AUA Accreditation Reaffirmed by WSCUC Through 2024: Only U.S.-Accredited Higher Education Institution in the Region

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YEREVAN, Armenia – The American University of Armenia (AUA) is pleased to announce that the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) has reaffirmed AUA’s accreditation for nine years, through February 2024.

The decision is the culmination of a nearly five-year process begun in 2010 when AUA proposed two themes as the focus for its reaffirmation process: institutionalizing the assessment of student learning and cultivating a community of scholars. The reaffirmation process included two WSCUC site visits to AUA in February 2012 and September 2014. Additionally, on February 19, 2015, AUA President Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Dr. Lawrence Pitts attended a meeting with the Commission in which they considered AUA’s reaffirmation.

Dr. Pitts remarked, “From my years of academic service, I know the high standards WSCUC requires of the universities and colleges it reviews, and I have never previously seen the kind of praise that the reviewers heaped on AUA. The nine-year grant of accreditation attests to the confidence that the visiting team and commission have in the university.”

Aimée Dorr, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs of the University of California, of which AUA is affiliated, stated, “Having been a member of the WASC senior commission [now WSCUC], I am particularly aware of what an achievement this is.”

In her March 6 Commission Action Letter relaying the affirmation decision to Dr. Der Kiureghian, WSCUC President Mary Ellen Petrisko quoted the site visit team’s report: “AUA is an institution that has successfully integrated ‘assessment into the fabric of the university,’ that ‘assiduously gathers evidence of student learning and success to inform changes to courses, programs and instructors,’ and that is building a faculty and staff who are ‘passionate,’ ‘committed to excellence,’ and set ‘high levels of achievement for themselves and their students.’”

The Commission Action Letter commented on areas such as assessment and program review, undergraduate education, and student success, and recommended four areas for further development.

Petrisko went on to summarize the site visit team’s report, writing, “AUA has done more work than many other universities in institutionalizing assessment of student learning and in instituting program review.” Of the university’s new undergraduate program, she wrote, “The team was impressed by ‘the degree to which the university has taken thoughtful steps to build on its past success as a graduate institution to ensure that undergraduates are well prepared to succeed at high levels.’”

AUA initiated the accreditation process in 1998, was granted Candidate status in 2002, and was granted initial accreditation in 2006. This was the university’s first opportunity for reaffirmation and is a very positive and encouraging achievement, solidifying its standing as the only U.S.-accredited higher education institution in the region.

Accreditation results in many benefits that spread not just throughout the university but through society as a whole. It directly benefits students by simplifying degree verification, enabling students to more easily continue their studies in universities in the United States and Europe, and acknowledging the value of an AUA degree.  Faculty benefit by being part of an internationally-recognized community of scholars. The university benefits by ensuring evidence-based and continuous process improvement, as well as diversity among its faculty and students. And, society benefits because AUA graduates transition into the labor market with highly employable skills such as problem solving, creativity, leadership, and critical thinking.

WSCUC is one of six regional accrediting associations recognized by the United States Department of Education. Through its review process, WSCUC confirms that an institution has substantially met the core commitments and standards of accreditation and associated criteria for review and thus possesses the resources, policies, and practices to achieve its educational goals and has provided evidence of the quality of its educational programs.

Mary Ellen Petrisko’s full Commission Action Letter, the WSCUC September Site Visit Report, and AUA’s Educational Effectiveness Report can be accessed here.

The American University of Armenia is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission, 985 Atlantic Avenue, #100, Alameda, CA 94501, 510.748.9001.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.

Deborah Freund, President of Claremont Graduate University and Chairperson of the EER Site Visit Team, meets and talks with Undergraduate Student Council Members.

From left to right: Site Visit Vice-Chair Laura E. Martin (University of California, Merced), Sheryl A. Bourgeois (Chapman University), Site Visit Chair Deborah Freund (Claremont Graduate University), Cecile Lindsay (California State University, Long Beach), AUA President Armen Der Kiureghian, Geoffrey Chase (San Diego State University), and Barbara Gross Davis (WSCUC Vice President)

 

From left to right: Cecile Lindsay (California State University, Long Beach), AUA Accreditation Liaison Officer and Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Thomas Samuelian, AUA CFO Gevorg Goyunyan, Geoffrey Chase (San Diego State University), Site Visit Vice-Chair Laura E. Martin (University of California, Merced), Site Visit Chair Deborah Freund (Claremont Graduate University), AUA COO Ashot Ghazaryan, AUA President Armen Der Kiureghian, AUA Director of Accreditation Sharistan Melkonian, and Sheryl A. Bourgeois (Chapman University)