ACCSC Bestows GIA The ‘School of Excellence’ Award

GIA Receives ‘School of Excellence’ Award

ACCSC bestows highest honor to GIA’s Carlsbad campus

Student achievement takes center stage as GIA (Gemological Institute of America) is awarded the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) School of Excellence award for 2011-2012. GIA’s Carlsbad campus joins only 17 schools in receiving the prestigious award this year and was recognized as a recipient of ACCSC’s highest honor at the 2012 Professional Development Awards Luncheon last week.

“One of the critical metrics ACCSC examines is student accomplishment, demonstrated through graduation and employment rates,” said Donna Baker, GIA’s president and CEO. “Outstanding achievement by our students is a testament to their passion and drive, and to GIA’s global commitment to excellence, integrity and ensuring the public trust.”

The School of Excellence Award recognizes ACCSC-accredited schools (numbering 800 in total across the United States and abroad) for their commitment to the expectations and rigors of ACCSC accreditation, as well as the efforts made by the institution to achieve high-levels of achievement among their students.  To qualify for the School of Excellence award, the majority of a school’s programs must meet or exceed a graduation rate of 92% for programs three months or less in length, and 82% for programs from 4-to-6 months in length, and demonstrate an average employment rate of 82%.

“ACCSC congratulates GIA on their commitment to delivering quality educational programs to the students, graduates and employers that deserve our best work,” noted Christopher Lambert, ACCSC’s director of external affairs.

GIA is a nonprofit, private, postsecondary educational institute incorporated for the purpose of promoting education and research in gemology, jewelry manufacturing arts and related subjects.  A comprehensive GIA education is regarded as the pinnacle of training and professional development in gems and jewelry. GIA’s campus is located at its Carlsbad world headquarters.  Just steps from the GIA laboratory, the GIA Museum and the largest gemological library in the world, Carlsbad students enjoy access to industry leaders and a world-class environment.

GIA in Carlsbad is accredited by ACCSC as an institution which includes on-campus education only.  GIA’s New York campus is accredited by the ACCSC as a branch of GIA in Carlsbad. Though GIA offers extensive distance education and laboratory classes, they are considered continuing education (professional development) and do not fall within the purview of GIA’s institutional accreditation by the ACCSC.

In order to be eligible for the School of Excellence Award, an ACCSC-accredited institution must meet the conditions of renewing accreditation without any finding of non-compliance and demonstrate that the majority of the schools’ student graduation and graduate employment rates for all programs offered meet or exceed the average rates of graduation and employment among all ACCSC-accredited institutions.  GIA’s Carlsbad location was the only GIA location eligible for renewal this term. 

GIA was recognized as a 2012 School of Excellence at the 6th Annual ACCSC Professional Development Conference on September-12, 2012 at the Omni Hotel in San Diego, California.  For more information and GIA Carlsbad, please visitwww.gia.edu or contact media@gia.edu.

About GIA

An independent nonprofit organization, GIA (Gemological Institute of America), established in 1931, is recognized as the world’s foremost authority in gemology. GIA invented the famous 4Cs of Color, Cut, Clarity and Carat Weight in the early 1950s and in 1953, created the International Diamond Grading System™ which, today, is recognized by virtually every professional jeweler in the world.

Through research, education, gemological laboratory services, and instrument development, the Institute is dedicated to ensuring the public trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest standards of integrity, academics, science, and professionalism. Visit www.gia.edu.  

About ACCSC

For 45 years, the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) has been at the forefront of establishing and advancing quality education at private, postsecondary schools and colleges.  As an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education, ACCSC is dedicated to ensuring a quality education for 250,000 students who annually pursue career education at 800 accredited institutions.

ACCSC’s scope of recognition with the U.S. Department of Education includes the accreditation of private, postsecondary, non-degree-granting institutions and degree-granting institutions, including those granting associate, baccalaureate and master’s degrees, that are predominantly organized to educate students for occupational, trade and technical careers, and including institutions that offer programs via distance education. More information on ACCSC is available online at www.accsc.org.