Accreditation

Barron University is Fully Accredited By NAPCU - National Association of Private Colleges and Universities http://www.napcu.com

Accreditation is the validation of a university's instructional program by an agency authorized to render an academic evaluation of the institution's degree-granting process. Accreditation is not generally practiced in countries outside of the United States, since Ministries of Education in the various countries regulate their own colleges and universities. In the United States there are regional accreditation associations, in addition to selected private organizations, that accredit specific subject areas (e.g., business, nursing). There is also a distance learning accreditation association that primarily accredits trade schools and a few regular degree-granting correspondence universities. What is not known to most students is that the United States government does not control or regulate colleges, universities, or accreditation associations except in connection with the reimbursement of tuition fees to students who qualify for these funds. In a general legal sense, therefore, there are no federal-enabling laws that allow colleges or accreditation associations to function. There are only for-profit and nonprofit organizations who make their own rules and regulations, and who frequently "screen out" institutions of higher learning that are competitive with the larger residence schools in terms of student enrollment.

Another organization recently formed is the Council for Higher Education Association (CHEA). CHEA is also privately operated, but wields tremendous power over accreditation in the USA since its board members, who are self-perpetuating, are the heads of large residence schools whose enrollment has steadily dropped since 1996 due to the advent of distance learning. Recently, CHEA put out its first report on distance learning, a report that virtually ignores the dozens of privately owned alternative schools in the USA and that discusses distance learning as a phenomenon that will come to fruition sometime in the future. Nothing could be farther from the truth, since it is clear that distance learning is sweeping the globe at an extremely rapid rate. In fact, it is estimated that by the year 2010, distance learning and alternative education (via rapid communication and the Internet) will be the method of choice for more than 50% of all college students. Additionally, prior to the advent of WAUC (a global accreditation association) in 1993, few valid associations existed to authenticate degree programs of colleges and universities worldwide.

In 1992 several forward thinking educators decided to solicit colleges and universities around the world to ascertain their interest in forming a global accreditation association. So voluminous was the response that the first meeting of the WAUC in Zurich, Switzerland hosted eleven universities. Thus, the World Association of Universities and Colleges was born and today has a membership of forty universities, with dozens of other worthy institutions in the process of application.

In October 1997 WAUC received a diploma of recognition from the Association of International Des Educateurs Pour La Paix Mondiale, a consulting organization for UNESCO and UNICEF. Other honors have also been given to WAUC for its pioneering efforts in the field of international accreditation. For example, in June 2000 WAUC received recognition from DTMS, a very large academic organization in South Africa. Frequently, WAUC is recognized by agencies, organizations, and businesses. Each individual WAUC school retains records of its official recognition by colleges and other significant entities.

Barron University is Fully Accredited By NAPCU - National Association of Private Colleges and Universities http://www.napcu.com