Southeast notches several accreditation accomplishments

Southeast Missouri State announced a couple of reaccreditations lately.

An accreditation is basically a seal of approval in the higher education world, a sign that a program is top-notch and is preparing students for the workforce.

Southeast was reaccredited in Mass Communications and Interior Design, and the Intensive English program received continued initial accreditation.

The accreditation is not easy and not a rubber-stamp process. It requires a lot of time and hard work by faculty and staff.

According to reporting by Mark Bliss, the accreditation for the interior design department requires an application process, self-study and program-analysis report, and site visit to the campus in November by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation. CIDA, an international not-for-profit organization that accredits programs in the United States and Canada, uses internationally-recognized educational standards to review programs, according to Southeast officials. The school's interior-design program is one of four programs in Missouri accredited by CIDA. Southeast's interior-design program also is accredited by the National Kitchen and Bath Association.

The mass communications department was reaccredited for six years by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. Southeast, according to a university news release, is one of only two programs in Missouri that holds the ACEJMC accreditation, with the other being the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia. Southeast has nearly 400 mass communication students, with four areas of focus: advertising, multimedia journalism, public relations and TV/film.

The university also received continued initial accreditation in its Intensive English program, which includes 70 students.

Congratulations to all the faculty and staff who work hard to maintaining high standards of education at Southeast.