2012 NAAB TEAM APPLICATION
(from aias.org)
Ever thought of serving on a NAAB accreditation team? (free travel) Read further.
Applications due: Wednesday, September 7, 2011 (Midnight, EST).
AIAS Leaders Serve on NAAB Accreditation Teams
Every year, student members of the AIAS serve as full voting members on visiting accreditation team for architecture schools accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). The opportunity for AIAS student members to serve in this capacity is both unique and important to the process of architectural education.
What is Accreditation?
Accreditation, in general, is a process of external quality review used to scrutinize colleges, universities and educational programs for quality assurance and quality improvement. In the United States, accreditation is carried out by private, nonprofit organizations designed for this specific purpose. Institutions and educational programs seek accredited status as a means of demonstrating their academic quality to students and the public
What is Architectural Accreditation?
Architectural accreditation is the primary means by which programs assure quality to students and the public. Accredited status is a signal to students and the public that an institution or program meets at least minimal standards for its faculty, curriculum, student services and libraries. The accrediting process is intended to verify that each accredited program substantially meets those standards that, as a whole, comprise an appropriate education for an architect. Since most state registration boards in the United States require any applicant for licensure to have graduated from a NAAB-accredited program, obtaining such a degree is an essential aspect of preparing for the professional practice of architecture.
You Are Invited to Participate
Student members on NAAB accreditation teams bring critical perspective to issues of accreditation and facilitate a relationship between the student body of the school and the visiting team. Teams are led by a team chair and are composed of one member from each of the collateral organizations: AIA, ACSA, NCARB, and AIAS. A team visits a school for several days (Saturday-Wednesday) to perform an on-site review of student work, and to meet with faculty, students and administration. At the conclusion of this visit, the team will draft a Visiting Team Report (VTR) and recommended a term of accreditation. This recommendation will be considered by the NAAB Board of Directors for the final decision on the term of accreditation.
Travel costs, accommodations and meals during the on-site team visit are reimbursed, per the guidelines outlined in the NAAB Procedures.
How to Get Involved
Applicants must be an U.S.-based AIAS member in good standing at time of application and during the year of team assignment and must have completed one of the following:
Academic Enrollment
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Three years in a NAAB-accredited professional degree program
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The third year of a four-year pre-professional degree program in architecture accepted for direct entry to a two-year NAAB-accredited professional master’s degree program
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One year in a NAAB-accredited professional master’s degree program following receipt of a non-professional degree.
Furthermore, applicants will be selected based on their academic enrollment and letters of reference. Preference will be given to students with advanced experience in their academic career, such as teaching assistantships and other leadership/academic opportunities. The selection process will also look to represent a diverse collection of geographic locations, backgrounds and characteristics.
The following timeline has been established for this year’s application process:
Summer 2011 — Students submit application materials (due September 7).
September 2011 — AIAS President forwards nominees to the NAAB.
October 2011 — NAAB contacts students for the spring 2012 semester as chosen by the NAAB Accreditation Staff.
Spring 2012 — Team assignments made and visits conducted.
Nominees from fall 2011 will be considered for participation on NAAB teams in spring 2012. Your nomination by the AIAS to the NAAB does not guarantee participation on a team, as final selection of students will be made by the NAAB Board of Directors.
Application Process
Students interested in applying for this opportunity should submit the following materials by the posted deadline. Only electronic submissions will be accepted.
First, complete the Online Application
Second, please prepare a single (multi-page) PDF file under 3MB:
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File name: "LASTNAME_NAABteam11.pdf"
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Submit the file to: president@aias.org .
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Subject line of the message: NAAB Accreditation Team Application
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Addressed to: AIAS President Nick Mancusi
The application should include:
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Letter of Intent addressed to AIAS President Nick Mancusi (stating name, school, contact information, type of degree, year in program, interests in education/accreditation issues, prior experience within program, school, AIAS, and/or NAAB.
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Curriculum Vitae or Resume
In addition to the Application:
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Letters of Reference (1 minimum-2 maximum) should be sent separately and directly by the recommenders as PDF files (LASTNAME_NAAB11_Recommendation.pdf) to the e-mail address listed above
For Further Information
Additional questions can be sent to president@aias.org .
Additional information is also available from the NAAB at www.naab.org.
