Sunday, August 22, 2010
By DENISE DICK
denise_dick@vindy.com
youngstowN
Just because television and print advertisements call an institution a college doesn’t mean it’s going to prepare students to continue their education.
Price, accreditation and transferable credits distinguish community colleges from other institutions that call themselves colleges.
Community colleges are two-year, public colleges that provide associate’s degrees, prepare students who will transfer to a four-year school and provide job training or retraining.
Ron Abrams, president of the Ohio Association of Community Colleges, said community colleges in Ohio are public institutions, established by the state and chartered as community colleges.
They’re also accredited by a federally approve regional accrediting body, he said.
“Accreditation for community colleges is through one of the regional accreditation associations,” said Laura Meeks, president of Eastern Gateway Community College. “For us it’s the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association.”
Abrams said accreditation assures that basic standard are met including faculty qualifications, available resources and library holdings.
“It also assures transferability — that credits will transfer to other institutions,” he said.
Accredited institutions also are eligible for federal financial aid programs.
Private, for profit institutions are accredited differently. If a prospective students wants to learn about whether a particular institution is accredited and through what body, that information should be posted in the college catalogue and its Web site, Abrams said.
Accreditation of an institution is different from that of a particular program.
If you want to know what credits will transfer, look for regional accreditation, Meeks said.
Before enrolling in a “college,” Meeks recommends prospective students check with the university to which they hope to transfer to ensure they’ll accept the credits.
Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.