Trevecca’s School of Education has been granted national accreditation by The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education’s (NCATE) Unit Accreditation Board.

“As Trevecca Nazarene University continues its mission to the preparation of teachers to serve the next generation, we celebrate the recognition of the quality of its education program in announcing accreditation by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education,” said University President Dan Boone. “The affirmation of the university through this process is further validation of one of the best teacher education programs in the state of Tennessee.”

This action is the result of an extensive four-year self study, followed by a joint site visit last fall by NCATE and the Tennessee State Department of Education. It is also a great confirmation of the high quality faculty, administrators, and support staff, and outstanding programs, at Trevecca in teacher education at all levels.

NCATE Accreditation establishes Trevecca as nationally accredited, not just state approved and regionally accredited. This gives Trevecca students an added status of graduating from a nationally accredited university.

Dean Esther Swink began the discussion with the faculty who voted unanimously to pursue national accreditation in 2004. Swink appointed Dr. Michael Brooks as the chair of the Assessment team in 2004-2005. Karen Lea joined the faculty in 2005-2006 and was appointed to serve as NCATE coordinator.

The process of preparing for accreditation involved

• the study of the standards and requirements
• application for candidacy
• approval of pre-conditions
• adoption of a unit assessment system
• analysis of all programs and unit operations with state and national standards
• a self-study
• a written institutional report
• preparation of electronic documents as well as hard-copies of numerous documents to substantiate claims in the written institutional report
• an on-site visit by team of educators from around the country for 5 days

Swink is celebrating the school’s accomplishment: “Trevecca has an outstanding reputation and a long history of providing quality educational leaders. This accreditation is an affirmation of that excellent work. Because the process was truly a team accomplishment requiring diligent work over a long period of time, the faculty and staff are thrilled with this recognition.”