President’s Message: Thank You for Your Role in a Successful NWCCU Visit

Dear Bellevue College Community, 

I want to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of our Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) Year Seven On-Site Evaluation of Institutional Effectiveness visit, held April 22–24. 

This was an important moment for our college, and it was made possible by the collective effort of so many across our campus. I am deeply grateful to the NWCCU peer evaluators for their time, expertise, and thoughtful engagement, and to Dr. Ed Harri from NWCCU for his partnership and guidance throughout this process. 

I also want to recognize the tremendous work done by those who prepared our Institutional Effectiveness report and supported the on-site visit in countless ways. This includes our Steering Taskforce members; report contributors and reviewers; Student Affairs and Academic Affairs teams; the Provost’s Office; the Effectiveness, Research, and Analytics office; ITS; events and catering staff; and everyone who contributed to logistics and coordination behind the scenes.  

Over the course of three days, more than 25 meetings were held involving faculty, staff, and students. Thank you to all who participated in these conversations. Your preparation, insight, and authenticity reflected the very best of Bellevue College. 

The evaluators recognized Bellevue College’s strong, sustained commitment to student success, including our collaborative efforts to remove barriers, our use of data to inform decision-making, and the integration of Guided Pathways and student-centered practices across the institution. 

They also identified opportunities to further strengthen how we align planning and resources, assess student learning at both the program and institutional levels, and continuously evaluate and improve our governance and effectiveness as an institution. 

These reflections affirm that the work we are doing is deeply embedded in how we operate and how we advance student success every day, while also helping to guide our next phase of growth. 

Over the coming weeks, we will receive a draft evaluation report for institutional review, followed by a final report and our response, with the NWCCU meeting in July to affirm accreditation status and finalize any recommendations.  

Thank you again for your engagement, your preparation, and your commitment to our students and to each other. This visit was a strong reflection of who we are as a college and the work we are doing together. 

With appreciation, 
Dr. David May