For our MACO 252 we have to submit our articles to The Nicholls Worth and this is the only way I know how to. If it is wrong, please e- mail me and let me know of another way I can do this besides through a letter to the editor. Thanks in advance,Ariel Ferchaud.
Ariel Ferchaud
March 23, 2004

Accreditation

The College of Business Administration at Nicholls is in the beginning stages of the accreditation process, which will authorize the competency of the program.
In December the business department submitted a rough self- evaluation report or SER to the accreditation team for the business department. The accreditation team includes three individuals, chairperson dean Dean Louis from Sam Houston University; advisor, Dean Shiffler from Georgia Southern; and Betty Jo Locatto from Youngstown State in Ohio.
The team will evaluate the college and the rough SER and will determine whether the 39 standards accredited business programs follow are actually being followed at Nicholls. The 39 standards cover 6 major areas including mission, faculty competency and devotion, students, curriculum, instructional resources, and responsibility. The official report has to be submitted by August first of this year and will then be submitted to the BAC, or Business Accreditation Council for further evaluation.
Even if the accreditation team reports to the BAC that Nicholls should receive accreditation,the BAC can oppose it. Dean Rigley Gros, of the Business department said, “I believe that accreditation for a school is very important. It puts a seal of quality improvement that means the student’s degree is recognized throughout the world.”
The accreditation team will come back to Nicholls February 27- March 2 to further evaluate the program in which time the BAC will announce whether Nicholls met all the standards and will or will not receive accreditation. If the business fails to meet the standards, Nicholls will have 3 years to “clean up” the program and will be put under continual review. The program would go on, but business courses will not be credible and therefore students who receive their degree will have received one from a non- accredited program.
However, Dean Gros feels that ” Faculty and students are dedicated to the mission of the college. I believe we have a quality program, not to say that not room for improvement because you can always do better.”
#