Doña Ana Community College

Doña Ana Community College
DACC East Mesa Campus in Las Cruces, NM.
Type Community college
Established 1973 (1973)[1]
President Renay Scott[2]
Academic staff
 536[3]
Administrative staff
 310
Students Credit: 10,644 (2016-2017)
Non-credit: 3,498 (2016-2017)[3]
Location Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States
32°16′34″N 106°45′19″W / 32.2761°N 106.7554°W / 32.2761; -106.7554Coordinates: 32°16′34″N 106°45′19″W / 32.2761°N 106.7554°W / 32.2761; -106.7554
Campus Small city
Website dacc.nmsu.edu

Doña Ana Community College (DACC) is a community college with several campuses in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, mostly in Las Cruces. The school is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. DACC was founded in 1973 to provide associates degrees and technical/vocational training to Las Cruces and neighboring communities.[1] Along with Alamogordo Community College, Carlsbad Community College, and Grants Community College, the school is a branch of New Mexico State University.[4]

As of 2017, the school had 10,644 credit students (including part-time) and 3,498 non-credit students.[3] DACC's main campus is in Las Cruces, with other facilities in East Mesa, Anthony, Sunland Park, White Sands, Chaparral, and Hatch. Classes are also offered at local high schools.[5]

DACC, governed by the NMSU Board of Regents, has its own budget and administrative structure. The DACC President leads the affairs of DACC along with a vice president for business and finance, a vice president for academic affairs, a vice president for student services, and an associate vice president for assessment and accreditation. The DACC president reports to the NMSU the Chancellor of the NMSU system and President of NMSU.

Campus

DACC's main campus is in Las Cruces, on 15 acres adjacent to New Mexico State University.

The East Mesa Campus located on the northeast side of Las Cruces houses most of the general education programs and business and information technology programs. The Espina Campus located on the southeast side of Las Cruces is the main location for the health programs and trades programs. The Workforce Center in central Las Cruces offers customized training for employee development and career and technical training, such as truck driving. The Gadsden Center located in the southeastern portion of the county offers general education programs and adult education programs. The Sunland Park Center in Santa Teresa offers general education, adult education, and welding. The Chaparral location offers classes in adult education and continuing education. Classes are also offered at local high schools.[6]

Accreditation

The school is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. Several programs at Doña Ana Community College have specialized accreditation:[1]

  • American Dental Association – Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA)
  • American Design Drafting Association
  • American Welding Society
  • Accreditation Commission on Education in Nursing
  • Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs
  • Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care
  • Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
  • International Fire Service Accreditation Congress
  • Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology
  • Joint Review Commission for Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography
  • National Automobile Technician Excellence Foundation (ASC certification)
  • The National Center for Construction Education and Research

In 2012 the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) revoked accreditation for DACC's nursing program. Although New Mexico's board of nursing permitted the program to continue, accreditation is a prerequisite for employment in most hospitals and acceptance into other nursing programs, such as the one at New Mexico State.[7] In 2010 the school had been placed on warning status by the NLNAC for having an inadequate ratio of qualified instructors. A lawsuit filed in 2013 by eight nursing students alleges that the school had not notified students of the warning, and had been made aware of the problem as early as 2002.[8] In May 2015, a state judge ruled that the lawsuit would be become a class action, and would include the 100 students enrolled at the time.[9] In August 2015, it was announced that accreditation had been fully restored. This applied retroactively to students who graduated the previous May.[10][11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "2017-2018 Factbook" (PDF). Doña Ana Community College. p. 12. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  2. ↑ "DACC announces new vice president of academic affairs". Las Cruces Sun-News. 5 December 2014. Archived from the original on 6 December 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "DACC Profile". dacc.nmsu.edu. New Mexico State University. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  4. ↑ "New Mexico State University - Fall 2013 Factbook" (PDF). oia.nmsu.edu. New Mexico State University. 2013. p. 6. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  5. ↑ "Campuses & Facilities". Doña Ana Community College. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Campuses & Facilities". Doña Ana Community College. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  7. ↑ Soular, Diana Alba (10 August 2012). "DACC nursing program loses accreditation; questions loom for students". Las Cruces Sun-News. Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  8. ↑ Soular, Diana Alba (10 May 2013). "DACC nursing students file class action lawsuit against college". Las Cruces Sun-News. Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  9. ↑ "Lawsuit against Dona Ana Community College becomes class action proceeding". kob.com. Associated Press. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  10. ↑ "Dona Ana Community College's nursing program regains baccreditation after 3 years". KVIA.com. ABC News. 5 August 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  11. ↑ Cook, Mike (August 7, 2015). "DACC regains nursing accreditation". Las Cruces Bulletin. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
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