Jefferson Community College
Watertown, NY 13601
Watertown – The New York State (NYS) Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Jefferson Community College has received accreditation without conditions from the national Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC), under U.S. Congressional sanction, for the next four years.
The latest affirmation from the ASBDC comes after a lengthy state-wide self-study and the development of a strategic plan that addressed the program’s goals and objectives for Centers and clients (small business owners and entrepreneurs) at host campuses across the State.
A review team from ASBDC’s national Accreditation Committee conducted on-site inspections and interviewed Service Center personnel as well as campus officials, sponsors, and clients of the program during a week-long visit to New York State.
“We are pleased that the Accreditation Committee recognized past accomplishments and approved our four-year plan for the growth of the program,” Mr. Eric Constance, Regional SBDC Director, said. “These reviews are a part of the 4-year national accreditation review cycle. ASBDC Reviewers will visit the NYS SBDC again in 2012 for our next accreditation review. This is the 5th consecutive accreditation review in which the New York program has displayed continuous growth and progress, meriting full accreditation without exception, a distinction only granted to an average 10-15% of State or Regional SBDC programs. We are very proud of our record of achievement and will continue to seek excellence in services”.
“The SBDC is a key component of the North Country business community and this campus,” said Carole A. McCoy, president of Jefferson Community College. “The work of the SBDC with other North Country economic development agencies, private industry and faculty and students at Jefferson is integral to the continued growth of small business and entrepreneurship in the North Country.”
The SBDC Accreditation Committee is the unit of the national Association of Small Business Development Centers operating under federal statutory approval and overseen by the U.S. Small Business Administration. NYS SBDC Service Centers are hosted by Colleges and Universities in New York State that include the State University of New York, the City University of New York and private institutions. The Review Team that visited New York was composed of ASBDC representatives from Delaware, the District of Columbia, Missouri and New Mexico. The SBDC has Member programs from all 50 States and the US territories, as well as international institutions.
The New York State SBDC has been a member of the ASBDC since 1984 and a founding Member of the forerunner to the Accreditation Committee in 1988. During its history, the NYS SBDC has been recognized with 20 regional or national awards of excellence. The NYS SBDC was awarded the highest national honor for its work with small businesses after the 9-11 attacks, the National Phoenix Award for Disaster Assistance, hosted in Washington, DC by then Secretary of State Colin Powell, a native New Yorker.