College of the North Atlantic’s (CNA) School of Business and Information Technology has been awarded re-accreditation of its Business Administration, Business Management and Office Administration programs at all campuses where the programs are offered. The re-accreditation was issued by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), the leading international specialized accreditation association for business programs which supports, celebrates and rewards teaching excellence.
“We are thrilled with the ACBSP’s decision to re-accredit our program offerings throughout the province and at College of the North Atlantic-Qatar,” said Mary Vaughan, CNA’s Dean of Business and Information Technology. “It is wonderful to have an organization of their stature recognize our exemplary programs and services. The school, with programs at multiple campuses, is changing the lives of our students and providing them with exceptional learning experiences. Through the re-accreditation process we were able to highlight areas where we are exceeding and areas to continuously improve.”
Vaughan says the accreditation process is a lengthy one, stretching out over a year, and included a coordinated effort from CNA staff and faculty throughout the college system.
“The campuses went above and beyond in highlighting the wonderful talents we have in our programs during the site visits,” said Vaughan. “The campuses demonstrated a student-centred, supportive, unified and high-quality environment, it certainly showcased our commitment to student learning and engagement.”
There were many positive comments from the accreditors. They noted College of the North Atlantic had quality faculty who are deeply committed to their students; that there were numerous findings of student-faculty-industry connections (including excellent opportunities for experiential learning with various competitions), and that students are proud to be attending CNA and see a positive future as Business Administration, Business Management and Office Administration graduates.
College of the North Atlantic was accredited by ACBSP in 2006, becoming the first Canadian college to receive international accreditation through ACBSP. The college is required to go through the reaffirmation process every 10 years to maintain ACBSP accreditation. Every two years, the school must submit a Quality Assurance Report to demonstrate it is maintaining its standards and assessments while improving upon student learning.
“An in-depth evaluation of the business programs at College of the North Atlantic validated they meet rigorous standards and that in many cases are providing the leading edge of validated management practices proven to enhance sustainability at high-performing educational institutions,” said Steve Parscale, ACBSP’s Chief Accreditation Officer. “The college is clearly delivering ever-improving value directly contributing to the continuous improvement of society’s cultural, social and economic advancements, improving overall institutional capabilities and effectiveness, and enhancing institutional learning.”
Vaughan feels the process is both rigorous and robust, thereby allowing College of the North Atlantic to adhere to international quality standards for many years to come.
“We need to celebrate our strengths, and each other, and to not forget that what we are doing on a daily basis is making an impact in each of our student’s lives,” said Vaughan. “I am very proud of our institution, our students, faculty and staff, and I cannot wait to see where we go in the next 10 years.”
The college will be awarded its accreditation certificate at the ACBSP Conference this June as each successfully accredited institution is formally recognized.
For more information about College of the North Atlantic’s School of Business and Information and Technology and its programs, visit www.cna.nl.ca.
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Media Contact:
Roger Hulan
Communications Specialist
College of the North Atlantic
(709) 643-7938
roger.hulan@cna.nl.ca