Glendale Community College (GCC) was recently notified that they have received accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). GCC is the only community college admitted this year as well as being the first and only accredited community college in the state of Arizona. Only the three state universities in Arizona are also accredited by NASM.
GCC’s Institutional Representative, Dr. Donald Smith, Chair of GCC's Performing Arts Department, was notified at the Annual Meeting of NASM in November. A Commission Action Report will be sent to GCC later this year with the formal notification.
NASM Accreditation shows that the college, the overall music program, related degrees and certificates meet and exceed a set of established standards for all music schools. The Accreditation process is completely voluntary, however many public and private colleges and universities with music programs in the United States apply to be considered for the designation. Colleges find that the accreditation process helps them understand opportunities for improvement and growth.
GCC’s Dr. Don Smith stated. "The faculty, staff and students of the music program at GCC are thrilled to have earned this distinctive honor. We are deeply grateful to the Administration for their unwavering support of our endeavor and we look forward to utilizing the NASM Accreditation to help us improve and better serve our students and community.”
To earn this prestigious recognition, the music program at GCC wrote a comprehensive self-study that addressed numerous standards established by NASM. This was followed by a campus visit by NASM in 2022 to verify the information in the self-study, listen to performances, observe classroom instruction, interview faculty, staff, students and administration, as well as verify academic transcripts of recent graduates. New members of NASM must repeat this process five years after initial accreditation, then again in five years, and every ten years after that.
“Our accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Music reflects GCC's commitment to our students and our community to prepare musicians at the collegiate level. As the only NASM-accredited community college in the state of Arizona, GCC is proud to be a significant component of the performing arts and culture community in the West Valley and beyond.” Stated Dr. Tiffany Hernandez, President of Glendale Community College.
The National Association of Schools of Music is the primary accrediting body of music programs in the country, with over 600 member colleges and universities. This is the 99th year of the Association's existence.
Glendale Community College provides 41 associate degrees, 61 certificate programs, and a range of non-degree offerings, all available to students in traditional, online and hybrid formats. Founded in 1965 to serve the northwestern part of the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, the college is part of the Maricopa County Community Colleges District, has two campuses and enrolls approximately 26,000 students annually, and employs approximately 1,000 resident faculty, staff, and administrators with an operational budget of $83 million.