Panel suggests ways for College of DuPage to keep its accreditation

A College of DuPage task force has developed a list of recommendations for how to resolve issues raised by an accreditation agency that put the school on probation.

The Higher Learning Commission in December placed the Glen Ellyn-based school on two years' probation for failing to act "with integrity in its financial, academic, personnel and auxiliary functions."

While COD continues to be accredited, probation means the school must address the commission's concerns. If it doesn't, the commission will withdraw accreditation, which, among other things, could affect students' ability to have their credits transfer to other institutions.

In February, COD's Accreditation Task Force was formed to ensure the college is addressing every concern cited by the Higher Learning Commission.

The 13-member panel, which includes administrators, faculty members and students, met eight times between Feb. 26 and April 29.

As a result of its work, the task force has released a report outlining 46 recommendations grouped into seven categories - ethics and ethics training; board of trustees; board policies and administrative procedures; internal audit; curriculum; administrator/faculty training and development; and other.

Before he and other task force members started their work, English professor Tom Tipton said the panel would need to aim for significant cultural changes at the college and strive for institutional accountability.

"I believe the recommendations in the task force's report represent such changes, but only if they are fully implemented," Tipton told trustees on Thursday night. "They go a long way toward making sure the kind of actions that put the college on probation can't happen again."

COD trustees are expected to work in the coming months to implement changes inspired by the recommendations.

Some suggestions were approved on Thursday night, including a plan to provide ethics and governance training to trustees.

To help make future meetings run smoother, trustees decided to hire a professional parliamentarian to instruct them about parliamentary procedure and provide advice when needed. In addition, there will be a board retreat to focus on relational issues and team building.

Those steps were suggested because board has been split 4-3 for nearly a year, with trustees Dianne McGuire and Joseph Wozniak and Erin Birt in the minority and trustees Deanne Mazzochi, Frank Napolitano, Charles Bernstein and David Olsen in the majority.

However, McGuire and Wozniak say they can't attend the first retreat, which is planned for Sunday. Wozniak also said Birt likely won't attend.

COD officials have until February to give evidence to the Higher Learning Commission that the college has "ameliorated the findings of noncompliance" that resulted in it being placed on probation. A comprehensive evaluation is scheduled for April 2017.