SUU Observes 30 Years of Accreditation by National Association of Schools of Music
Published: November 23, 2021 | Author: Ashley H Palmer | Read Time: 3 minutes
Southern Utah University commemorates their 30th anniversary of becoming an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). In September 1991, this was the first specialized accreditation acquired by Southern Utah University. It opened a path for the Department of Music to coordinate their program standards on national levels with some of the best and brightest schools, faculty, and students in their field of study.
Dr. Keith Bradshaw, Associate Dean of the College of Performing and Visual Arts and Professor of Music, shares, “Thirty years of accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Music is a significant milestone. It signifies a level of achievement that puts SUU on par with other institutions across the country. It signifies that we meet national standards, from curricular structures to administrative procedures, budgets to student outcomes, facilities and library resources to faculty qualifications. The accreditation process is very thorough and has assisted the college and music department to implement planning, assessment, and strategies that enable our students to be successful societal contributors in music, the arts, and other relationships. It opens doors for students to transfer, be accepted into prestigious graduate programs, and procure employment. The Association has worked with us to improve and raise our programs to be rigorous, viable, and competitive, and to provide an education that meets or exceeds national norms.”
The National Association of Schools of Music, founded in 1924, is an organization of schools, conservatories, colleges, and universities that establishes national standards for degree programs and credentials in music. The Association provides assistance to institutions and individuals engaged in artistic, scholarly, and educational music-related endeavors. NASM currently has approximately 637 accredited institutional members.
Dr. Lawrence Johnson, Chair of the Department of Music at SUU, says, “We have Dr. Hal Campbell and the music faculty at the time to thank for shepherding the SUU Department of Music through the initial accreditation process all those 30 years ago. We stand on the shoulders of all the music faculty and administrators before us who have kept the high standards associated with being NASM accredited; it has benefited the department, the faculty, and most of all the students, and we look forward to many more years of maintaining a highly competitive music program with NASM's continued guidance.”
It is an honor for SUU to be a member of this national association and to have held strong to the standards set by its associates. Students can be sure that they are receiving the best education in music when they attend SUU.
About the College of Performing and Visual Arts
The College of Performing and Visual Arts (CPVA) at Southern Utah University comprises 26 academic programs including liberal arts (BA/BS) and professional (BFA, BM, BMEd) degrees in art, design, dance, music, and theatre. It includes graduate programs in the fields of arts administration (MFA, MA), music education (MME), and music technology (MM). More than 60 full-time faculty and staff are engaged in teaching and mentoring over 900 majors in the College. CPVA presents over 100 performances, lectures, presentations, and exhibitions each year and is affiliated with the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA), Utah Shakespeare Festival, and the Center for Shakespeare Studies. Southern Utah University is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD), National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD), National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), and the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) making SUU the first public university in the state of Utah to be accredited by all four associations. For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, visit www.suu.edu/pva.Tags: Music College of Performing and Visual Arts