SALEM, W.Va. — Salem International University’s unique brand of higher education is once again an accredited institute of higher learning.
The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission gave the school a “clean bill of health” according to Dr. Craig McClellan during an interview on “The Mike Queen Show” on Friday. Dr. McClellan is an Associate Provost and the Dean of the School of Education.
Over the past six to eight months, the school has had certain programs accredited nationally, but not everything. The vote by the The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission re-establishes regional accreditation for SIU.
Dr. McClellan touts SIU for the University’s goal of making sure that programs lead to jobs.
“When you come to Salem and complete a program, it’s going to lead directly to a career path like a teacher education program leads to being a teacher or an RN program leads to being a nurse,” he said.
The accreditation news comes on the heels of Salem’s continued desire to operate as a cost-friendly school.
“Students at the undergraduate level can come to Salem and enroll in programs that will lead to ultimately zero or manageable student loan debt,” said Dr. McClellan
He said that the rolling admissions and month-to-month courses provide an alternative for students who may not necessarily be accustomed to the demands of college.
“It’s really good for students who are a lot of times first-generation students,” Dr. McClellan said. “They don’t have a lot of college experience behind them, but they have the potential to graduate from college.
In many cases, Dr. McClellan believes that the Graduate-level programs offered by Salem would also be preferable to students itching to get into the work force.
“They know the job that they want,” he said. “They can see it out there. They may not have the luxury of waiting two years. That job is not going to wait two to three years for them to get a Master’s degree in the traditional model.”