2000
UAS NEWS RELEASE ARCHIVES
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January
5, 2000 The University of Alaska Southeast has been reaccredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges. The official notification came by letter from Sandra Elman, executive director of the Commission. She said the accreditation was reaffirmed "on the basis of the recent comprehensive self-study and full-scale evaluation." "Accreditation is a significant event for colleges and universities in America," according to UAS Chancellor John Pugh. "This is public confirmation by a nationally recognized organization of the continuing quality of the University of Alaska Southeast. Accreditation is the way we are recognized by our peers around the country as a quality institution. Accreditation ensures that the credits our students earn at any of the three UAS campuses will be recognized and accepted by universities around the world." UAS faculty and staff spent more than a year preparing the self-study. "Receiving word that we have been successful is a most satisfying way to start the year 2000," Pugh said. Universities apply for reaccreditation every ten years. "This is another important milestone in UASÍs history," according to Pugh. "Reaccreditation solidifies our future as a major participant in serving the higher education and life-long learning needs of Alaskans. I am very proud of our faculty, staff and students. Reaccreditation is an affirmation of their success. We know, however, this is not the time to bask, but a time to build. I am committed to making the University of Alaska Southeast an even greater contributor to our campus communities of Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan as well as all Alaskans. The self-study required for reaccreditation evaluated nine different university standards: Mission, Educational Program, Students, Faculty, Library, Governance, Finance, Physical Resources and Institutional Integrity. The 180-page self-study was presented to the Commission in early September. In October, a nine-person evaluation team of experts from universities outside of Alaska visited the campus for an on-site evaluation. At the conclusion of their Juneau visit, the chair of the evaluation team, Dr. Richard Dunn of the University of Washington said, "We could characterize (UAS) as a dynamic and student centered institution that has made significant qualitative accomplishments in the past decade." He praised the faculty for their "clear commitments to the programs and instructional activities." Dunn observed that students are confident and enthusiastic. "Many of us are envious of this sort of community. It is what is so often talked about and not often enough realized in higher education." The University of Alaska Southeast is part of the University of Alaska system. The reaccreditation applies to the three UAS campuses in Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan. Each of the three campuses began as community colleges and during a University of Alaska reorganization they were merged into UAS in 1987 and accredited as a single institution in 1989. Following are the historical highlights of UAS Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan campuses:
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