Chemistry Program Receives ACS Accreditation
posted by Brandon Owens | April 24, 2019 | In NewsAfter years of hard work, the chemistry program at Fayetteville State University received accreditation from the American Chemical Society (ACS). This accreditation was earned when FSU proved that they held the same standards as nationally-regarded programs. With such an accreditation to its name, this can help the program reach levels of new heights.
The ACS student chapter’s president Jennifer Barkley explained that the club has dissolved a couple of years ago, but they’ve recently restarted it here at FSU.
For years, the professors have been actively working to get the program officially accredited. Barkley stated that this means a lot to her.
“It’s a huge honor, for the school, for the students, for everyone that comes here and works for the department. ACS started in the 1800s, so all these people have worked really hard to set standards and push each other really hard to advance research and find a way to take all this information and share it to help other people. We finally get to say that we live up to that,” said Barkley.
Since the club has restarted, they are currently planning events for the fall to get people more involved.
Getting the accreditation required quite a bit of work. Dr. Cevdet Akbay, chair of the Department of Chemistry, Physics, and Material Science explained that a lot of information and documentation, such as exams and faculty credentials, had to be sent back and forth to ACS. The programs also had to make improvements over the years, such as gain faculty and upgrading technology and equipment, in order to gain the recognition. Dr. Akbay feels that the accreditation will greatly help the department.
“The accreditation means that we’re equal to chemistry programs of the nation: UNC, Harvard, Yale. Of course, we cannot compete with them, but ACS puts us in the same category as them. That means when students apply for jobs or graduate schools, and they see they are certified by the ACS, that makes a huge difference. We producing huge quality students, but with the accreditation, they’re officially recognized as high quality students,” said Dr. Akbay.
Congratulations to the program, and here’s to your success!
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