American Samoa Community College’s “warning” status is expected to be taken up next month during a meeting of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), while ASCC plans to revive early next year, its research foundation, with a golf tournament to start raising funds.
This is according to ASCC President Dr. Rosevonne Makaiwi Pato at last Thursday’s cabinet meeting, in her brief report, which covered updates on projects and other issues for the only institution of higher education in American Samoa.
In February this year, ACCJC gave an accreditation designation of “warning” status to ASCC, which has since been working tirelessly to successfully address compliance standards cited by the accreditation team.
The Commission will meet in the second week of January, and “we should know the outcome by the end of January or early February as to our status,” she said and also pointed out that ASCC’s new semester beings Jan. 17 and registration runs from Jan. 11- 13.
Samoa News notes that although ASCC is on “warning” status, its accreditation continues.
Pato also provided updates on some ASCC projects, such as the multipurpose center, which she says will be completed soon and “we are looking at a March dedication.” She thanked Public Works Department, American Samoa Telecommunications Authority and American Samoa Power Authority for working together with ASCC to get the project done.
The project, financed by Capital Improvement Project (CIP) funds, costs about $6.4 million.
According to the ASCC president, the college has another new project, that will be going out for bid, most likely after the multipurpose center opens, and that is the trade and tech center — which is also funded by CIP money.
“We have a lot of new projects coming up this next semester,” she said, but didn’t elaborate further.
Pato said that ASCC is looking at a “big first event” for “revival of our Research Foundation most likely around the same time as the multi purpose center opening” with the first ASCC golf tournament to bring in funds for the foundation.
She first revealed the revival of the foundation, during a cabinet meeting early this month saying the ASCC Board of Higher Education is revisiting this issue to get it going at the beginning of the New Year.
The ASCC Research Foundation is established under local statute as a non-profit, tax exempted public corporation. Among the Foundation’s functions, according to the statute, is to receive and administer grant contracts or agreements with federal, territorial and international governmental agencies; and receive and administer funds from grants, contracts, endowments, individuals, gifts or requests of property and to prudently invest such in a manner that will promote maximum financial growth.