College of the Redwoods learned today it has been removed from probation status and placed on warning by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.

A letter from the ACCJC announcing its decision arrived at the college on Wednesday — the second day on the job for new president Jeff Marsee.

In a news release from the college, Marsee said he was “pleased” with the change. He had predicted it at Tuesday’s monthly meeting of the Redwoods Community College District Board of Trustees.

“We understand that this is a normal course of events for many California community colleges that have been placed on probation,” Marsee said in the media release from the college.

“It is important for the community to understand that during this period, CR continues to be fully accredited by the commission as it has been during the past two years while on warning or probation status.”

The ACCJC made the decision at its June 4-6 meeting.

The ACCJC sanctioned CR with a warning at its January 2006 meeting and downgraded that to probation last June.

At that time, the ACCJC singled out four areas of concern.

Three of the four areas have since been addressed.

The fourth requires CR to improve its planning processes with: the development of a long-range educational master plan; the development of a facilities master plan; and the development of an information technology plan.

It also recommended that CR develop a long-range financial planning process to provide early notice of structural imbalances between revenue and expenditures.

With regard to the remaining recommendation, ACCJC President Barbara Beno stated in her letter that the college had in place “the institutional foundation and momentum” for “continued progress and quick resolution of these remaining deficiencies.”

Board of Trustees President George Truett said the board “is pleased the commission recognized the excellent progress in meeting the recommendations.”

He expressed confidence in Marsee, faculty, staff and students to “continue their excellent work to resolve any areas of concern.”

“A bad thing happened to a good place,” said Tom Harris, the former interim CR president who preceded Marsee and led the turnaround. “I keep saying it: this has been a very successful community college. I knew it had the wherewithal to address and solve the problem.”

“At no time did the accrediting commission criticize the academic excellence of its faculty or the services provided to the community,” Marsee added. “I appreciate the tremendous effort exerted by former CR Interim President Tom Harris along with the faculty and staff over the past year to address the areas of concern cited by the commission. It is our expectation that CR will be removed from warning status quickly.”

The ACCJC next meets in January.

The earliest CR can expect to get formal notice of becoming sanction-free is February 2009.

Last February, the ACCJC listed six colleges on probation and 16 others with warnings. Nearly a third of California community colleges — including nearby Lassen and Shasta community colleges — were under sanction when the ACCJC met last month.

Two — Salvation Army Crestmont College and Northern Marianas College — had been asked to show cause.

The ACCJC Web site has not yet been changed to reflect the June 4-6 decisions.

Accreditation is a quality assurance process that allows educational institutions to collectively set standards for good practice, conduct peer-based evaluations, confer accredited status and make the information known to the public.

All institutions providing students with federal financial aid must seek accreditation from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

The ACCJC accredits associate degree granting institutions in California, Hawaii, the Territories of Guam and American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

It is one of three commissions under the corporate entity known as the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, which is recognized as an accrediting body by the U.S. DOE.