NASPAA 2009 Standards Pass!

NASPAA is pleased to announce that the NASPAA Standards 2009 passed by an overwhelming margin. Of the accredited programs present, 91 voted in favor of the standards 10 opposed and one abstained. Though the standards have passed, there is still much work to be done! NASPAA will now embark on the implementation phase of the Standards 2009 effort, working to develop finalized instructions, training for programs and site visitors, and the construction of a new online-based submission format. NASPAA will continue to actively seek valuable feedback and insight from the membership as we move forward in these efforts. We thank everyone who has participated in this process and are excited to continue to move NASPAA accreditation forward. View Final NASPAA Standards 2009. 

Thank you to Steering and Standards Committees
NASPAA would like to thank Jeff Raffel and Steve Maser (chairs of the Steering and Standards Committees) for their exceptional work, leadership and the countless hours that they put into the NASPAA Standards 2009 effort. We would also like to thank the members of the Steering and Standards Committees for their dedication and hard work throughout this three-year process.
Additionally, NASPAA would like to thank Jack Meek, Craig Shinn and Mark Levin (chairs of the Self Study Instructions Taskforce, Eligibility Taskforce and NS2009 ICMA/NASPAA Mission-Specific Competencies Working Group) and their members for the hard work that they have done in helping NASPAA prepare for the implementation of the Standards. You can view a full list of participants in the NASPAA Standards 2009 Effort here.

Self Study Instructions for the Proposed New Standards
The first draft of the Self Study Instructions is now available for your review! Click to view. It is important to note that unlike the Standards themselves, you will not be voting on the Instructions at the NASPAA fall conference. These Instructions are a living document, and COPRA members will revise them over time as their interpretation and understanding of the new standards develops. This draft is meant to give you a concrete indication of how you will go about the process of demonstrating your conformance to the new Standards.


NASPAA Standards and New Applicants
The proposed NASPAA accreditation standards include a new eligibility process for all first-time applicants.  All programs submitting applications for the first time in August 2010 or later should expect to participate in the one-year eligibility process as part of their accreditation cycle.  The eligibility application and procedures are still in the design phase.  Please contact the NASPAA office for more details on the release of eligibility materials if you are interested in applying for accreditation in 2010.