MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — When West Virginia Junior College starts its next session on Sept. 25, the incoming students will be the first cohort under a new accrediting body.
West Virginia Junior College has successfully transitioned its institutional accreditation to the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). The college was previously accredited through the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS).
West Virginia Junior College Campus President Chad Callen said the college made the decision to change accrediting agencies July 2016.
“The accrediting agency that we have now moved to is a heavy allied health accrediting agency, and the reason we did that is because the type of schools that we operate serve the local communities,” Callen said. “As you know here in Morgantown, and really the state West Virginia as a whole, health care is a huge part of our economy, and we’re seeing more and more demand and needs in the health care industry.”
To meet those demands, Callen said West Virginia Junior College has added more programs related to health care.
“Most recently, registered nursing is a two-year program that we have in the evening, and things like medical assisting, medical billing and coding, pharmacy technology,” he said. “We feel that an allied health care focused accrediting agency would serve us best long term, not just the college but serve the community members and the students as well.”
The good news for students is they will likely see no changes through the school’s transition.
“It’s a real seamless transition,” Callen said. “We have worked with both our existing accrediting agency and our new accrediting agency to teach out our existing programs that students are already enrolled in.”
New students enrolling at West Virginia Junior College will instead be enrolled in similar programs that meet the unique requirements of the new accrediting agency, Callen said.
“So at this point, it’s just a matter of students applying, enrolling and getting started on their education,” he said.
Callen said he’s excited that the college has made this transition and believes it will be a great benefit to all of those involved.
“There’s this trend in higher education now back toward two-year associates degrees and trade skills,” he said. “I think that we, along with the community colleges, serve a really important role in supplying quality graduates for those jobs in West Virginia, so we’re just excited to be a part of that.”