WU boasts full accreditation

By Jonathan McFadden
mcfaddenj@thejohnsonian.com

Continuing a tradition, Winthrop faces SACS and NCATE accreditation in the spring

SACS will visit Winthrop this spring to renew its 12-15 year tradition of being a fully accredited institution.

SACS, or the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, is one of four regional accrediting bodies for universities and colleges in the nation. The southern commission on colleges covers higher education institutions throughout the southeast.

Thomas Moore, vice president for academic affairs, said in order for Winthrop to offer federal financial aid, award degrees and qualify for federal funding, it has to be accredited by SACS.

“Our existence as an institution essentially depends on maintaining SACS accreditation,” Moore said.

In South Carolina, in order to have graduates eligible for teacher certification, the College of Education, or the education department of any university, must receive accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, or NCATE.

Winthrop’s NCATE report is due next spring and the on-site visit is next November.

“So, NCATE is following our SACS accreditation; it’s coming right on the tails of SACS,” Moore said.

NCATE also affects other departments that offer teacher certification degrees, such as music education and theatre education.

“Just as with SACS accreditation, assessment and accountability for meeting standards is very important,” Jennie Rakestraw, dean of the college of education, said.

Rakestraw said the college of education is working now to make sure it meets all six of NCATE’s standards.

Just because a university advertises itself as an accredited institution doesn’t mean it is necessarily fully accredited. Instead, it means it has received SACS accreditation, but not all of its degree programs may be accredited.

Winthrop, though, doesn’t suffer from that problem. Moore said all programs eligible for accreditation at Winthrop are accredited.

To ensure Winthrop’s full accreditation, its departments, programs and majors must be accredited by the proper accrediting bodies.

The College of Business and Department of Mass Communication are among collegiate bodies at Winthrop that have been accredited by departmental accrediting bodies.

“We don’t have to have any of the other accreditations that we have,” Moore said. “We have them by choice.”

Preparing for accreditation isn’t a solo feat. Moore said a lot of work by faculty and staff goes into making sure the university is ready with its reports, reviews and for its on-site visit.

Every accrediting body has guidelines for a specific accrediting program, Moore said.

Appropriate numbers and qualifications of faculty members, a curriculum that covers the educational standards, student learning outcomes, facilities and any equipment involved are some of the criteria departments must meet when being accredited.

“Depending on the discipline, it will vary,” Moore said. “It’s a lot different in dance than in business.”

Moore said for students coming to an accredited school like Winthrop, they can be confident they are receiving the education approved by the professional organization in whatever discipline they choose.

Employers also find value in graduates who attended an accredited institution.

 “They [employers] can have confidence that you have gotten the appropriate education for the profession,” Moore said.

Moore projected that Winthrop became fully accredited five to six years after President Anthony DiGiorgio’s inauguration as the university’s president. Winthrop has been accredited by SACS since the commission began accrediting institutions in the south.

“When we first came up for SACS accreditation we got it and we’ve maintained it,” Moore said.