trustees for the significant time and work that went into this process and successful outcome.

Sincerely,

Brother Thomas Jones, FSC

Interim President