VGCC Human Services program receives national accreditation

The Human Services Technology program at Vance-Granville Community College was recently awarded accreditation by the Council for Standards in Human Service Education (CSHSE) for the first time. At its May 26 meeting, the CSHSE governing board voted to accredit the program for an initial period of five years.

“Congratulations on being one of our exemplary accredited programs!” wrote Jacquelyn Kaufmann, vice president of accreditation for CSHSE, in a letter to VGCC Human Services Technology program head/instructor Tracy Wallace. Vance-Granville’s associate degree program becomes only the third program in North Carolina to be accredited by the organization.

Kaufmann said that CSHSE had identified many of the program’s strengths. These included student opportunities for internships at over 35 agencies throughout the region, through the college’s Work-Based Learning program. Another strength was the program’s innovative use of technology. Some Human Services courses are taught online, while many others are offered through the college’s V-Net system, which allows students to virtually attend a class in a specially-equipped room on one campus while the instructor and other students are in a similar room on another campus.

She said that the curriculum was “interesting and relevant,” and that the program demonstrated sensitivity to community needs by adding a Gerontology track in recent years, alongside a general degree track and a substance abuse counseling track.

The program’s faculty members were praised for demonstrating a “collaborative approach.” The faculty includes program head Tracy Wallace, instructor Sharon O’Geary and adjunct instructors Veta Pierce-Cappetta and Parris Solomon. In addition, current VGCC Dean of Arts and Sciences Cynthia Young was a faculty member during the early phases of the accreditation process. “The Program Head is energetic, strongly committed to the Program, and highly respected by students,” Kaufmann wrote.

CSHSE noted that VGCC students “exhibit many different types of diversity” and that graduates of the program work in local agencies and serve on the program’s advisory committee.

According to Wallace, the accreditation process included writing a self-study that documented how his program meets accreditation standards, which was then reviewed and approved by experts from CSHSE. Then, Kaufmann and Prof. Gigi Franyo-Ehlers from Stevenson University made a two-day visit to VGCC. “They met with administrators, students, graduates, library staff and my advisory committee, and went to two of my internship sites,” Wallace said.

He added that accreditation not only helps to bring increased exposure and recognition to his program, but it also provides an external process for quality assurance and has a specific benefit for students. “Students in accredited programs can take the Human Services-Board Certified Practitioner exam before they graduate,” Wallace said. “Students from non-accredited programs have to work three years and get at least 4,500 hours of experience after graduating in order to take the exam. We are excited about what this means for VGCC students.” The HS-BCP credential helps graduates stand out to employers in a competitive job market.

“By achieving this accreditation, our Human Services Technology program has been recognized as a leader not only in North Carolina but throughout the nation,” said Dr. Angela Ballentine, VGCC’s vice president of academic and student affairs. “Our faculty members are to be commended for maintaining high standards of excellence and for educating outstanding human services professionals, who will now have even greater career opportunities.”

CSHSE, based in Alexandria, Va., was established in 1979 for the purpose of assuring the quality, consistency and relevance of human service education programs through the maintenance of national standards, the accreditation of degree programs, consultation, research and publications.

The Human Services Technology program is based at VGCC’s South Campus between Creedmoor and Butner. The curriculum prepares students for entry-level positions in institutions and agencies which provide social, community, and educational services. For more information on the program, contact Tracy Wallace at (252) 738-3519.

 

Above:  From left, VGCC South Campus Dean Cecilia Wheeler, Human Services Technology program head Tracy Wallace (holding the certificate of accreditation from CSHSE) and Dean of Health Sciences Angela Thomas. (VGCC photo)