Gila County Community College District
Gila County Community College District Announces Candidacy Status Decision
On January 21, 2025, Dr. Janice Lawhorn, Interim President, was notified in a formal action letter from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), that Gila County Community College District, commonly referred to as GCC, was officially granted Candidacy Status with their organization.
Since notifying Eastern Arizona College in May 2023 that it would not renew its long-standing contract for educational services, GCC leadership was able to assemble a team of independent contractors and dedicated volunteers who worked diligently and steadfastly to secure the College’s independence as an accredited institution. The initial Eligibility Review Application was submitted to ACCJC in April 2024, the Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (ISER) in August 2024, and a successful site visit was conducted by an ACCJC Peer Review Team in October 2024. The ACCJC Commission met in a closed session on January 9, 2025, to hear remarks from both Dr. Lawhorn and Dr. Jan Brocker, Governing Board President for the College, regarding ACCJC’s Peer Review Team Report and the College’s ongoing commitment to ACCJC’s accreditation standards.
As noted in the ACCJC Accreditation Handbook:
Candidacy Status represents a formal association with ACCJC. Institutions that have earned this designation are listed in the ACCJC directory as member institutions and must identify themselves to the public in accordance with the Commission’s Policy on Representation of Accredited Status. As ACCJC members, institutions with candidacy status are expected to make Commission action letters publicly available in accordance with (ACCJC’s) Policy on Rights, Responsibilities, and Good Practice in Relations with Member Institutions.
All accreditation documents including the formal action letter, ISER, Peer Review Team Report, and Teach-Out Plan will be posted on Gila Community College’s website within the next seven days at https://gilaccc.org/.
Furthermore, the handbook states that “all credits and degrees earned and issued by an institution or program holding candidacy status are considered by the U.S. Department of Education to be from an accredited institution or program.”
Institutions may remain in Candidacy Status for up to two years while working toward Initial Accreditation. During this time, GCC will address additional expectations identified in the formal action letter and complete the Initial Accreditation application process.
Dr. Lawhorn and Dr. Brocker wish to publicly and sincerely thank the exceptional and loyal employees at Gila Community College’s Gila Pueblo and Payson Campuses, the supportive Gila County Board of Supervisors, its consultants, and all of the College’s steadfast partners and stakeholders in our communities. Without their faith in GCC’s dedicated ability to complete this arduous and rigorous process, it would not have happened.
What may have seemed an insurmountable task has now been achieved. After nearly 25 years of serving residents in Gila County, GCC is no longer a provisional community college district and will officially become Arizona’s “newest” community college on July 1, 2025. GCC will no longer require an educational partner, saving nearly $1.5 million a year in overhead costs. Most importantly, local control of Gila County taxpayer funds and post-secondary education oversight have been secured for the future.
Town Halls have been scheduled at both campuses to celebrate with the communities and provide information on GCC’s next steps. The first celebration will be held on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at the Gila Pueblo Campus, 8274 South Six Shooter Canyon Road, Globe, at 6 p.m. The Payson Campus Town Hall will be held at the campus at 201 North Mud Springs Road on Wednesday, March 5 at 6 p.m. Refreshments will be provided.
We look forward to seeing you at the Town Hall.
Janice Lawhorn, Ph.D.
Interim President
Gila County Community College District
(928) 473-1282 (Office)
(928) 965-3267 (Cell)
