The William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications was among the first group of schools to achieve national accreditation in 1948, and it has been continuously accredited ever since.

The most recent accreditation review was in 1999. A six-member team visited the School and reported that the School "continues to serve its students with the same focused, professionally-oriented, student-centered programs that it has become known for through the years. At the same time, a sense -- and spirit -- of forward-looking change permeates the hallways and discussions in the School."

The team found the J-School in compliance with 11 of the 12 ACEJMC standards of accreditation; the sole non-compliance was with the standard on Research/Scholarship/Creative and Professional Activity.

The team cited the following strengths in the J-School:

• A demanding, yet caring, faculty culture that fosters loyal and proud graduates;
• Diligent, demanding instruction and a firm commitment to students;
• Campus-wide respect for the faculty's dedication to teaching and student development along with its leadership and participatory roles in university governance and activities;
• A talented, hard-working student body that captures far more than its share of regional and national awards and that earns praise from faculty across campus and from central administration;
• Forward-looking leadership that has created a new armosphere of trust and optimism among faculty;
• An enviable record of student placement and internships;
• A must-stop hub for recruiters from some of the country's major newspapers and parent corporations;
• An impressive collection of on-campus media opportunities for students;
• Pioneering curricular efforts to prepare students fro madia convergence;
• Laudable School and faculty public service; and
• Impressive private financial support.

The team also cited the following weaknesses or shortcomings, which the School has moved to address in the two years since the report:

• Steps should be taken to bring faculty scholarship and creative activity to the level expected from a strong program at a Carnegie Research I university;
• Heavy faculty teaching loads should be adjusted, when appropriate, in response to enhanced scholarly and creative expectations;
• Efforts should be made to enhance the graduate program's identity, rigor and processes;
• Teaching resources allocated across sequences should be re-examined to determine if student enrollment shifts are being appropriately eccommodated; and
• More aggressive steps should be taken to further diversify the student body.

The organization that accredits schools of journalism and mass communications is the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. Its address is: ACEJMC, Stauffer-Flint Hall, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045; tel.
( 785) 864-3986. The J-School provides office space for the organization, but its operations are entirely independent of the School.