New Year, New Music Department
“It’s been a long time coming; a bit like watching a tree grow.”
These were the words of Dr. Bjorn Berkhout, Professor and Chair of the Music Department, when discussing the department’s newfound status as an associate institution with the National Association of Schools of Music.
Since its founding in 1924, the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) has established national standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as other credentials for music and music-related disciplines, while also aiding institutions and individuals engaged in artistic, scholarly, educational, and other music-related endeavors.
Approximately 628 accredited institutional members, consisting of schools, conservatories, colleges, and universities, are a part of the association; and Queensborough now counts itself among them.
In other words: the department, and the degrees it offers meet elevated quality standards in instruction, scope, and facilities that set it apart from many other institutions.
However, getting to this point was not easy.
In fact, “grueling” was the word Dr. Berkhout used to describe the process.
“The process includes a lengthy self-study, a sizable written report, and culminates with a site visit, where a team of NASM members comes to the college and observes every aspect of our department over the course of several days. They observe our teaching; they inspect our facilities and go through our departmental records. They attend our concerts and look through examples of student work. Faculty, administrators, and students are interviewed and asked probing questions. They then author a report that we can respond to if there are any issues that still need to be addressed before accreditation is awarded.”
This achievement is possible due to the collaboration of many key players at Queensborough over more than 10 years.
The process started with the assistance of former Presidents Diane B. Call and Tim Lynch as well as former Provost Sandra Palmer; and President Christine Mangino similarly rendered her assistance after she took the helm, along with Provost & VP of Academic Affairs Phyllis Curtis-Tweed, Dean for Institutional Effectiveness Arthur Corradetti, and Vice President Office of Finance and Administration Gissette Forte.
It also required changes to the department’s curriculum, departmental governance structures, and some facility upgrades, so even the buildings and grounds staff had a hand in the achievement.
And thanks to everyone coming together, Queensborough is now free to reap the rewards.
First, the obvious: Status.
With only 628 accredited institutional members within its ranks, those who count themselves among NASM’s numbers represent the best of the best when it comes to music programs. Not only can Queensborough now count itself among this elite group, but it is one of the roughly 40 two-year institutions to have ever received the honor.
Second, and most importantly: Benefits to students
As Dr. Berkhout notes, being part of a prestigious program is not simply beneficial to students as they are earning their degrees in the present – it will continue to benefit them as they continue their education in the future or go on to professional careers.
“...other accredited four-year colleges are likely to accept our students’ transfer credits without question and seek articulation agreements with us. Our students become highly regarded.”
And as much as the accreditation is an achievement for Queensborough, it is also one for Dr. Berkhout. From attending a national NASM national conference back in Nov. 2014, having conversations with other accredited organizations about the challenges community colleges face when seeking accreditation to even designing and proposing a new music curriculum that met accreditation standards, he was heavily involved from the very beginning.
So, to him, the music department, and everyone else who had a hand in this momentous achievement: Congratulations!
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