Reaffirmed Accreditation

Written by Dr. James S. Hartman
February 25, 2009

Those of us with connections past, present and future to the College for Officer Training at Crestmont can celebrate our reaffirmed accreditation status.  Many of us have prayed and worked to achieve this goal, and our hopes have been realized, our focused endeavors rewarded. On February 3, 2009, Principal Major Steve Smith received a letter from the President of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (Western Association of Schools and Colleges)informing the college that based on their most recent visit to the campus, they have reaffirmed our full accreditation status.  This approval reinforces the integrity and worthiness of our academic programs and insures that our cadet graduates are well-positioned to serve the Salvation Army and meet their own individual needs in terms of continuing education and development.

This reaffirmed status is good news. In a stormy world, we take comfort in knowing that the academic, spiritual and leadership development commitments of the college are serving the Army well in embracing our faculty and cadets.  The message in this action alone makes us more hopeful, more committed and more motivated to fulfill our mission.  There are many good reasons for our training program to be accredited by the body with the highest professional standards in the educational arena:

  • We exist to foster learning, spiritual formation and leadership and to insure our cadets are well-prepared to serve.  This goal alone rests on a strengthened commitment to quality, improvement and effectiveness.  These commitments serve all of us well.

  • We offer a program with resources dedicated to cadet learning, assessment of that learning, and a commitment to excellence that requires self-reflective dialogue about quality and improvement. It forces constant attention to the standards by which we prepare cadets for effective Army service.

  • This status allows our cadets to translate their two-year accredited degree into a Bachelor’s degree if they desire to continue their formal educations.  Their work at Crestmont has relevancy in the higher education market and gives them the confidence and perspective needed to make that needed commitment to life-long learning.

  • This reaffirmed status promotes the assignment of our best and most perceptive officers to teach at the college, inspiring and modeling Salvationist principles and dedication to the cause.

  • It inspires dialogue about improving who and what we are and mitigates the gap between what we know and what we need to know to be truly effective officer leaders.

  • Finally, our cadets understand how it all fits together – a thoughtful and faithful framework for learning and leading a Christian life of service and leadership.

The dialogue at Crestmont has been facilitated by our dedicated faculty, staff and cadets and the leadership of Captains Kevin and Linda Jackson, Major Larry Shiroma, Captain Nigel Cross, Major Mario Reyes, Major Marcia Smith and Assistant Principal, Major Tim Foley and the Crestmont Council, our governing body, chaired by the very able Mr. James Reeves.  Principal Major Steve Smith has been invaluable in exerting his leadership to this effort.  Our work has had the full support of Chief Secretary Colonel William Harfoot and our Territorial leaders, Commissioners Philip and Patricia Swyers.

Our “being reaffirmed” reminds me of the New Testament reference to our Lord Jesus, who encouraged his disciples to have faith that the storm would be calmed, and it did. At Crestmont we have had the patience and the hope to find our own calm in an increasingly complex world.  Our role in the life stream of the Army is critical, and we are bringing our best to the college’s role in training and educating.  This is important in the short-run and in the long-run.

 
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