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EDUCATION
Glendale Community College music earns accreditation from national association
GCC is Arizona’s only National Association of Schools of Music-accredited community college
(Metro Creative Connection)
Posted
Special to Independent Newsmedia
Glendale Community College has received accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Music.
GCC is the only community college admitted this year as well as being the first and only accredited community college in Arizona. Only the three state universities in Arizona are also accredited by NASM.
GCC’s Institutional Representative Dr. Donald Smith, chair of the college’s performing arts department, was notified at the annual meeting of NASM in November.
NASM accreditation shows that the college, the overall music program, related degrees and certificates meet and exceed a set of established standards for all music schools. The accreditation process is voluntary, however many public and private colleges and universities with music programs in the U.S. apply to be considered for the designation. Colleges find that the accreditation process helps them understand opportunities for improvement and growth, a press release notes.
"The faculty, staff and students of the music program at GCC are thrilled to have earned this distinctive honor,” Smith stated. “We are deeply grateful to the administration for their unwavering support of our endeavor and we look forward to utilizing the NASM Accreditation to help us improve and better serve our students and community.”
To earn this recognition, the GCC music program wrote a comprehensive self-study that addressed numerous standards established by NASM. This was followed by a campus visit by NASM in 2022 to verify the information in the self-study, listen to performances, observe classroom instruction, interview faculty, staff, students, and administration, as well as verify academic transcripts of recent graduates.
New members of NASM must repeat this process five years after initial accreditation, then again in five years, and every 10 years after that.
“Our accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Music reflects GCC's commitment to our students and our community to prepare musicians at the collegiate level,” Dr. Tiffany Hernandez, GCC president, stated. “As the only NASM accredited community college in the state of Arizona, GCC is proud to be a significant component of the performing arts and culture community in the West Valley and beyond.”
The National Association of Schools of Music is the primary accrediting body of music programs in the country, with more than 600 member colleges and universities.
This is the 99th year of the association's existence.
