UNC Charlotte has been granted associate membership in the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).
Founded in 1924, NASM is an organization of schools, conservatories, colleges and universities with approximately 650 accredited institutional members. It establishes national standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees in music.
“NASM is the premiere accrediting body for college music programs,” said James Grymes, interim chair of the Department of Music. “UNC Charlotte’s newly granted associate membership confirms that our music program meets the same curricular and programming standards as every major program in the country.”
NASM associate membership has been a long time in the making. Royce Lumpkin made it a primary goal when he arrived at UNC Charlotte in 1998 to become just the second permanent chair in the Department of Music’s nine-year history, but it was not until the formation of the College of Arts + Architecture (CoA+A) in 2008 that the department began taking concrete steps toward accreditation.
“It may have taken 17 years to realization, but I have never once doubted that this day would come,” said Lumpkin. “We have worked hard, dreamed large and accomplished much.”
Ken Lambla, dean of the CoA+A, stated, “One of the founding goals in creating the College of Arts + Architecture was the pursuit of discipline accreditation for the arts units to provide external review and evaluation of curriculum, faculty, institutional support and student outcomes. It is a first step in the longer-term goal to develop a regionally and nationally recognized program within a unique college structure.”
Associate membership represents the first step in a long process. NASM will return in five years for another full review to ensure that all of its standards are still being met, after which UNC Charlotte will become an institutional member for a new five-year period. After yet another review, the institution will undergo a NASM review once every 10 years.
In the coming years, UNC Charlotte’s other arts departments will begin pursuing their own accreditation.
“The Department of Music was the first to push forward with the consultative phase, self-study, site visit and response,” explained Lambla. “As the college seeks accreditation for all units, the stature and recognition of the quality of all programs will continue to improve.”