To: All
students, faculty and staff
From:
Interim President Geraldine Jones
Here at Cal U, we pride ourselves on offering our students high-quality academic programs that align with national standards for excellence. Seeking accreditation is one way to ensure that our programs measure up. This voluntary, peer-review process assures students and their families that a Cal U degree has real value.
Once accreditation has been earned, the national agencies that evaluate our programs return regularly to verify their quality. I’m proud to announce that a number of programs have been accredited in recent months.
- Just this week our faculty in the Department of Theatre and Dance learned that the National Association for Schools of Theatre has re-accredited Cal U’s Bachelor of Arts program in theatre. The University will remain a NAST member in good standing for the next 10 years.
NAST also has given its “seal of approval” to the Mon Valley Performing Arts Academy, an outreach program that has provided after-school
and summer theater experiences for hundreds of area children.
These accreditations affirm the quality of our theatre program, and they earn a standing ovation for the faculty, staff and students of the
department!
- In March the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education visited campus to conduct its 10-year re-accreditation review of our RN-BSN program and the initial review of our MSN in Nursing Administration and Leadership.
The RN-BSN program allows registered nurses to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing — a degree that is in demand as health care
becomes more complex. Cal U’s Master of Science in Nursing addresses the needs of working professionals by offering education in
nursing administration and leadership 100 percent online.
We have not yet received official notice on the outcome of the CCNE evaluation, but we anticipate that both programs will meet all
accreditation standards. I compliment the Nursing Department faculty, staff and students on their dedication and hard work as they prepared
for this accreditation visit.
- This winter our graduate program in athletic training was re-accredited through 2016 by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education. CAATE, which also accredits entry-level athletic training programs, only recently added post-professional programs to its accreditation process.
Prior to 2012, the National Athletic Trainers Association accredited all post-professional athletic training programs. In June, NATA approved
moving post-professional education programs to CAATE.
Accredited since 1994 through NATA, Cal U’s graduate athletic training program became the first CAATE-accredited post-professional
program. At that time, it was one of only 16 accredited post-professional athletic training programs in the United States. Well done!
- Also in the past year, our bachelor’s degree programs in computer science and computer information systems both received accreditation from the prestigious Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, the world’s leading accreditation agency for applied science, computing, engineering and technology programs. Again, this is a team effort worth congratulating.
In all, more than 80 percent of Cal U’s academic programs are nationally accredited. Achieving accreditation requires an investment of time and resources, but I consider it one of our University’s most worthwhile endeavors.
With best wishes,
