Mercer County Community College received accreditation from the Middle States on Higher Education Wednesday.
WEST WINDSOR -- Mercer County Community College (MCCC) announced Wednesday it received re-accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
MCCC Spokesman Jim Gardner said the accreditation allows for the "best opportunity" for students to either transfer to a four-year institute or get hired in their field of study.
"This is a major milestone for us," Gardner said. "Working on this process for the past few years has made us better."
Accreditation lasts for 10 years and is based on 14 standards such as mission and goals, leadership, planning, general education and student support services, according to a Middle States report.
Gardner said accreditation is evaluated by a Middle States peer review board primarily made up of northeast college and university faculty.
Gardner said MCCC was in compliance with all 14 standards. One positive point the Middle States peer review board specifically noted was how well the college's board of trustees supported education.
He said the board also praised MCCC on the high student satisfaction of a recently implemented shuttle bus that travels to and from the college and Quaker Bridge Mall in Lawrence.
"We found a lot of students have jobs at Quaker Bridge Mall," Gardner said. "This relieved a tremendous burden on them."
Gardner did not specify on the standards the board suggested they need to improve on but he said there is a new 100-page strategic plan in the works highlighting areas in which MCCC intends to upgrade.
"The (board review) showed where certain programs could be improved," Gardner said. "We're always looking to improve the services to our students. You've got to keep up with the times."
One of the 14 Middle States accreditation standards focuses on how well a college or university plans for the future.
He said one program the college is looking to implement is a data tracking system to "keep track of projects we're doing and results we expect and receive."
Gardner said MCCC will also be upgrading certain classrooms, labs and equipment.
"This year is the college's 50th anniversary," Gardner said. "So we're preparing the college for the next 50 years. We don't want to do a project just for the sake of doing a project."
Gardner said MCCC was informed of the accreditation approval Wednesday morning.
Lindsay Rittenhouse may be reached at lrittenhouse@njadvancemedia.com. Find NJ.com on Facebook.