FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The master’s degree program in rehabilitation counselor education at the University of Arkansas has earned reaccreditation from the Council on Rehabilitation Education. The program has been continuously accredited by CORE for over 15 years and is consistently ranked among top programs nationally by U.S.News & World Report.

"The breadth of the college’s rehabilitation program is significant," said Reed Greenwood, dean of the College of Education and Health Professions. "The master’s in rehabilitation counselor education is one component of our nationally ranked academic program. The department also offers a professional development program that serves a five-state region. The department is respected nationally and internationally as a major research center in the field of rehabilitation."

Greenwood added that, given the significant numbers of Arkansans with disabilities, it is important for the state to have comprehensive rehabilitation services.

"The college’s department of rehabilitation, human resources and communication disorders is in the forefront of developing programs to help people with disabilities return to the workforce." Greenwood said.

"I am proud of the work of our faculty and staff that has lead to reaccreditation of the rehabilitation counselor education program," said department head Barbara Hinton. "Each CORE reaccreditation has involved a rigorous examination of our program that confirms our national standing. We prepare outstanding graduates who are leaders in the field of rehabilitation counseling."

Graduates of the program hold administrative or director positions in state rehabilitation agencies in Arkansas, Texas and Missouri, and many graduates are state rehabilitation counselors in Arkansas and surrounding states.

Brent Williams, assistant professor and program coordinator for rehabilitation counseling, who oversaw the reaccreditation effort, noted a unique aspect of the UA accreditation: although the UA program is housed both in Fayetteville and Little Rock, CORE did not require each location to undergo a separate accrediting process.

"We have achieved such an open collaboration between our main campus and Little Rock faculties that it was possible for CORE to evaluate the program as a whole," Williams said.

Williams noted that in addition to regular meetings of administrators and shared course outlines, the faculty members from the two locations communicate face-to-face using compressed video distance education facilities. Even the student organizations meet together. In addition, a newly completed distance education suite in Little Rock is an important part of planning for even closer collaboration in the future.

U.S.News & World Report recognized the graduate program in rehabilitation counseling at the University of Arkansas as one of the top programs in the country in 2003. The UA rehabilitation counseling program shared a ranking of 15 with five other universities, including University of Texas, Austin, and Syracuse University.