Coker College Art Program Receives National Accreditation

HARTSVILLE, SC – The Coker College Art Program has been granted Associate Membership by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

“NASAD accreditation is an affirmation of both the quality of the program and the commitment of its faculty,” said Provost Tracy Parkinson. “In particular, the efforts and leadership of the program chair, Professor Jean Grosser, are at the heart of this outcome.”

According to NASAD, accreditation involves an evaluation that determines if an institution or specific program achieves educational objectives and meets established standards. Reviews focus on education quality, institutional integrity and educational improvements. Associate membership is granted based on a program’s ability to meet curricular standards as well as a substantial portion of all other standards of the association.

“National accreditation is a great achievement for the Coker College art program,” said Jean Grosser. “This milestone is a result of the collaborative efforts of the art faculty to create a top-notch program that provides opportunities for our students to excel.”

NASAD is an association of approximately 323 schools of art and design, primarily at the collegiate level, but also including postsecondary non-degree-granting schools for the visual arts disciplines. NASAD is the national accrediting agency for art and design-related disciplines. The association also provides information to the public. It produces statistical research, provides development for leaders of art and design schools and engages in policy analysis. For more information about NASAD, go to http://nasad.arts-accredit.org.

The mission of Coker’s art department is to teach students to think analytically and use art to express their ideas and demonstrate competencies in their major concentration. Students learn to communicate visually, orally and in writing. This mission is an essential component of the liberal arts. Students meld ideas from diverse areas of academe with their search for personal expression in their art production. Students who are engaged in art making as an extension of their total development are prepared for graduate study and multiple careers in the arts.

Release written by media relations coordinator Elizabeth McCarley.
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Coker College readies undergraduates for personal and professional success through a distinctive four-year program that emphasizes a practical application of the liberal arts as well as hands-on and discussion-based learning within and beyond the classroom. Coker is ranked among the “Best Colleges” in the South by U.S. News & World Report as well as The Princeton Review. Located in Hartsville, S.C., Coker is within two hours of the cultural, financial and recreational resources of Charlotte, Columbia, Charleston and Myrtle Beach.