Release Date: Monday October 16, 2006
NORTHARK ACCREDITATION EXTENDED FOR 10 YEARS
It's official! North Arkansas College has received 10 more years of
accreditation by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
Commission on Institutions of Higher Education.
Dr. Bill Baker, Northark's president, received notice of the 10-year
accreditation extension (the maximum number of years a college is eligible to
receive) in a letter from Steven D. Crow, executive director of the North
Central Association. North Arkansas College's next comprehensive evaluation will
be during the academic year of 2010-11.
"We're very pleased to receive the maximum term of accreditation renewal," Baker
said. "This was a team effort, and I want to congratulate all of the members of
the college's faculty and staff for their hard work in the self-study process."
Dr. Clark Jenkins and Scott Zollars were co-chairs of Northark's seven-member
steering committee that directed the collegešs self-study. The process, from
start to finish, lasted three years and produced a 163-page document. There were
nine subcommittees, and most of the college's employees were involved in the
effort. A team of consultant evaluators from North Central visited North
Arkansas College over a four-day period in September of 2000.
The NCA consultant evaluators agreed with the self-study that the college needed
to refine its policies regarding governance and assessment of student academic
achievement. As a result, there will be a focused evaluation visit in 2004-05
regarding those two areas.