PIERCE COLLEGE WINS STAMP OF APPROVAL.

Byline: Lee Condon Daily News Staff Writer

Pierce College in Woodland Hills had its accreditation reaffirmed Thursday, ending a two-year drama in which the school needed to prove it was worthy.

``It was splendid teamwork on the part of the Pierce faculty,'' said E. Bing Inocencio, president of the community college, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary this fall. ``When I announced it to people they were really ecstatic.''

In 1995, Pierce suffered a major blow when a decision on its accreditation was deferred until November 1997 by the accreditation commission of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Although the school never actually lost its accreditation, Pierce officials were put on notice that its status was in jeopardy unless major improvements were made by the November deadline.

``The work required to win reaffirmation of accreditation was well done,'' said David Wolf, executive director of the accrediting commission.

Inocencio called securing full accreditation his top priority when he was picked as the school's president in June 1996.

He asked the commission to visit the school earlier than November, saying it was too long to continue under deferred status because so many people thought that meant the school had lost its accreditation.

``There were all kinds of wild and vicious rumors that we were not an accreditation college. I've been struggling with this gossip,'' Inocencio said, adding that some high school counselors had started advising students against attending Pierce.

Since the school's enrollment has dropped from a high of 24,000 some 20 years ago to 13,500 today, Inocencio saw declining enrollment as a major threat to Pierce.

The 1995 deferral was a wake-up call for Pierce officials. A stern 30-page report from the commission explaining the deferral cited a ``general campus malaise'' in solving the school's problems.

Inocencio said the deferral came in the first place because school officials ignored a recommendation that the school make certain changes.

``We're not going to let this happen to us again,'' he said.

The commission was most concerned about the school's financial stability, deteriorating physical plant and administrative instability, with the college going through six different presidents in 10 years.

Despite its problems, Pierce is one of the Los Angeles Community College District's top performing schools, leading the district in the number of students who transfer to the University of California and California State University.

Pierce is located on 400 acres on Winnetka Avenue in Woodland Hills. The school has about 13,500 students, most of whom are pursuing associate degrees or vocational training.