August 2, 2012

Dear Friend of City College,

Your support of City College of San Francisco has helped many students succeed, complete their education plans and improve their futures. Your contribution has made a difference to them and our community. For this you have my sincere thanks and gratitude.

Your commitment to City College warrants a timely response to the issues raised by CCSF’s recent Accreditation Report. This letter is to give you the facts about what you have been reading and put them in the proper context. It is important for you to know that City College remains fully accredited, as it has been since 1935, is operating as usual, and is not closing. We at the College are not going to let that happen — City College is far too important to San Francisco and its students.

The Accreditation Report cites structural issues and fiscal issues that are in need of correction. The Accreditation Team’s 14 recommendations focus on structure, process and governance as well as on fiscal issues. Our current accreditation status is “Show Cause.” Though severe, this means that City College continues as an accredited institution, but needs to show significant progress toward resolution of the 14 recommendations by October 15, 2012; and achieve them all by March 15, 2013. To meet these goals, City College will have to change how it operates and is structured. The College will have to become more efficient in its decision-making, be more cost effective, and be able to provide evidence of student success.

CCSF is taking responsibility for fixing the problems cited in the Accreditation Report. Work has begun on the recommendations. I am leading this effort along with the Accreditation Response Team, which I direct and appointed and includes representation from all key College constituent groups, including trustees, administrators, faculty, staff, and student representatives. City College Trustees have adopted a budget for fiscal year 2012-2013 that contains further overall reductions of $8 million. The College also has requested the State’s Financial Crisis Management Assistance Team (FCMAT), a panel of school finance specialists, to examine its finances and processes and make specific recommendations for improvement. FCMAT has already started its work and will be on site in late July. The Board of Trustees of City College has placed a $79 parcel tax before the San Francisco voters on the November 2012 ballot. If passed, the parcel tax will raise $14 million of funding for City College each year for eight years.

We are focused on the future and what needs to happen between now and October 15, our first deadline, to show meaningful progress in addressing the recommendations in the Accreditation Report. In the meantime, if you or others would like key accreditation information and reports, please visit the CCSF website at www.ccsf.edu. Rest assured that I will keep you informed of our progress.

Your support is deeply appreciated as we work our way through this crisis. Please accept my sincere thanks for everything you do for City College.

Sincerely,

Dr. Pamila Fisher
CCSF Interim Chancellor

BOARD OF TRUSTEES
JOHN RIZZO, PRESIDENT  •  DR. ANITA GRIER, VICE PRESIDENT  •  DR. NATALIE BERG  •  CHRIS JACKSON
MILTON MARKS  •  STEVE NGO  •  LAWRENCE WONG, ESQ.  •  WILLIAM WALKER, STUDENT TRUSTEE
DR. PAMILA J. FISHER, INTERIM CHANCELLOR