The Accreditation Process and What it Means for the School

By Will Hodges

The School of Journalism and Mass Communications once again has earned accreditation by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications, a designation it shares with only 112 other journalism programs across the country. The school has been ACEJMC accredited since 1954.

The school’s administrators, faculty and staff spent more than a year preparing for reaccreditation, compiling a comprehensive, 10-volume self-study and hosting a team of ACEJMC evaluators in March. The team of educators and industry professionals met with J-school faculty and students as well as Dr. Harris Pastides, University of South Carolina president, and Dr. Michael Amiridis, USC provost.
Dr. Carol Pardun, associate dean and SJMC director, organized the self-study, fully reporting on nine standards that gauge the administration, curriculum, faculty, resources and general workings of the program. According to Dr. Pardun, “The accreditation team that visits us depends on the self-study to understand us in a way that would be impossible if the team just showed up. The visit is really about confirming what the team has read in the self-study.”

Part of the visit included candid meetings with students to discuss their opinions of the J-school. Students shared an overall positive opinion, claiming it prepared them well for the job market. They also complimented the level of interaction with their professors, as well as the number of relevant guest speakers.
For complaints, students said one of the biggest issues is the limited number of electives contrasted with numerous required journalism classes, and many are also disappointed they do not have more opportunities to create relevant portfolio work.

In the assessment, our school was found in compliance with each of the nine standards stated in the self-study. The assessment noted the professional background of many faculty members as well as the level of student-teacher interaction among the school’s strengths. Weaknesses included the complaints raised in the student meetings. The report also noted that since the previous 2005 visit, the amount of scholarly work by professors has improved.

Accreditation affects the school in many ways. Nationally accredited programs provide a standard by which to measure schools, allowing schools to accept transfer credits from other accredited programs. A school’s accreditation status also determines the amount of public funding the school receives. It also serves as a mechanism by which a school’s weaknesses become apparent, allowing the school to adjust its practices.

The U.S. government recognizes independent accrediting agencies, which in turn grant accreditation to schools based on a process of peer-review. The process of accreditation was first called for as a result of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, otherwise known as the G.I. Bill. This legislation provided college or vocational education to World War II veterans, but had no system of checking a school’s legitimacy. In 1952, when the bill was reauthorized for Korean War veterans, new measures were put into place to ensure the quality of institutions. Eligibility was only granted to schools accredited by agencies recognized by federal regulators.

ACEJMC is the J-school’s accrediting organization, formally recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). ACEJMC reaccredits schools on a six-year basis. Our next visit will occur in 2017.