HispanicBusiness

NORTH VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwire) -- 02/13/13 -- Capilano University has been accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), an independent, non-profit organization based in Washington State and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. In granting Capilano University accreditation, the NWCCU closely examined the way the University operates and recognized it as having met rigorous international standards of excellence for higher education institutions when it comes to performance, integrity and quality.

"Being fully accredited by the NWCCU is a significant advantage for Capilano University, its students, faculty, and staff," says president and vice-chancellor, Kris Bulcroft. "It demonstrates we are a university that knows what our students learn, and through the clear learning outcomes, we foster the development of transferable, real-world skills. These include critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration and community service."

Capilano University is only the second Canadian public university to receive accreditation in the United States and the first university to be accredited by the NWCCU. Accreditation will further enhance the University's reputation for providing quality education and its ability to meet student's needs, interests and academic and professional goals. It fully entrenches a culture of outcomes assessment and public accountability at the University and formalizes a process for continuous improvement.

Canada is the only developed country without a national post-secondary accreditation system. As a result, Capilano began exploring U.S. accreditation in 2005. While accreditation is mandatory for all U.S.-based post-secondary institutions seeking federal funding, Capilano University voluntarily embarked upon the pursuit of accreditation as a mechanism for a more formal approach to identifying and validating the effectiveness of its current practices as a teaching-focused institution. The process also helped to determine how well it was fulfilling its mission, values and vision and achieving its strategic goals.

The process-which customarily takes between five and seven years to complete-began in 2007 when Capilano University applied for accreditation candidacy which was granted in 2008. The next stage was a comprehensive self-study exercise and a site evaluation visit by NWCCU administrators and peers from accredited post-secondary member institutions. Subsequent evaluation visits took place in 2009 and 2010. The final step was a presentation to the commission board in January 2013.

Based primarily on the self-study evaluation, and with feedback from the NWCCU, Capilano University implemented a number of policies, procedures and actions including a cross-institutional assessment and benchmarking initiative. Such approach focuses on student learning outcomes for all academic courses and programs, ultimately benefiting students' learning experiences.