Columbia College Hollywood Receives WASC Accreditation

TARZANA, Calif. - Oct. 13, 2014 - PRLog -- TARZANA, CA:  Validating more than 60 years of the highest standard in film, television and digital arts education, Columbia College Hollywood has been awarded regional accreditation by the WASC Senior College and University Commission with an initial term of five years as of June 20, 2014.

“This is a wonderful confirmation and endorsement of what has been a group endeavor at CCH to not only grow as a college, but to substantiate the level of commitment to our students and mission,” notes Richard Kobritz, President/CEO, who first suggested to the CCH Board of Trustees that the College invest in the rigorous self-study and enhancement needed to advance to regional accreditation.

Regional accreditation ensures that a college or university academic programs, operations, and policies and practices meet a proscribed level of quality. There are six regional accreditors with WASC Senior College and University Commission overseeing California, Hawaii and Pacific territories.

“Securing and, frankly, being worthy of regional accreditation takes effort and reflection,” adds Mr. Kobritz.  “It required beneficial changes in our organizational structure, faculty governance, and in-depth assessment of our programs.  Our financials were put under a microscope along with all our practices from admissions on down.”

In awarding CCH, the Commission commended the College on its institutional structure, integrity, sustainability and accountability, embrace of culture and diversity, and successful growth of its efforts in educational effectiveness.

“You go into the process with this goal – having the highest accreditation,” says Alan L. Gansberg, who in addition to being Dean of the College is Accreditation Liaison Officer, the link to WASC and the compiler and author of the required intensive self-study.

“Then something happens,” he continues.  “You realize you have become a better educational institute.  Your faculty has embraced assessment and program review; your students are walking taller.  The staff is more focused.  Your process is refined and more authentic.”

“This accreditation means many things to a college,” Mr. Kobritz says.  “We can attract greater levels of grants, funding, and, most importantly, opportunities for our students.   We have been in a growth mode for several years.  This is a most crucial support for what we do well.”

About CCH

Columbia College Hollywood is dedicated to educating students on their path to success in film, television, and the digital arts.  The Mission of the College is two-fold:  to prepare artists with technical proficiency, and prepare technicians who are also artists.  This is accomplished by offering academic and applied instruction in the theory and practice of motion pictures, television, and new media production, as well as acting.  The goal is always to prepare students to be ready to make immediate and significant contributions to the entertainment industry.

Columbia College Hollywood is a private, non-profit institution established in 1952 in Los Angeles, California, and has both regional accreditation from WASC Senior College and University Commission and national accreditation from the National Association of School of Art and Design.  CCH cinematic arts programs offer Bachelor of Fine Arts and Associate of Fine Arts degrees in Cinema and Cinema/Television, with emphases (concentrations) in Directing, Writing, Producing, Cinematography, Acting, New Media, and Editing/VFX, which also includes Sound.

Among the many distinguished alumni of CCH are directors Robert Schwentke, Jaume Collet-Serra, Salim Akil, and Timothy Linh Bui, actor-comedian Brent Morin, and cinematographers Eagle Egilsson and Harris Charalambous.

For more information about Columbia College Hollywood, please go to http://www.columbiacollege.edu.

For more information about CCH’s regional accreditation, visit http://www.wascsenior.org/institutions/columbia-college-h....

For more information about WASC Senior College and University Commission:  http://www.wascsenior.org.