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Seven accreditation team members from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges visited Crestmont College recently and delivered a strong endorsement of the college’s officer training program.
Crestmont’s School for Officer Training, accredited since 1990 to grant an Associate of Arts Degree in Ministries, is periodically reviewed for reaccreditation status, but this is the first review under the expanded Crestmont College structure, according to Dr. Dennis VanderWeele, provost. “This first visit for Crestmont was felt to serve as a signal evaluation for the planning and strides taken towards the BA program, as well as the continuing strength of the AA degree. It was difficult to envision a stronger and less ambiguous signal,” VanderWeele said.
In the two-and-one-half days spent on campus, according to VanderWeele, the accreditation team of administrators and instructors from six California colleges assessed Crestmont’s physical plant, mission and integrity, financial status, governance, student support and development, library and information resources, and the entire academic program.
“Of the ten standards reviewed, the college received recommendations for producing improvement in only two,” VanderWeele said. “On the other eight standards, there were no recommendations, indicating the strength and sufficiency of the existing program in the eyes of the reviewers.”
Remarks by the team’s leader, Dr. J. Christopher McCarthy, executive vice president for instructional services at Glendale Community College included the comment that in his twenty-one years and over forty evaluations, he could not recall an accreditation evaluation with so few recommendations. These included expanded institutional research, planning and assessment of staff development and student outcomes, and continued evaluation of the educational programs, in this time of the college’s growth.