Clues Emerge to Downfall of Laura Hope

Demise of COD Superintendent/President Laura Coming into Focus

PALM DESERT — Seven weeks after former Superintendent/President Laura Hope was placed on administrative leave, the reason — or at least one of them —was hiding in plain sight.

A draft Peer Review Team Report for the recent comprehensive review of College of the Desert was provided to Dr. Laura Hope, Interim Superintendent/President on November 14, 2024. The college was informed at that time that the enclosed report was confidential and not for general distribution as required in ACCJC’s Policy on Public Disclosure and Confidentiality in the Accreditation Process, according to a Jan. 6 letter ACCJC sent to Acting Superintendent/President Val Martinez Garcia. Uken Report obtained a copy of the letter through the California Public Records Act.

Not only did Hope fail to keep the report confidential she also distributed it widely to faculty and staff via her Monday Minute, a newsletter distributed to the campus community. Media were never included in the distribution, but this particular one somehow made its way to some members of the media. Why?

The draft Peer Review Team Report noted areas of improvement for the Board of Trustees. Was Hope trying to embarrass certain board members? What was she trying to accomplish? Why would she want to throw shade on the College at a time when she applying to be Superintendent/President?

At the January Board of Trustees, in a show of transparency, Martinez Garcia specifically talked about the breach of confidentiality in releasing the draft report.

 

The Accreditation process works much like an employee evaluation in larger corporations. The employee completes a self-evaluation, the employer completes an evaluation of the employee and the two meet. Unless you’re a perfect employee, there are often areas of “Needs Improvement.” That’s what happened here, and Hope took it upon herself to release the confidential document. Is that what a strong, confident leader does?

This is the same woman who said she was applying for the Superintendent/President post one month, then publicly announced at a board meeting the following month that she was withdrawing only to apply again.

“If the institution does not resolve the deficiencies, the Commission may take further action,” Alexandra Springs, Communications Director, told Uken Report. “This action is not considered an adverse action but rather is an action that reaffirms accreditation while providing requirements and guidance for necessary improvement.”

While not uncommon, the number of times this action occurs varies from semester to semester, Spring said. This semester, a total of five colleges received this action, while last semester and the semester before it was two and one, respectively. When member institutions complete a comprehensive peer review, and no compliance requirements are noted, accreditation can be reaffirmed for seven or eight years (ACCJC is moving to an eight-year cycle). When follow-up and special reports are required after a comprehensive review, if institutions meet the requirements laid out in the action letter, they can be “reaffirmed for the remainder of the [seven- or eight-year] cycle” once the Commission has reviewed the report and voted at a scheduled Commission meeting.’

“ACCJC is supportive of all of its member institutions and looks forward to working with COD to address the items noted in the action letter,” Spring said. “The ACCJC staff liaison assigned to COD will work closely with the institution through this accreditation process.”

At its January 8-9, 2025, meeting, the Commission acted to reaffirm College of the Desert’s accreditation status for 18 months and require a follow-up report due no later than March 1, 2026, followed by a visit from a peer review team, according to the College website.

On the outside, Hope appeared polished and self-confident.

Behind the scenes, Hope was manipulative, insecure, and allegedly used staff to orchestrate support for her. She had her “pet” employees and made no secret of it. She made major changes without input from faculty and more but releasing the draft peer report had to have topped the list. One thing is clear. Staff members are grateful.

“… I am deeply grateful that upon returning to COD after the well-deserved winter break, the morale of our employees is once again high and positive,” Patricia Reyes, Administrative Services Assistant at College of the Desert, told Trustees in January.” I’m also feeling renewed optimism that joint governance will once again thrive and that the decision-making around 10 Plus One Matters will continue to grow and flourish at COD. So, thank you for your commitment to restoring and strengthening the spirit of our collaboration that defines our institution. Thank you.”