6-15-01
CHEMISTRY PROGRAM EARNS NATIONAL APPROVAL
Following a rigorous three-year evaluation process, the chemistry program at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, has met the American Chemical Society's (ACS) guidelines for approved schools. Penn State Behrend is one of only 619 colleges and universities across the United States to achieve such approval.
"We've spent several years completing a self-study of our courses, research, faculty, students, and graduates in chemistry," said Dr. Roger F. Knacke, director of the School of Science. "We spent several days last fall meeting with an associate of the ACS Committee on Professional Training, and her report was reviewed by the full committee. Needless to say, we were delighted to receive notice earlier this month that our chemistry program has met all the guidelines and is now ACS-approved."
In northwestern Pennsylvania, other ACS-approved chemistry programs include Allegheny College and Clarion University.
In addition to granting approval to chemistry
programs, ACS provides certification for students who complete their
degree at a school with an approved program. For the student, a certified
degree in chemistry is a valuable personal credential
that serves as national recognition for successfully completing a
rigorous academic chemistry curriculum in an ACS-approved department.
"The extra requirements of an ACS-approved program are valued
by potential employers and graduate schools," said Dr. Mary Chisholm,
associate professor of chemistry at Penn State Behrend. "They
know that graduates of an ACS-approved program will have met ACS lab
standards as well as stringent ACS course requirements."
Achieving ACS approval was a lengthy process, Chisholm said. Following a formal self-assessment of courses, budget, faculty, and equipment, Knacke and Chisholm received a series of recommendations from the ACS Committee on Professional Training. Among the recommendations were strengthening the analytical chemistry component of the program by adding another faculty member with a focus in analytical chemistry and upgrading some upper-division labs. Once all the recommendations were met, the ACS sent an associate to Penn State Behrend for a thorough on-site review the program.
ACS approval is not granted for any specific period of time. All approved schools are required to report their curricular offerings every year with details of all their chemistry graduates who wish to have a certified degree. They must also prepare an extensive reevaluation report every five years.
Penn State Behrend offers 29 four-year degrees, six two-year degrees, and two graduate degrees at its 730-acre campus. More than 1,500 of the college's 3,800 students live on campus.
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Contact: Loretta Brandon
(814) 898-6063 (O)
(814) 864-9922 (H)
e-mail: lzb6@psu.edu