The ACCSC Standard: November 2010

The ACCSC Standard November 2010

Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges 2101 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 302, Arlington, Virginia 22201 www.accsc.org / 703.247.4212

INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1

Fourth Annual PDC

3

2009 Annual Report Review

5

Chairman’s Corner

6

Graduate of the Year

7

Instructor of the Year

8

Executive Director’s Report

10 Overheard at the PDC 12 Community Service Awards 14 Volunteers of the Year 15 Schools of Distinction 16 Schools of Excellence 17 Staff Member of the Year

Highlights from the 4th Annual Professional Development Conference

From September 29 - October 1, 2010, the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) hosted its annual Professional Development Conference (PDC) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Now in its fourth year, the PDC remains the only conference of its kind in the career college industry – a membership-driven event that provides an opportunity for leaders from the ACCSC community of institutions to collaborate on enhancing the success of the hundreds of thousands of students that attend accredited institutions each year.

Building upon the fundamental belief that career schools and colleges play a critical role in preparing students to enter and advance in the workforce, this year’s conference break-out sessions focused on both the proven strategies to keep students in school and the strategies that ensure graduates possess the skills necessary to achieve sustained success in the workplace. Throughout the conference, participants engaged in meaningful discussions that covered a diverse array of topics, from exploring newer and more effective methods of teaching and assessment, such as those discussed by Dr. Michael Lanouette of Remington Colleges, to the retention efforts that have been proven to support ability-to-benefit students, as outlined by Kathy Fox of ATI Enterprises.

Conference participants heard from industry experts, such as Patrick Debold from Concorde Career College, on how to develop effective externship programs, and Dr. Ronnie Kramer from Communication Dynamics, who in a lively presentation sponsored by Elsevier provided participants with the tools and concepts for enhancing students’ soft-skills. ~continued on next page~

ACCSC: Setting the Standard for Quality Education

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Highlights from the 4th Annual PDC ~continued from previous page~ This year’s conference sessions also focused extensively on the approaches that institutions can pursue to develop and maintain a meaningful relationship with the employment community, as captured by Jeffery Bodimer of Kaplan Higher Education, and showcased the activities that highperforming institutions have undertaken to develop dynamic community outreach programs, such as those launched by Yasith Weerasuriya at Stanbridge College.

Given the emphasis throughout the conference on the tremendous community involvement activities undertaken by ACCSC-accredited institutions, the Commission was pleased to welcome Kevin Michael Days of the Corporation for National and Community Service, who provided an overview of how community service projects can generate student loyalty and ensure a lively campus environment. In addition to an energetic Keynote Address from Eric Kevin Michael Day, Corp. for National and Community Service and Yasith Weerasuriya, Stanbridge College, flank Dr. Juanita Chester, an award-winning speaker who shared how Gurubatham, ACCSC. the changes in attitudes, values, and expectations of a new generation of students is having a tremendous impact on the emerging workforce, the highlight of this year’s PDC was the Commission’s Annual Awards Ceremony.

Each year, ACCSC celebrates the success of several outstanding individuals and this year was no exception.

At the Awards Ceremony, the Commission recognized the Graduate of the Year, Vickie Knight of ICDC College; the Instructor of the Year, Bharat Khandel of Missouri College; and the Volunteers of the Year, Sherry Bomberger, Team Leader, representing YTI Career Training Institute as well as one of ACCSC’s most prolific Education Specialists, Dr. Gary Maluf.

The Awards Ceremony also afforded the Commission with an opportunity to recognize the significant achievements of ACCSC institutions by recognizing twenty-nine Schools of Distinction and nine Schools of Excellence, all of which demonstrated a commitment to the expectations and rigor of ACCSC accreditation as well as a commitment to delivering quality educational programs. 2010 also marked the inauguration of an Eric Chester delivers an energetic and thought provoking annual Community Service Award, which recognizes Keynote Address during the PDC. ACCSC-accredited institutions that have made outstanding contributions to their local community through service initiatives. This year, the Commission recognized Bidwell Training Center located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the Vatterott College/L’Ecole Culinaire System of Schools for their efforts toward improving and supporting their local communities. The distinguished award winners, who showcased the tremendous successes of ACCSC-accredited institutions, faculty, and students, provided motivation for all in attendance to strive for continuous improvement. ~continued on next page~

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Highlights from the 4th Annual PDC ~continued from previous page~ Some of the many benefits of attending this year’s PDC were the opportunities for the membership to engage with the Commission and staff on the myriad of accreditation activities that have occurred throughout the year; to learn more about the policy positions taken

by ACCSC; and to hear directly from the leadership of the Commission about the momentous changes in the legislative and regulatory landscape within the higher education community, especially with regard to forDr. Michale McComis presents his annual Executive Director’s Report at the PDC. profit institutions. Throughout the conference, the Commission discussed its external affairs activities, including serving as an active participant in the Negotiated Rulemaking process and accepting invitations to provide testimony at hearings in both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate that focused on the for-profit education sector.

The PDC provided a forum for the Commission to reinforce its belief that these activities have helped to position accreditation as a crucial part of the regulatory conversation and to not only show that the Commission has rigorous standards, but to bolster confidence in ACCSC as a leader in accreditation.

Overall, the fourth annual Professional Development Conference was a tremendous success. The robust conference program featured a dynamic group of presenters from the ACCSC community and the Commission was afforded an opportunity to recognize the outstanding efforts of its accredited member schools. Many participants expressed their appreciation of the conference’s thought-provoking breakout sessions and the opinion that the opportunity to connect with the Commission and other member institutions is a value-added benefit of being accredited with ACCSC. The Commission is grateful for the tremendous support of the Professional Development Conference and will be making an announcement in the immediate future regarding the date and location for the 5th annual PDC in 2011.

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2009 Annual Report Review: School Characteristics and Student Achievement Outcomes One of the many ways that ACCSC verifies the effectiveness of its work is through detailed analysis of its schools’ characteristics and performance and through the development and enforcement of its student achievement accountability standards. The Commission recently completed its analysis of the 2009 Annual Report of ACCSC-accredited institutions and found once again that its schools continue to demonstrate significant institutional and student success through their rates of student graduation and employment attainment.

These data are important indicators and are used by ACCSC to better understand its accredited institutions and the trends associated with career education as well as to develop the Commission’s accountability standards. The information contained in this report is a summary of the key data points from the 2009 ACCSC Annual Report and provides detailed information pertaining to ACCSC school characteristics, student characteristics, program characteristics, and student achievement rates and trends. ~continued on next page~

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The Schools and Students

Overall, the analysis of the 2009 Annual Report data shows that ACCSC-accredited institutions continue to grow in terms of student population but remain consistent with respect to student demographics. Based upon data submitted in the Annual Report, ACCSC-accredited institutions and their students show the following characteristics: o 61% of the schools had 300 or fewer students as of June 30, 2009. Average enrollment as of June 30, 2009 was 333 students, up from 292 in 2007 and 300 in 2008. o The majority of institutions are in metropolitan areas with populations of at least 250,000. o Half of the students are under the age 25 and 32% of the students are in the age group 25-34. o Student population is evenly distributed with regard to gender. o 58% of classified students represent ethnic minority groups. o 91% of enrolled students have a high school diploma or equivalent and/or some postsecondary education while only 9% of enrolled students have no high school diploma or equivalent.

These figures show that ACCSC-accredited institutions continue to provide training in small school formats and serve a large percentage of non-traditional and ethnic minority students in urban and suburban settings.

The Programs

With respect to the types of programs offered by ACCSC-accredited institutions, schools submitted summary information for 5,423 programs in over 120 different occupational areas. Key characteristics include the following: o 44% of ACCSC-accredited institutions offer a degree program; 32% of all programs offered at ACCSC-accredited institutions are degree programs (a 1% increase from 2008). o Of the 1,723 reported degree programs, 1,255 are associate degrees (73%), 427 are baccalaureate degrees (25%), and 41 are master’s degrees (2%). o 69% of students are enrolled in non-degree programs, 22% of students are enrolled in associate degree programs, 8% of students are enrolled in baccalaureate degree programs and 1% of students are enrolled in master’s degree programs.

The Commission continues to see a steady increase in the number of programs reported each year as member institutions assess program offerings and adapt to the changing needs of prospective students and to meet the needs of community employers. An integral part of the increase in program offerings has been the increase in the number of institutions offering degree programs. The overall percentage of ACCSC degree granting institutions has increased to 44%, an 8% increase over the last two years.

Click here to download a PDF version of the 2009 School Characteristics and Student Achievement Outcomes brochure.

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Chairman’s Corner by Ronald S. Blumenthal We live in an age of higher education and accreditation that has changed dramatically in the last several months but whose changes have been building since 2005 when then Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings convened the Secretary’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education, also known as the Spellings Commission. The Spellings Commission’s final report was particularly critical of accreditation, though that criticism was not specifically directed at national accreditors like ACCSC. According to Peter Ewell1 “accreditation was held to be ineffective in providing reliable information about institutional quality, being too focused on institutional inputs while neglecting student learning outcomes.” In fact, ACCSC has long focused on student learning outcomes. In many ways our standards distinguish ACCSC as a leader in outcomes based standards of accreditation. That has not, however, kept us out of the spotlight as both the Department of Education and Congress have followed the Spellings Commission in focusing on both accreditation and for-profit institutions.

We have come to the attention of those in authority and many in our sector believe that we live in perilous times fraught with insecurity and uncertainty. Gainful Employment, incentive compensation, and other regulations were issued on November 1st with Gainful Employment details delayed until 2011. The recent GAO report served to diminish the credibility of our oft repeated caution not to judge all for-profit schools by the actions of a few. The Senate HELP Committee hearings reinforced the criticism that has come before and accreditation is under heightened scrutiny by the Department of Education. Ralph Wolff, in an article in Trusteeship2, points out that “all this attention reflects a shift in the role accreditation is now being expected to play as an agent of public accountability for higher education.”

As a Commission we are committed to fulfilling this role, not only through our rigorous standards but to a rigorous means of enforcing those standards. We can do no less. I believe that we should all take considerable comfort in the fact that ACCSC is viewed in a positive light by the Department of Education and Congress, both of whom have repeatedly asked our Executive Director, Michale McComis, to represent accreditation in this public debate. He testified before both the House and Senate committees and in September he served on a panel as part of the training of the new National Advisory Committee for Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI).

In the three plus years I’ve been on this Commission I have found its members to be diligent in their efforts to have fair and reasonable standards that protect students and to apply those standards in a manner that supports our schools, and that does take adverse action against those that do not perform by those rules. We are engaged together in an effective peer review process and I believe that in the end those who judge us will conclude the same. Wolff goes on to say “We are at a crucial juncture for accreditation to retain its fundamental character as a nongovernmental process – built on the principles of self-regulation, respect for institutional diversity, and improvement as a developmental process once minimum standards have been met.”

You can help us retain that fundamental character by volunteering your time, your passion for education, and your expertise in the peer review process. There are opportunities to volunteer as a Team Leader, as a member of a committee or task force, and on the Commission as well. ~continued on next page~

1 2

Ewell, Peter, U.S. Accreditation and the Future of Quality Assurance, CHEA, 2008 Wolff, Ralph, Trusteeship, Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, September/October 2010

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In the coming months we will be calling for nominations for Commissioners to stand for election in the spring. It is a demanding, time consuming, challenging job that remarkably enough almost all of us who have served in this capacity enjoyed and found tremendously satisfying. We need smart, dedicated, honorable school owners and leaders to serve as Commissioners. I urge you to think about it and act on it this year.

I also urge each of you to take steps within your own school(s) to ensure that the admissions and recruiting functions operate with transparency, integrity, and clearly within the law. The actions of our schools will continue to come under the watchful eye of federal and state governments, of consumer groups, of students and their parents. That GAO report was a wake-up call and the school groups that I’m familiar with all took it very seriously and have taken steps to correct even the appearance of inappropriate behavior long before any new regulations are finalized let alone go into effect. We need to be vigilant, both as a Commission and as school leaders, in ensuring that we consider the needs of students first and prepare effectively for the changes that are inevitable.

The Commission and its staff stand ready to assist you and to work with you.

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2010 ACCSC Graduate of the Year: Vickie Knight, ICDC College, Los Angeles

Vickie Knight with her daughter Gilda at the Annual Awards Ceremony.

The Graduate of the Year Award provides the Commission with a unique opportunity to recognize an exceptional individual from the ACCSC community of schools who is making outstanding contributions to their profession.

Through the Graduate of the Year Award, the Commission recognizes an individual who not only has demonstrated outstanding scholastic achievement, but perseverance and commitment within his or her profession. This year, ACCSC is pleased to recognize Vickie Knight, a graduate of ICDC College in Los Angeles, California as the 2010

Graduate of the Year.

Vickie Knight excelled as a student in the Alcohol and Drug Counseling program at ICDC College in Los Angeles. She consistently earned high marks in her coursework, only missed 1% of her scheduled classes, and eventually graduated with a 96% average. What makes Vickie’s story exceptional is that she achieved all of this while being unemployed, raising her children, and unbeknownst to the school, experiencing homelessness. Through these trials and tribulations, Vickie consistently maintained a positive and enthusiastic demeanor that left a lasting impression on the staff and faculty at ICDC, who saw tremendous strength and courage in this brave student.

ICDC assisted Vickie in securing an internship close to her homeless shelter at New Choice Recovery Treatment Center. After a month on internship, the Center called ICDC to thank the school for sending an outstanding student like Vickie. In November 2009, the Center offered Vickie a job, and each day she works with clients struggling with alcohol and drug addiction. As noted by her employer, Vickie’s deep compassion and ability to show empathy toward her clients will prove to be the key to her success. As noted in her nomination, “Vickie was a model student and now a graduate that has proven to be an example of what hard work and perseverance can bring anyone, she has shown extraordinary commitment to both her occupational field and community.”

Please join ACCSC in congratulating Vickie Knight as the 2010 Graduate of the Year.

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2010 Instructor of the Year: Bharat Kandel, Missouri Tech During the annual Awards Ceremony hosted as part of the Professional Development Conference, the Commission had an opportunity to provide recognition to an outstanding individual from the ACCSC community of schools through the Instructor of the Year Award. The Instructor of the Year Award is presented to an individual who is providing outstanding career and technical instruction at an ACCSC accredited institution, and who Bharat Kandel , the 2010 Instructor of the Year, at this has made significant and positive contributions at their year’s PDC. school and within their community. Nominees for this award must consistently exhibit excellent teaching practices and have made significant contributions to the development of innovative, unique, and effective programs that serve student needs in the best possible manner. This year, the ACCSC Awards Committee had many worthy candidates and faced a difficult decision in making the selection for the Instructor of the Year. However, the winning candidate truly embodies the characteristics and qualities of an outstanding, dedicated, passionate instructor: Bharat Kandel of Missouri Tech.

Bharat Kandel is the designated student advisor and lead instructor for the Information Technology programs at Missouri Tech. In addition to his role as an active student advisor and mentor, Bharat serves in a number of critical roles at the school, including helping to design and implement new courses and programs. But first and foremost, Bharat is a teacher who cares deeply about the success of students, consistently making time for every student that passes through his classroom. As part of developing an active learning environment for students, Bharat makes a concerted effort to take student learning out of the classroom and provide meaningful opportunities for students to understand the impact of their education in the larger community. For the last few years, Bharat’s Network Administration students have been competing in the Imagine Cup, an international competition sponsored by Microsoft. Through this experience, students not only have the opportunity to compete internationally but also the ability to experience the IT field on the international platform.

Bharat routinely sacrifices his time outside of class to ensure that students are caught up on the course material and to offer his encouragement, mentorship, and advice. Bharat Kandel is truly an exceptional individual who is deeply respected and appreciated by students, staff, faculty, and management. He is able to reach across boundaries and to inspire his students to not only learn what is necessary to be successful but what is necessary to make a difference in their world.

Please join ACCSC in recognizing Bharat Kandel as the 2010 Instructor of the Year.

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Executive Director’s Report by Dr. Michale S. McComis The Accreditation Compact is a vital part of our peer-review selfregulating system of accreditation in higher education. This compact is an agreement between accreditors and institutions which relies upon each to fulfill its role earnestly. This compact is based on trust and a commitment to a singular unified goal – student success.

For-profit education institutions and accreditors alike have come under heavy criticism of late, some of which revolves around the Accreditation Compact and whether accreditors can in fact ensure that institutions make paramount the aims of educational quality and operating a student interest first institution. This is a fair criticism because, of course, accreditors are not in the school every day, month, or even year, so how can accreditors makes such an assurance? The answer is the Accreditation Compact – the commitment that institutions make to meet or exceed standards on a continuous basis, not simply when an accreditation review is pending.

Given the recent scrutiny, criticism, and investigations into the for-profit sector, we as a sector must re-double our commitment to the Accreditation Compact and show that peer review and self-regulation are appropriate in higher education – particularly for-profit higher education.

This means that accreditors must work to create and enforce meaningful standards amongst their accredited institutions and that accredited institutions must commit, really commit, to comply with those standards for the sake of serving students. Institutions must create cultures where compliance, ethical behavior, and student interests serve a central theme and they should expect and demand rigor from their accreditor.

As our member institutions know, I recently testified to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension Committee that accreditation is equal to the task of serving as a reliable indicator of institutional quality. I made this argument based on my experience and belief that our accredited institutions in large part do achieve their goals and do make a positive impact on the lives of students. I also, however, acknowledge that accreditors and institutions can deliver on these goals better. Thus, accreditors and institutions must take seriously the complaints of the critics and show that we are better than they allege.

As we all know, self-evaluation and institutional improvement are central to ACCSC accreditation. Now is the time for institutions to take a step back and honestly and seriously evaluate the current scrutiny and criticism and earnestly look for ways to improve in those areas and to mitigate the concerns. Only through a commitment to fundamental change and, as an individual put it to me recently, a maturation process will the sector come through the scrutiny better and stronger.

For ACCSC’s part, the Commission has established a special Task Force to perform its own introspection review to allegations that the recruiting practices of accredited institutions are geared to securing enrollments at any cost and to the detriment of potential students. Our accredited institutions must be equal to this task and take a hard and honest look at their recruiting practices and make changes to overcome even the perception that student interests are not served.

ACCSC will do its part and its accredited institutions must do the same. We must be better than our critics allege and leave no doubt that career education serves only one purpose – the education and employment of students. ~continued on next page~

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The significant achievements of ACCSC-accredited institutions and the positive impact on the lives of the students we collectively serve were a primary focus of our recent Professional Development Conference. We consciously designed the conference to provide sessions that pushed institutions to think critically about their operations and to look for improvement opportunities. We also wanted to highlight our successes. The awards ceremony was one of the best I have had the privilege of attending in my 16 years with the Commission. The award recipients are true testimonials to the efforts that our schools put forth every day and the successes that they achieve.

The Graduate of the Year showed that our schools change lives and the Schools of Distinction and Schools of Excellence show that exceptional efforts yield exceptional results. The recipients of the Community Service awards also showed how much of an impact schools can make through volunteerism and giving back.

In the coming year I look forward to seeing how we can show our commitment to students and our grand achievements and to making our vital sector of education stronger. ACCSC stands ready to uphold its side of the Accreditation Compact, continue its leadership role as an exceptional accreditor, and to work proactively and collegially with our accredited institutions to strive for exceptional results and exceptional graduates.

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The ACCSC Standard

Overheard at ACCSC’s Professional Development Conference •

Leadership in any organization is a key component to the success of that organization. In today’s higher education landscape, college leaders must be able to articulate the vision for their institutions, set the tone, and challenge their institutions to achieve greatness.

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At a time of increased scrutiny of higher education and accreditation in particular, it behooves us to do all we can to increase the level of our skill in evaluating schools we accredit, of discerning issues that need to be corrected, and in helping our schools navigate the complex regulatory changes that are impacting all of higher education.

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ACCSC has long had a commitment to students and continues to have the highest expectation for each of its accredited institutions to comply with accrediting standards in all areas. ACCSC will continue to assess its accreditation policies, procedures, and standards, particularly relative to those issues called to attention by the GAO report and the recent Senate HELP Committee hearing, as a means to enhance the Commission’s review and evaluation processes.

ACCSC-accredited institutions must do the same internal assessment, work to maintain the highest standards for quality, and have as their primary focus full compliance with standards and zero tolerance for non-compliance.

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Distance education students often face significant burdens that can interfere with their ability to be successful, including striking an appropriate balance between school obligations and personal responsibilities. Suffice to say, online schools face a greater challenge with student graduation rates and must continuously work hard to implement strategies to bolster student retention.

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School administrators must make a concerted effort to avoid “training fatigue” whereas faculty simply get tired of college administration and educational supervisors telling them what to do all of the time. Administrators must learn to collaborate to develop and foster a shared-learning community among students and faculty.

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Institutional success is often measured by student success.

Student success is often measured by graduation rates and the rates of graduate employment. Now more than any other time in our recent history, ensuring a high level of student achievement must be a critical area of focus for all of higher education. ~continued on next page~

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The ACCSC Standard

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Community service projects can generate student loyalty and ensure a lively campus environment. Schools should explore implementing service-learning programs which provide opportunities for students to get actively involved with their local communities in a tangible way. These types of opportunities often help students foster a sense of community awareness and civic pride, to realize their own self-worth, and provide the incentive for development of leadership skills, which are critical to students’ success as they enter the job markets.

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Developing and maintaining an effective relationship with the employment community can be an invaluable resource to any institution as it strives to continue to meet the needs of students and graduates. In fact, when managed effectively, having a strong relationship with employers can prove to be every institution’s greatest partner in the educational community.

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Institutions should challenge the way they think about, prepare for, and engage in the accreditation process in order to explore the fundamental difference between basic compliance and institutional effectiveness. High performing institutions make a commitment to delivering quality educational programs that far exceed the minimum requirements expected by their accreditor.

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Although many career colleges are producing highly trained graduates with strong technical skills, it is a tremendous challenge to instill a sense of professionalism in today’s students. Institutions must focus on providing students with the tools and concepts to increase their “soft-skills” as well as to inspire students to comport themselves professionally while in school and in the workplace.

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2010 ACCSC Community Service Award Winners In 2010, the Commission launched a new institutional award designed to recognize ACCSC-accredited institutions that have made outstanding contributions to their local community through service initiatives. In selecting the winners for the 2010 Community Service Award, the Commission considered several compelling aspects, such as the scope of community service initiatives; the impact of the service initiatives; connections between education programs and service learning for students; the level of commitment of a school to its community; and a demonstration of how the initiative touched the personal lives of school personnel, students, or community members.

This year the Commission received 29 nominations from our accredited member schools that highlighted the significant commitment that ACCSC-accredited institutions have made towards their local communities. For the inaugural Community Service Award, the Commission selected Bidwell Training Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the Vatterott College / L’Ecole Culinaire System of Schools.

2010 Community Service Award: Bidwell Training Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Dr. Michale McComis presents the Community Service Award to Gary Baranowski and Val Njie of Bidwell Training Center.

Each year, Bidwell Training Center ensures that there are ample opportunities for students to support important initiatives with outcomes that have a positive impact on the community at large. These annual efforts include blood drives, collections for local food pantries, collections of personal care items for the homeless, advocacy and fundraising for breast cancer awareness, community garden initiatives, and even bake sales to help out a needy student or associate.

However, one of the school’s most significant activities comes each year with the students’ active participation in Camp Raising Spirits. In June 2010, a group of Horticulture students designed and conducted horticultural therapy sessions for sixty cancer patients and their guests, as part of a weekend retreat sponsored by the Greater Pittsburgh Chapter of the Oncology Nursing Society. These activities include classes on herbals, windowsill herb gardening, and floral design, where participants design and create their own gardens and arrangements to brighten their cabins and take their mind off of health-related concerns. Students often acknowledge this experience as “being one of the most satisfying of their life.”

Bidwell Training Center believes that these types of opportunities often help students realize their own self worth and provide the incentive for development of leadership skills, which are critical to students’ success as they enter the job markets. The community service initiatives, through creative planning and implementation, have become a seamless extension of the work that students, faculty, and staff do each and every day at the school.

Please join the Commission in recognizing Bidwell Training Center as a 2010 Community Service Award Winner. ~continued on next page~

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2010 Community Service Award: Vatterott College/ L’Ecole Culinaire System of Schools In considering the nominations for the 2010 Community Service Award, ACCSC took note of the significant commitment made by the entire Vatterott College / L’Ecole Culinaire System of Schools to play active roles in their respective communities. In fact, this year ACCSC received nomination packets from 9 campuses within the Vatterott system which underscore the organization’s belief that community involvement and community impact are driving forces Students from Vatterott College / L’Ecole Culinaire participate in a Habitat for Humanity sponsored event. behind their success. Each year, individual Vatterott campuses, including L’Ecole Culinaire campuses, spearhead a number of community service initiatives that are designed to teach students to look outside the classroom to get a feeling for just how powerful an impact their future professions can have on the communities that they serve.

Activities include support of clothing drives, blood drives, and food banks as well as charitable events that benefit the Ronald McDonald House, the American Red Cross, and Toys for Tots.

Some of the schools’ community service activities include: • Cool Down St. Louis: 2010 will mark Vatterott’s fourth year participating in “Cool Down St. Louis,” a city-wide effort to collect new or gently used air conditioners for those in need. The College has become a collection site for the surrounding communities and Vatterott’s HVAC students engage by taking the opportunity to lightly service the units prior to passing them along to “Cool Down.”

• Give Kids a Smile: Every year, the Give Kids a Smile program provides an opportunity for dental students and faculty to serve as volunteers for the free dental clinic for underprivileged children in St. Louis. This project began in St. Louis in 2003 and then expanded to provide dental care to children in need on a national basis. Give Kids a Smile has served one million children to date.

• Community Cuts for Kids: An annual event to offer children the chance to go back to school with confidence, a fresh new haircut, and new school supplies. Vatterott’s instructors and students volunteer their time to participate in this important community event.

• Kitchens with a Mission: These classes involve chef instructors teaching the public cooking techniques, with students assisting guests in preparation and cooking. Fifty percent of the net proceeds from the classes go to a designated charity. Since inception, fifteen classes have been held, benefitting fourteen charities.

As a community leader, Vatterott uses these service-oriented projects to address the challenges faced by our underserved populations, particularly during these difficult economic times. In addition to providing benefits to others, these outreach activities provide practical educational experiences that help students foster a sense of community awareness and civic pride. It is Vatterott’s belief that students enhance their self-confidence and self-worth as they give of themselves to those less privileged.

Please join ACCSC in congratulating the Vatterott College /L’Ecole Culinaire System of Schools on being named a 2010 Community Service Award Winner.

Be on the lookout for a special Community Service edition of The ACCSC Standard in the near future!

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2010 Volunteers of the Year The Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes volunteers from the membership who have made a significant contribution to career education and the ACCSC community through his or her dedication to the accrediting process. This year, ACCSC is pleased to recognize two outstanding individuals who have dedicated their time and significant talents to the Commission, Sherry Bomberger and Dr. Gary Maluf.

Sherry Bomberger, Team Leader: YTI Career Training Institute – York, Pennsylvania Sherry Bomberger has served as an ACCSC Team Leader since 1998, conducting over 40 on-site evaluations on behalf of the Commission. Sherry, who has been with YTI since 1987, currently serves as the Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for YTI Career Institutes’ corporate office located in York, Pennsylvania.

Sherry Bomberger receives the 2010 Volunteer of the Year Award from Michale McComis.

Sherry’s commitment and dedication to higher education and her tireless efforts to serve on ACCSC on-site evaluation teams make her an excellent candidate to be selected for multiple site reviews. She has participated in several Commission-directed and other challenging on-site evaluations and provides an exceptional sense of leadership. In addition, she has served the Commission as an Appeals Panel Member since 2007 and consistently demonstrates her commitment to the sector of higher education and the ACCSC membership while upholding the integrity of the ACCSC Standards of Accreditation.

Dr. Gary Maluf, Education Specialist - Benson, Arizona

Dr. Michale McComis with Dr. Gary Maluf and Julianne Nolan from Lincoln Technical Institute in Mahwah, New Jersey.

Dr. Gary Maluf is one of ACCSC’s most dedicated volunteers, having participated as an Education Specialist on 59 on-site evaluations since 2005. In fact, in 2010 alone, Dr. Maluf participated in 17 on-site evaluations, including numerous Commission-directed evaluations. Needless to say, Dr. Maluf is committed to the on-site evaluation process and believes in the important work being done by ACCSC-accredited schools to serve students.

Dr. Maluf currently serves as the Laboratory Director at Benson Hospital in Benson, Arizona, where he has been employed since 1987. Dr. Maluf has also authored various articles on topics such as laboratory testing, monitoring diabetes, and molecular screening. By many accounts, Dr. Maluf consistently demonstrates the values of ACCSC throughout the on-site evaluation process and has been a staunch advocate for the students served by our member institutions.

Please join ACCSC in congratulating Sherry Bomberger and Gary Maluf on being named 2010 Volunteers of the Year.

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2010 Schools of Distinction The ACCSC School of Distinction Award recognizes member schools that have demonstrated a commitment to the expectations and rigors of ACCSC accreditation as well as a commitment to delivering quality educational programs to the students, graduates, and employers that deserve our best work. Through this award, it is the Commission’s intent to recognize the significant achievement of schools that complete the accreditation process without stipulation and that have been timely in the submission of the fees and reports required of an ACCSC-accredited institution throughout their term of accreditation.

The 2009 – 2010 School of Distinction Award recognizes institutions that successfully completed the accreditation process and were reviewed by the Commission from August 2009 through May 2010. Please join ACCSC in congratulating the 2010 Schools of Distinction: American Technical Institute Bayamon, Puerto Rico

Aviation Institute of Maintenance Chesapeake, Virginia

Center for Natural Wellness School of Massage Albany, New York

D’Mart Institute Vega Alta, Puerto Rico

Daytona College Ormond Beach, Florida

Florida College of Natural Health Miami, Florida

ICDC College Huntington Park, California

ICDC College Los Angeles, California

Industrial Management & Training Institute Waterbury, Connecticut

Lincoln Technical Institute Hartford, Connecticut

Lincoln Technical Institute Mahwah, New Jersey

Lincoln Technical Institute Shelton, Connecticut

Lincoln Technical Institute South Plainfield, New Jersey

Lincoln Technical Institute Union, New Jersey

New Tyler Barber College North Little Rock, Arkansas

Northwest College of Art Poulsbo, Washington

Pacific Coast Trade School Oxnard, California

Porter and Chester Institute Chicopee, Massachusetts

Remington College Shreveport, Louisiana

Remington College Little Rock, Arkansas

Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery Phoenix, Arizona

School of Piano Technology for the Blind Vancouver, Washington

The Landing School of Boatbuilding and Design Kennebunkport, Maine

The Salon Professional Academy Tampa, Florida

Upper Limit Aviation Salt Lake City, Utah

Vatterott Career College Memphis, Tennessee

Vatterott College Des Moines, Iowa

Wichita Technical Institute Wichita, Kansas

Wichita Technical Institute Wichita, Kansas

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2010 Schools of Excellence The ACCSC School of Excellence Award recognizes accredited member schools for their efforts in demonstrating a high-level of achievement among their students. In order to be eligible for the award, a school must meet all of the criteria for the School of Distinction award, including successfully completing the accreditation process without stipulation, and must demonstrate that a majority of the school’s graduation and employment rates from all programs offered meet or exceed the average rates of graduation and employment among all ACCSC-accredited institutions.

The 2009 – 2010 School of Excellence Award recognizes institutions that successfully completed the accreditation process and were reviewed by the Commission from August 2009 through May 2010. Please join ACCSC in congratulating the 2010 Schools of Excellence:

Academy of Massage and Bodywork Bear, Delaware

All-State Career School West Mifflin, Pennsylvania

Arizona Culinary Institute Scottsdale, Arizona

Arkansas College of Barber & Hair Design Little Rock, Arkansas

Hobart Institute of Welding Troy, Ohio

The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts Cambridge, Massachusetts

The New York School for Medical and Dental Assistants Long Island City, New York

Triangle Tech Sunbury, Pennsylvania

Universal Technical Institute of Illinois Glendale Heights, Illinois

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Roger and Nancy Bradley of Daytona College, a 2010 School of Distinction.

William and Roberta Dowling of The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, a 2010 School of Excellence, with Dr. Michale McComis.

Yansa Treystman, Dave Hall, and Marina Frid of ICDC College Los Angeles and Huntington Beach, 2010 Schools of Distinction.

Ron Scott of Hobart Institute of Welding Technology, a 2010 School of Excellence, with Dr. Michale McComis.

The ACCSC Standard

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2010 Staff Member of the Year Award

ACCSC Staff: at the PDC (b) Glenda Ward, Juanita Gurubatham, Mike McComis, Chris Lambert, Tom Cornacchia, Anne Santalla, Bettina Falwell, Sean Forman; (f) Lisa Miles, Karen Marcinski, Colleen Bailey, and Aillen King.

Each year the Commission is afforded an opportunity to recognize members of our professional staff that have made significant contributions to the organization, espoused the organization’s core values, and demonstrated a commitment to advancing the mission of ACCSC. This year, ACCSC selected Sean Forman, Senior Analyst in the Institutional Review and Development department as the 2010 Staff Member of the Year.

Sean Forman joined ACCSC in January 2005 and throughout his years of service to the Commission, he has continually distinguished himself as a top-performer and dedicated member of the ACCSC team. As the primary point of contact for the Annual Report, and as the lead staff member responsible for coordinating the efforts of the Commission’s Progress Committee, Sean plays a critical role in ensuring that the students served by our accredited member institutions are provided every opportunity for success.

Beyond his unique skill-set, Sean always treats people with respect, an open approach, and utmost professionalism. Sean is reliable, dependable, dedicated to the mission of ACCSC, and quite funny. Sean does his work, does it well, and does it with a great attitude. Sean is also active in his local community, volunteering each year to support an important local event, Celebrate Fairfax. Sean continues to grow in his role with ACCSC, and his leadership and dedication to our mission are highly valued. Please join ACCSC in congratulating Sean Forman as the 2010 ACCSC Staff Member of the Year.

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Training Opportunity: ACCSC Webinars The Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges has developed a series of webinars on topics critical to institutional success. These webinars are designed to provide guidance on some of the more technical areas of ACCSC accreditation in order to ensure that accredited member schools have a strong understanding of the Commission’s standards and procedures, and to provide guidance to ACCSC-accredited schools in the cycle of continuous performance improvement.

Through these webinars the Commission hopes to help our accredited schools to comply fully and accurately with the Standards of Accreditation, achieve institutional success, and ensure that students are well prepared to enter the workforce.

ACCSC has developed and launched webinars on the following topics: • • • • •

Transcend Compliance - Best Practices in Accreditation Preparing an Effective Response for Commission Consideration Preparing for the On-Site Evaluation: Strategies for Success The Graduation and Employment Chart: A Line by Line Analysis Electronic Submissions for Commission Consideration

Click here to launch ACCSC’s webinar portal.

The ACCSC Standard

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