Accreditation Correspondence
Posted per Policy 2.31, Institutional Transparency in Accreditation Matters.
COUNCIL ON OCCUPATIONAL AND TECHNICAL ACCREDITATION
1919 Bristow Avenue, Suite 400 · Alexandria, Virginia 22314
December 18, 2026
Halvard M. Trenneman, Ed.D., President
Bellweather College of Applied Technology
1400 Corliss Pike, Bellweather, Ohio 44683
RE: Substantive Change Applications 2026-0341 through 2026-0354; Institution ID 04-1962
Dear President Trenneman:
The Commission on Standards has completed its preliminary screening of the fourteen substantive change applications submitted by the College between August 4 and November 21, 2026.
The Commission notes that the volume of applications is unusual for an institution of the College’s size, and that the applications have been submitted while a programmatic review initiated in 2024 remains open. The Commission further notes that four of the fourteen applications identify programs to be housed in a single academic division, and that a fifth application identifies a division for which, per the College’s own personnel filings, the chair position has been vacant since 2024 and has been posted twice without appointment.
Under Standard 3.2 (Administrative Capacity) and Standard 3.8 (Growth Commensurate with Resources), the Commission requests that the College provide, no later than February 27, 2027:
- Evidence of administrative and supervisory capacity sufficient to support the proposed programs, including current organizational charts and the status of the vacant division chair position;
- A staged implementation schedule should the College not intend simultaneous commencement of all fourteen programs;
- An enrollment projection methodology for the proposed programs, prepared consistent with the College’s published outcomes methodology; and
- A statement of the relationship, if any, between the proposed program in the Division of Anomalous Property and Nonstandard Conditions and the matters under review in the open programmatic review, which the Commission will consider under separate cover.
This request is informational and does not constitute an adverse action. The applications remain in active status. The Commission appreciates the College’s continued cooperation in the open review.
Sincerely,
Regina T. Maull-Abernathy
Associate Director for Substantive Change
cc: Chair, Commission on Standards; institutional file
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
February 24, 2027
Regina T. Maull-Abernathy, Associate Director for Substantive Change
Council on Occupational and Technical Accreditation
RE: Response to letter of December 18, 2026; Applications 2026-0341 through 2026-0354
Dear Ms. Maull-Abernathy:
Thank you for the Commission’s letter, which the College received December 22 and reported to its Board of Trustees on January 12. The College responds to each numbered request.
1. Administrative capacity. Current organizational charts are enclosed (Enclosure 1). With respect to the vacant chair position: the position has been reposted with a revised credential requirement approved by the Board in September 2025, and two candidates advanced to campus interviews in January 2027. The College expects an appointment effective with the Fall 2027 term. In the interim, the division operates under the direct administration of the Provost with an Acting Program Coordinator, an arrangement the Commission’s 2019 site team reviewed without comment in a prior configuration. The records reconciliation supporting the open review was completed by the assigned graduate intern in December 2026 and transmitted to the Commission January 30, 2027.
2. Staged implementation. The College does not intend simultaneous commencement. The enclosed schedule (Enclosure 2) proceeds in two groups. Group One (nine programs) comprises programs for which the instructor of record is a current faculty member or for which the cooperating facility agreement is fully executed. Group Two (five programs) is deferred to the 2028 application cycle: Simulation Role Performance; Production Support Performance; Household and Principal Support Services; Product Demonstration and Promotional Presentation; and Auction Operations, the last pending execution of the sale barn practicum agreement. The College requests that the five deferred applications be withdrawn without prejudice.
3. Enrollment projections. Enclosure 3 presents projections prepared by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness under the same contact-verification and denominator conventions as the College’s published placement methodology. Projections are presented as ranges and are not warranted.
4. Relationship to the open review. The proposed Enclosure Fabrication–adjacent and division-housed programs share faculty and facilities with existing approved programs in the division and share no curriculum, records, or personnel with the program that is the subject of the open review, which was suspended in 2024 and completed teach-out in May 2026. The College defers, as it must, to the Commission’s stated intention to address that matter under separate cover, and reaffirms its position as stated in its submission of September 2025.
The College appreciates the Commission’s characterization of its letter as informational and remains available to the staff.
Sincerely,
Halvard M. Trenneman, Ed.D.
President
Enclosures (3)
cc: Board of Trustees; Provost; institutional file
Correspondence is reproduced as received or sent. Enclosures are not posted and are available for inspection through a public records request to the Office of the President.