The Department of Theatre, Cinema and Dance was notified this past spring by the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) that it received five-year full accreditation for its theatre and cinema programs. At the time of the department鈥檚 accreditation, only 190 institutions in the United States had received NAST accreditation, and 大象传媒 Western is just one of five 大象传媒 universities with that distinction.
鈥淚t tells the world that our faculty, curriculum and student work meet a national standard of excellence,鈥� said Dr. Robert Willenbrink, founding dean of the School of Fine Arts at the time.
Rather than just review the classes offered, the accrediting body looks at the competency outcomes of students, and the accreditation process includes a self-study and on-site review.
鈥淩eceiving the accreditation was exciting,鈥� said Jeff Stover, associate professor of theatre and department chair. 鈥淪tudents can now say they graduated from an accredited program, and they are excited about that.鈥�