Delta College in accreditation danger

High education commission says school has 2 years to fix problems

By Alex Breitler
Record Staff Writer
July 08, 2008 6:00 AM

STOCKTON - A higher education commission Monday warned San Joaquin Delta College that it is in danger of losing its accreditation, a form of peer-review approval that is critical to the future of the college.

Should accreditation be revoked, degrees earned by Delta students "wouldn't be valid in many people's eyes," college President Raul Rodriguez said Monday.

"If we lose our accreditation, we basically shut down," he said. "But we're far from that point."

Delta has two years to fix problems before such a disaster could take place. Among the challenges: The college's Board of Trustees must develop a code of ethics, and should essentially step back and let Rodriguez do his job, according to a letter from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.

For perspective, 20 of the roughly 170 colleges in the commission's region - California, Hawaii and the Pacific islands - are currently under "warning" status. Among them are Solano, Sierra, Ohlone and Diablo Valley colleges, and now Delta, to name a few.

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