Office of Institutional Effectiveness & Accreditation (OIEA)

Timothy Aldred
Timothy Aldred, M.eD
Assessment and
Evaluation Specialist
Tuan Tran
Dr. Tuan Tran, PhD
Director of
Institutional Research
Linda Buckley
Dr. Linda Buckley, PhD
Vice President of
Institutional Effectiveness
& Accreditation

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness & Accreditation (OIEA) at California Northstate University provides leadership in the following areas to support the University in achieving its mission and goals: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) regional accreditation; new and existing program development and educational effectiveness planning, including pedagogical and assessment of student learning best practices; and institutional research to inform and support decision-making.


Accreditation for CNU
  • Leads and facilitates the regional accreditation process by serving as the University’s liaison with WSCUC and collaborating with University constituents
  • Coordinates with the Office of the President to prepare and host regional accreditation visits
  • Maintains the University’s regional accreditation status by ensuring adherence to required reporting and compliance
  • Facilitates new program development and accreditation through substantive change process
  • Provides strategic consultation of the regional accreditation processes to the University’s leadership team and constituents to support institutional long-term planning
Educational Effectiveness, Planning, and Assessment
  • Provides programs with guidance in educational effectiveness that incorporate strong pedagogical and assessment practices
  • Provides guidance and support for institutional effectiveness efforts to internal audience
  • Coordinates Program Reviews that support academic improvement and planning
  • Provides guidance for the University assessment cycle to assess Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) at the institutional, programmatic, and course levels
  • Ensures quality improvements in student learning, student services, and administrative processes
Institutional Research
  • Facilitates the use of appropriate institutional research approaches in collaboration with University constituents to support data-driven, informed decisions
  • Provides institutional data for internal audience to support the University's continuous improvement efforts and for external audience to ensure information transparency
  • Reports and presents institutional data in a manner that promotes a culture of curiosity, innovation, and excellence