Accreditation, etc., for academic TechComm programs?

["Larry Kunz ((919) 254-6395)" <ldkunz -at- VNET -dot- IBM -dot- COM>]

AlumsHubby asked:

> Does the STC or any other body oversee and bless technical
> communication programs at colleges and universities?  What's the
> STC's relationship to college TC programs?

STC doesn't oversee, bless, evaluate, endorse, disparage, or have any
formal relationship with tech comm programs.  However, a lot of
students and faculty members join, and become active in, STC.  They
contribute a great deal, and, judging from their numbers, they
believe their membership has value as well.

As a service to its members and to the public, STC maintains a list
of tech comm programs.  (It'll tell you whether there's a program at
S.C. State.)  STC also supports the academic community by offering
faculty internships, scholarships, and research grants.

Go to the STC home page (www.stc-va.org) and select "Academics" in
the menu to view a complete list of resources.

> Why do some schools have STC student chapters and others not:  Is it
> a function of student and faculty enthusiasm and commitment, or is
> there also some set of criteria that the program has to meet?

It's pretty much a function of student and faculty enthusiasm and
commitment, as you say.  The only requirement is that some student
members want to band together as a chapter.  The student chapter
doesn't even have to be affiliated with a particular educational
institution, although in practice I think all of them are.

Larry Kunz
STC Assistant to the President for Professional Development
mailto:ldkunz -at- vnet -dot- ibm -dot- com