At a glance
Dr. John C. Williams, dean of the School of Architecture, Management and Engineering Technology, said NAAB granted the status after approving the Architecture and Design Department’s accreditation plan and conducting an initial candidacy visit.
Alfred State’s Bachelor of Architecture program has moved one step closer toward accreditation from the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) after the board formally granted the program initial candidacy status earlier this month.
Dr. John C. Williams, dean of the School of Architecture, Management and Engineering Technology, said NAAB granted the status after approving the Architecture and Design Department’s accreditation plan and conducting an initial candidacy visit.
“That is the hurdle we have cleared, so now we are an official, formal candidate for accreditation,” Williams said. “In 2016, there will be a continuation of candidacy visit. Two-year intervals are required to check your progress as you move forward.”
Alfred State President Dr. Skip Sullivan said, “The programs at Alfred State are ever working to improve. This milestone of initial candidacy reflects not only a lot of hard work by faculty and staff, but is also a testament to the quality of our programs.”
Alfred State’s Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) degree is the only BArch in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. It is also one of only seven BArch degrees offered in New York State.
Williams said the Architecture and Design Department hopes the BArch program will be accredited by 2018.
“That’s the goal. That’s our hope,” Williams said. “It’s most beneficial for our graduates. They would be part of our first graduating class to have completed the program in its entirety and then they would have the status of an accredited program. We’re really pushing for that.”
According to its website, www.naab.org, the NAAB is the sole agency authorized to accredit U.S. professional degree programs in architecture.
“Most of the state registration boards require a NAAB-accredited degree to license somebody to be a professional architect, so that’s the impetus of having an accredited degree,” Williams said.
The Architecture and Design Department, Williams said, is very excited about the BArch program receiving initial candidacy status.
“It just shows the hard work, the quality of the program and the quality of the faculty,” Williams said. “They’ve done the lion’s share of the work, put in a lot of effort and a lot of work and continue to do so. It’s been a dream of the department’s. This was the first step. We’re making our way to accreditation. It’s within our grasps.”