January 27, 2023 – The College of the Marshall Islands has been formally notified of the reaffirmation of its accreditation for the remainder of the current cycle. The notification was received by CMI from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) on January 26 after the Commission reviewed the report prepared by the follow-up team that visited the institution virtually on October 17-18, 2022. The team was led by Dr. Rachel Solemsaas, Chancellor of Hawai’i Community College, who was also the chair for CMI’s comprehensive review in March 2021.
The report shows that since the March 2021 Peer Review visit, CMI has made strong strides to meet the standards that are expected by the ACCJC. The Commission finds that CMI has addressed the compliance requirements, corrected deficiencies, and has met its standards.
CMI President Taafaki shared the news with the college and its community citing, “This is a wonderful way for us to begin our Spring Semester and I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate my heartfelt appreciation to the Senior Management Team, the work of our ALO and to all who have worked so hard to ensure the compliance and advancement of the College of the Marshall Islands.”
According to Dr. Switaj, with the ACCJC’s decision to reaffirm our accreditation status for the rest of the cycle, the longest streak of accreditation without sanctions in CMI history continues. The decision confirms the value of our integration of accreditation standards into our program review and participatory governance processes to ensure continuous quality improvement. We can now shift our focus to the Midterm Report, due in 2025, in which we will share our progress on the improvement plans we identified in the 2021 Institutional Self Evaluation Report as well as on the team recommendations for improvement.
The Board of Regents Chairperson, Kathryn Relang, shared the same sentiment as President Taafaki regarding the good news. “It is such a great pleasure to share with you that the ACCJC has reaffirmed our accreditation. Congratulations to us all, and a KOMMOOL TATA to Dr. Irene and the SLT, and special recognition to Dr. Elizabeth, as our Accreditation Liaison for your hard work preparing the College for this status,” she stated.
Board member Pastor Helmer Lang also reiterated those thoughts stating, “Congratulations CMI and Kommoltata to those who ensured that it’s not just done and completed, but to do it exceptionally well. Proud!”
The next report from the College will be the Midterm Report due in March 2025. CMI’s next comprehensive review by ACCJC will begin in 2027 and conclude in 2028.
Praise and thanks go to President Dr. Irene Taafaki and the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), the Board of Regents & Chair Kathryn Relang, and a special Kommoltata to Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs (VPASA) Dr. Elizabeth Switaj, who serves as the College’s Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO) to the ACCJC.
For more information on this press release, please visit our website at www.cmi.edu
The College of the Marshall Islands will provide our community with access to quality, higher, and further educational services, prioritize student success through engagement in relevant Academic, Career, and Technical Education, and be a center for the study of Marshallese Culture. It will also provide intellectual resources and facilitate research specific to the needs of the nation.
