NINE faculty members of MMSU became accreditors of the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Phillipines (AACCUP) after successfully attending trainings on Outcomes-based Quality Assurance conducted by the agency.

The nine are Dr. Bethany Grace Calixto, Dr. Roque Ulep, Dr. Marlina Lino, Dr. Frederick Rodrigo, Dr. Marilou Lucas, Dr. Angelina Tagay, Prof. Judith Valenzuela, Dr. Jovenita Aragon, and Dr. Veronica Grande. They attended the training on June 19-21 at the Tarlac State University. This brings to twenty the number of AACCUP accreditors from MMSU. They are now part of the more than 300 active members of the pool of accreditors of AACCUP who will be tapped in accreditation survey visits which usually composed of five members per team per program who stay in the host institution for a period of 3-5 days.

The training for prospective accreditors is considered very rigid and participants must pass a series of examinations. Qualified participants are awarded certificates of completion, otherwise they get only certificates of participation and may not be assigned as accreditors.

At present, AACCUP has already trained more than 900 senior faculty members from different state universities and colleges (SUCs) in the country with different specializations. More than 500 of them have been qualified, but only about 323 are active members of the agency’s pool of accreditors.

To be qualified for nomination to become an accreditor, a faculty member should have a professor rank (assistant, associate, or professor), and must have the qualification to evaluate programs in any of the following fields:  agriculture, human and social sciences, management and administration, engineering, teacher education, natural and physical sciences, health sciences, technology, and library and information science.

The aspiring accreditor must also be a holder of a master’s degree, computer literate, highly capable of making objective judgment, can communicate effectively in written and oral English, a good team worker who can relate effectively with others, hardworking, in good physical and mental health, and willing to accept different fields of assignments.

In their report submitted to the Office of the President, Dr. Tagay said the training was timely and relevant as the higher education system in the country embraces the culture of sustained excellence in curricular programs and institutions via accreditation which is done by AACCUP. (By Reynaldo E. Andres)