Westwood Accrediting Agency Conducting Campus Visit and Checking On Job Stats
Hi All,
We’ve learned that Westwood will be under scrutiny next week as the ACICS (Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools) visits its Denver North campus. This is the body that has given some of Westwood’s campuses their national accreditation. That is not the same as the regional accreditation they are seeking, but have yet to be granted.
The school said in an email to some graduates that it is “gearing up” for the ACICS visit. Part of that “gearing up” has included advising these graduates that ACICS might be calling them to verify their employment status. A Denver North Graduate Advisor explained it to students this way:
“You have been coded as working in field or in a related field, because you have used 30% of your degree in your post-graduation position, or you were hired based upon skills you learned within your degree (including general education courses).
We have heard from students who are trying to figure out what that means and how you quantify “having used 30% of your degree in your post-graduation position?” We contacted a representative from ACICS to ask how they student should apply this confusing and incredibly broad interpretation of “employed in their field.” The representative did not have any guidance for trying to make sense of this definition, so it will be up to each one of you to decide whether you are “employed in your field” or not.
However, the ACICS representative did tell us that if a student wants to make clear that they don’t believe they are working in their field, he or she should do so. If you’re contacted, you should be completely honest about your employment position. You may also ask to speak to the ACICS representative rather than to the Westwood employee who will be making the phone call.
Westwood indicated in its email that “the accrediting team calls are only concerning employment,” but don’t be intimidated. You have the right to tell the ACICS whatever you think is important for them to know about your Westwood experience.
Also, she encouraged any student with a complaint to file one with the ACICS by emailing complaints@acics.org. Students can also file a complaint as a group.
Thanks for checking in. Keep letting your voices be heard, and we will make a difference.
Warm Regards,
Jillian
