Release Date: April 25, 2008
National accreditation reaffirmed for theatre programs at Kennesaw State
Contact: Cheryl Anderson Brown, Assistant Director of Public Relations, 770-499-3417 or cbrown@kennesaw.edu
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Theatre and Performance Studies faculty members (from left) Dean Adams, Ming Chen, John Gentile, Margaret Baldwin Pendergrass, Hannah Harvey, Jane Barnette, Harrison Long and Jamie Bullins celebrated the re-accreditation news from NAST and the groundbreaking of the new Wilson Building Annex in the same week. Photo by Cheryl Anderson Brown |
KENNESAW, Ga.—The National Association of Schools of Theatre has reaffirmed full accreditation for the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies at Kennesaw State University.
“National accreditation signifies the outstanding quality of the faculty and academic programs available in the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies,” said Joseph Meeks, dean of the KSU College of the Arts, which houses the department. “The re-accreditation process is a long and rigorous review, but its successful completion indicates that our students are receiving exceptional instruction.”
NAST, founded in 1965, is an organization of approximately 150 schools, conservatories, colleges and universities. It establishes national standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees and other credentials for theatre and theatre-related disciplines. Institutional membership is gained only through peer review.
“This re-accreditation marks a milestone for our degree program,” said John Gentile, chair of the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies. "This affirmation for our innovative program of study speaks well for its future and confirms its unique mission in integrating the two fields of theatre and performance studies."
The department offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre and performance studies, with concentrations in acting, performance (including storytelling, performance art, dramaturgy, directing and adapting literary texts for the stage), musical theatre and design/technology. The major provides student artists with a foundation in theatre as a historic, global and aesthetic form, through the study of a variety of performance texts and styles, from classical and modern drama to musical theatre, folk and literary narratives, performance art, and classical and contemporary poetry. Emphasizing the interrelationship between theory and praxis, the major prepares students for entry into the profession or for graduate study in theatre or other related fields.
The department also houses a dance program that, in March 2008, received approval from the University System of Georgia Board of Regents to begin offering a Bachelor of Arts degree in dance.
The College of the Arts at Kennesaw State University also has programs accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, the National Association of Schools of Music and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.
Accreditation is an academic review which periodically evaluates and produces an independent judgment by peers about the extent to which an institution or program achieves its own educational objectives and meets the standards established by NAST. Standards address operational and curricular issues fundamental to educational quality. The granting of accreditation signifies that an institution has successfully demonstrated compliance with the procedures, standards, and guidelines of the association.
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A member of the 35-unit University System of Georgia, Kennesaw State University is a comprehensive, residential institution with a growing student population of more than 20,000 from 132 countries. The third-largest university in Georgia, Kennesaw State offers more than 60 graduate and undergraduate degrees, including new doctorates in education and business.
The KSU College of the Arts is one of only four Georgia institutions to have achieved full national accreditation for all of its arts programs.