WVNCC's Culinary Arts Rated Exemplary

The Culinary Arts program at West Virginia Northern Community College has retained its exemplary status, a prestigious designation earned by “excellent management” and “full compliance” with accreditation requirements.

Northern’s culinary program was the subject of a reaccreditation visit in March of this year by a team from the American Culinary Federation, the accrediting agency. Announcement of the findings was made in July.

“An exemplary determination is yet another indicator of the quality of this program,” Dr. Vicki L. Riley, president of WVNCC, said. She expressed her admiration for the “hard work and great job” put forth by the Culinary Arts team.

Chef Marian Grubor, Culinary Arts professor and program director, took the lead in preparing for the reaccreditation visit. “I am so very proud of our culinary staff for obtaining this exemplary accreditation for the second time. The exemplary status was the goal we were looking to achieve, and we did it again,” she said, adding, “Congratulations to the culinary staff.”

Assisting Grubor during the accreditation process were Chefs Chris Kefauver, associate professor, and Gene Evans, assistant professor, as well as other college staffers. Kefauver pointed out the exemplary status means the program retains such accreditation status for seven years rather than the typical three to five years.

During the March on-site visit, the accrediting team reported there were “zero non-compliance issues.” The next step was for the accreditation board to review that determination which leads to the title of “exemplary.”

According to the requirements, “Exemplary programs symbolize the highest educational standards recognized by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation Accrediting Commission. The award is presented to programs that have proven full compliance with all ACFEFAC accreditation requirements in the last visiting team report along with excellent management of the program.”

According to the chefs, the accrediting team closely reviews the program’s self-study process which details the Culinary Arts curriculum, job placement and graduation rates. The site visit, they explained, focuses on how the department runs its daily operation. In addition, the team speaks to students, graduates and employers as well as the department faculty and staff.

7/28/16