The American Academy for Liberal Education (AALE), a national academic accrediting agency, has awarded St. Andrews Presbyterian College educational program accreditation to the college.

"This is a significant achievement and represents a meaningful affirmation of the quality of the college's academic program," said Paul Baldasare Jr., president of St. Andrews. "The college's success in this initiative is the direct result of the quality of the work of both the faculty and staff on a daily basis."

The decision by the AALE came during its December meeting. The initial accreditation period runs for two years.

The AALE is a national association that accredits institutions offering academic programs in the liberal arts that meet the Academy's educational, administrative, and financial criteria.

"Accreditation by the American Academy for Liberal Education signifies institutional integrity and a strong commitment to undergraduate education," said Dr. Jeffrey Wallin, the Academy's president, in his introduction to the AALE's Standards and Criteria for Program Accreditation. "Mem-bership attests to the fact that the institution meets or exceeds the Academy's independently established education stand-ards."

St. Andrews applied to the AALE for membership, undertaking an exhaustive year-long review of the college's educational programs and services. An evaluation team from the AALE also made a multi-day site visit to the college, meeting with numerous members of the administration, faculty and staff.

"Our standards require students to complete demanding studies in the arts and sciences taught by senior as well as junior faculty," Wallin says on the academy's Web site. "Consequently, they provide interested parties -- including parents and prospective students -- a means of distinguishing between colleges and programs with focused, well-articulated goals for liberal learning in areas such as history, mathematics, science, literature, languages and philosophy, and those with lower expectations that fail to reflect a coherent approach to liberal education."

The accreditation by the AALE is in addition to other accreditations the college holds including the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

"St. Andrews is delighted with its new association with the American Academy for Liberal Education, and looks forward to a long and exciting participation in the life of an organization with which it shares so many educational values," Baldasare said.