23 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7500 Chicago IL 60605 141 e VY HIGHER LEARNING COMMISSION peat me kiero October 6, 2022 Dr. Lee Lambert Chancellor Pima County Community College District 4905C E. Broadway Blvd. ‘Tucson, Arizona 85709-1005 Dear Chancellor Lambert: This letter serves as formal notification and official record of action taken concerning Pima County Community College District by the Institutional Actions Council of the Higher Learning Commission at its meeting on October 3, 2022. The date of this action constitutes the effective date of the institution's new status with HLC. Action with Interim Monitoring. IAC concurred with the evaluation team’s findings and affirmed that the institution is addressing the concerns related to core component 2.C. In conjunction with this action, IAC required the following interim monitoring. Interim Report. An Interim Report due September 1, 2023, on aspects of Core Component 2.C. The report should provide evidence demonstrating the institution has addressed the following: Board Effectiveness Continued work on processes to improve adherence to appropriate Board and State policies with a focus on the role of shared governance by the Board of Governors and Senior Administrators. This includes, for example: + Board members using resources provided by the institution in preparation of the meeting. + Processes to ensure transparency of decision making at the Board and Senior leadership levels. + Continue to use board training to help all members of the Board understand their role, responsibilities, and governance. + Executive Leadership focus on engaging the community and the Board of Governors in meaningful dialogue to address ongoing challenges and communication strategies. Embedded Report. An embedded report in the next Comprehensive Evaluation in 2024-2025 to address the following: ute Resolution The institution should define more clearly the roles of the Office of Dispute Resolution and Human Resources and the processes by which employees may register a complaint and receive resolution of the complaint. In taking this action, the IAC considered materials from the most recent evaluation and the institutional response to the evaluation findings. Rationale: A review of the focused visit team report, initial information provided by the institution, and subsequent information provided by the institution in its institutional response indicated the team findings related to Criterion 2 were warranted. [AC modified the monitoring requirements to provide more specificity and clarity. IAC removed parts of the ‘monitoring recommended by the visiting team due to a lack of sufficient evidence to support aspects of the recommended monitoring,Pima County Community College District Page 2 In two weeks, this action will be added to the Institutional Status and Requirements (ISR) Report, a resource for ‘Accreditation Liaison Officers to review and manage information regarding the institution's accreditation relationship. ‘Accreditation Liaison Officers may request the ISR Report on HLC’s website at https://www.hleommission.org/ isr-request. ‘Within the next 30 days, HLC will also publish information about this action on its website at hhttps://www-hicommission.org/Student-Resources/recent-actions.html. Ifyou have any questions about these documents after viewing them, please contact the institution’s staff liaison Linnea Stenson. Your cooperation in this matter is appreciated. Sincerely, Bassas Baty Barbara Gellman-Danley President CC: ALO§% PimacommunityCollege Contact: Phil Burdick October 11, 2022 ‘Vice Chancellor for External Affairs 847.951.6183 pburdick@pima.ed PCC Accreditor Rejects Reviewer’s Specific Recommendations Due To Lack of Evidence Accepts College request to continue monitoring Governing Board TUCSON, AZ — Pima Community College's institutional accreditor, the Higher Leaming Commission (HLC), rejected specific recommendations by a team of reviewers who visited the College in late March and instead agreed with the College's request to continue monitoring the Governing Board, which has been divided over academic reforms and facilities improvements. Inalletter to the College, Higher Leaming Commission President Barbara Gellman-Danley said the HLC’s Institutional Actions Council rejected the reviewer's specific recommendations "due to alack of sufficient evidence" and agreed to monitor the Governing Board to "improve adherence to current Board and State policies." The College asked the HLC for monitoring in response to unprofessional conduct and ethics violations by two Governing Board members. "We strongly support the HLC’s decision to continue to monitor PCC's Governing Board,” said PCC Governing Board Chair Catherine Ripley. "The actions of a few Board members who leak draft documents, violate open meetings laws and make unfounded, hurtful accusations against the Chancellor and the staff to stifle change and innovation should not be tolerated. We applaud the HLC’s actions to stop this unprofessional and unethical behavior." ‘The HLC will monitor four areas of the Governing Board's work and operations, including: «Board members using resources provided by the institution in preparation of the meeting; «Processes to ensure transparency of decision-making at the Board and Senior leadership levels; + Continue to use board training to help all members of the Board understand their role, responsibilities, and governance; + Executive Leadership focus on engaging the community and the Board of Governors in meaningful dialogue to address ongoing challenges and communication strategies. The HILC also recommended that the College clarify the roles of the Office of Dispute Resolution and Human Resources regarding employee complaints. The HLC will require the College to report on the progress of their recommendations on Board Governance by September 1, 2023.