Music School Wins Reaccreditation
	Following a two-year process which included a self-evaluation and a site visit, the Ithaca College School of Music has earned reaccreditation from the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). The school gained its initial accreditation-one of the early programs to do so from the voluntary organization-in 1941. "From my point of view the most important result of reaccreditation is that a nationally recognized body has given us a strong seal of approval," says School of Music dean Arthur Ostrander. "It affirms everything we are doing, from admissions, to the strength of the faculty and students, to the level of quality of music performance, to the success of our graduates." Faculty, staff, and students had spent much of 1996 putting together a substantial self-study of the school, with particular attention to the curriculum and facility issues. In February of 1997 the school was visited by a two-person evaluation team: William Hipp, dean of the University of Miami School of Music (and current president of the NASM); and Marvin Lamb, dean of the Baylor University School of Music. Based on their report and the self-study, the NASM Commission on Accreditation voted in November to support the school's application for a "renewal of membership." "The commission was particularly pleased with the attention given to the School of Music in the 1993 College-wide strategic plan," says Ostrander. "They praised the priority given to plans for expanding our facilities, a project which is now coming to fruition with construction under way on the James J. Whalen Center for Music." In its letter to the dean announcing reaccreditation, the commission commended the school "for the thoroughness, thoughtfulness, and helpfulness" of its presentation. The NASM accredits approximately 550 music schools and departments; the Ithaca College School of Music is next up for review in 2006-07.