THE ACCREDITING Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities (AACCUP) has forwarded the result of the evaluation it conducted last year on 14 academic programs of the university.

The accrediting agency awarded the College of Agriculture and Forestry’s (CAF) programs in agriculture, agricultural engineering, and forestry Level III (Re-accredited) status, making CAF the only college in the university with the most number of Level III accredited programs and the only one in the country that has attained Level III status for its programs in agriculture and forestry. The accreditation status of the said programs is effective Dec. 16, 2006-Dec. 15, 2010.  There were assessed by AACCUP last Dec. 14.

The agency, likewise, awarded the Qualified for Level III (Reaccredited) status to the doctor’s program in rural development and the master’s programs in rural development, agriculture, and nursing.  To complete the requirements for the award of Level III, the said programs, according to AACCUP, must excel in the areas of instruction and research and in two other areas to be selected by the university from among the areas of extension, faculty development, consortia or linkages, and library and learning resource facilities.  The programs’ accreditation status took effect Oct. 1, 2006 and will expire Sept. 30 this year.

AACCUP, however, deferred the award of Qualified for Level III Graduate School’s doctoral program in educational management, master’s in education, and master’s in public administration.  The agency recommended for the revisit of certain areas of the program such as area VI (extension and community development) and area VII (library) for the educational management program; and area VII, master’s in education and master’s in public administration. For the meantime, according to AACCUP, the said programs may retain their Level II (Reaccredited) status.

Meanwhile, the home technology and development communication programs based at CAF and the fisheries and marine biology offerings at the College of Aquatic Sciences and Applied Technology now hold Candidate status effective Oct. 1, 2006 until Sept. 30, 2008.  AACCUP suggested the said programs to prepare a plan of action to improve the rating of all areas, carry out the survey team recommendations, monitor the progress of implementation of the plan of action annually, and furnish the agency with brief summary of the progress report.  The agency, likewise, suggested that the university conduct a self-survey of the programs during the second quarter of 2008 to determine the programs’ readiness for the next survey visit.