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FIRST IN ACCREDITATION

Accreditation for Shepherds College was determined to be a
critical factor even before the school opened. Early on, it was
decided that we would pursue accreditation from the North
Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School
Improvement (NCA CASI), whose leadership expressed a genuine
desire to assist us and help us reach this never before attained
FIRST FIELD EXPERIENCE SITE status for a school serving people with ID. After hosting two
different accreditation review teams, in 2011 Shepherds College
was granted accreditation through NCA CASI as a non-degree
An integral part of the Shepherds College training program granting postsecondary school. This achievement allowed us to
since the planning stages was the internship or field experience pursue and be granted full participation in the Federal Student
assignment for third-year students. The field experience provides Aid program, an important factor in helping families make
students the opportunity to plug into the operations of a business attending Shepherds College a reality.
in their field of their study. During each student’s third year at A few years later, NCA CASI decided to no longer accredit
Shepherds College, he/she will serve roughly 700 hours in one schools who were also wanting to access Federal Student Aid,
or more field experience assignments, and the experience and leaving Shepherds College with an 18-month window to find new
training received in those settings plays a vital role in preparing accreditation. Through the guidance of our volunteer educational
students for employment upon graduation. Through the years, consultant, the decision was made to pursue new accreditation
numerous host sites have partnered with Shepherds College and through the Council on Occupational Education (COE). The
provided real-life, hands-on opportunities for our students. accreditation process with COE required meeting 100% of 252
In 2010, the very first business to agree to host a Shepherds criteria across ten different standards. It was a daunting task and
College student as a field experience site was Country Rose, a involved each of our faculty members under the leadership of
restaurant just outside of Union Grove. Every year since, Country our Dean of Education, Angela Houk. Incredibly, when the COE
Rose has hosted at least one student in this capacity. Through review team assessed Shepherds College on the 252 criteria,
the years the owners and staff at Country Rose have poured into they determined that we met every one, a classification they
student after student, preparing each one for future employment. call “zero findings”. This was an unbelievable accomplishment
As we host visitors to campus, if a lunch meeting is in order we and something that fewer than 5% of the schools seeking
often head out to Country Rose. A delicious lunch, with one of accreditation through COE attain.
our students working back in the kitchen, and the story of our
first field experience partnership resonates with every guest we 8
take there.
Gloria, the first student to complete her field experience
assignment at Country Rose, was offered a job there upon her
graduation in 2011. Today, seven years later, she continues to
work there having been given increasingly greater responsibility
through the years.

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