St. Clair College has become the first college in the history of the provincial College Quality Assurance Audit Process (CQAAP) to receive zero recommendations during an external audit.
"This is an extraordinary achievement and a very meaningful one for St. Clair," said Dr. Lindi Prendi, St. Clair's Executive Director of Academic Excellence, Quality Assurance & Accountability. "The significance is not simply that we received no recommendations, it is that an independent audit panel examined our practices against all six standards and found that they met the requirements, while also recognizing multiple areas of strength."
"For me, that is powerful validation of the College's commitment to quality, accountability and continuous improvement," Prendi said.
As the College's lead for the audit, Prendi said she felt incredibly proud and "a little relieved" when the results came in.
"We knew how much work had gone into the self-study and site visit and how thoroughly the College had been examined," she said. "But hearing that all six standards and all 30 requirements were met, with no recommendations and a number of commendations, was an incredible moment. Most of all, I was proud of what the results say about the people and culture of quality at St. Clair."
St. Clair College's Centre for Academic Excellence and Quality Assurance (CAE) led the institutional audit, coordinating the review and supporting the College throughout the process. Working alongside departments, faculty, staff and College leadership, the CAE coordinated the collection and review of institutional evidence and brought together the contributions that demonstrated the College's commitment to academic quality.
"Quality assurance is fundamental to our responsibility as a public institution," said St. Clair College President Michael Silvaggi. "This audit provides independent confirmation that St. Clair has strong systems and practices in place to support the quality of our academic programs and the experience we provide students."
"These results give our students, our community and our partners confidence that we hold ourselves to high standards – and that St. Clair College is committed to maintaining them," President Silvaggi added.
The audit took place over the course of a year, featuring a concerted effort across all departments of the College.
"A tremendous amount of work went into this," Prendi said. "It was certainly a marathon rather than a sprint. We reviewed thousands of pieces of evidence, spent countless hours reviewing our submission, and required a level of attention to detail that would make any spreadsheet enthusiast proud!"
More importantly, Prendi said the work was about much more than preparing for an audit.
"It was about demonstrating how quality is embedded in the way we operate every day."
Conducted by QA+ (formerly Ontario College Quality Assurance Service - OCQAS), the external audit is a review of a college's quality assurance framework, evaluating how effectively it maintains and improves academic quality.
The audit confirmed that St. Clair met all six provincial quality assurance standards and earned the highest institutional designation: Mature. The College also made history as the first to receive zero recommendations from its external audit panel.
It assessed the College against six provincial quality assurance standards, covering key areas of academic operations, including:
- Program quality management system
- Vocational learning outcomes as the centre for program development throughout the program lifecycle
- Conformity with government requirements
- Program delivery and student assessment
- Policies and practices that influence academic quality, including their existence, monitoring and communication
- Availability and allocation of college-wide resources
The external audit panel also recognized multiple areas of exemplary practice at St. Clair. The results reflect the collective dedication and expertise of faculty, staff, administrators and leadership across the College, whose ongoing efforts to strengthen academic quality and support student success helped make this achievement possible.
"I would like to recognize the CAE team for the tremendous work involved in coordinating and preparing the self-study and audit process," Prendi said. "I also want to recognize the faculty, students, and Program Advisory Committee members from the six programs included in the audit, along with the support staff, administrators and Board of Governors members who participated in interviews and contributed to the process. Their participation helped demonstrate some of the strengths of our College: teamwork and collaboration."
Prendi said she would also like to acknowledge President Michael Silvaggi for his leadership and support throughout this process.
"His commitment to quality, accountability and continuous improvement has helped create an environment where this work is valued and where we can continue to strengthen our practices across the College," Prendi said. "On a personal note, I have also really appreciated his confidence in the importance of this work and his support throughout the audit process."
Prendi also acknowledged colleagues at QA+ and the audit panel for the time, expertise and thoughtful engagement they brought to the process.
"It truly was a collective effort, and something in which we can all take great pride," she said.
While this achievement represents an extraordinary milestone, the College remains committed to building on its success.
"The audit reflected the work of people across St. Clair, in our classrooms, programs, services and operations," said Prendi. "Quality is not something we prepare for only when an audit is coming – it is built into the work people do every day. This result is a reflection of that commitment, and our faculty and staff should be very proud."
"The value of this achievement extends well beyond the audit itself. It reinforces that quality, accountability and continuous improvement are part of how St. Clair operates and how we make decisions," President Silvaggi said. "As we look ahead, this gives us a strong foundation to build upon, while continuing to challenge ourselves to improve and ensure that our students are at the centre of everything we do."