FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 14, 2003
CONTACT: John G. Hammond, San Antonio College Director of Public Relations
210.733.2147

Coordinating Board Rates as Exemplary the Dental Assisting & Medical Assisting Programs at SAC

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board ranked as "exemplary" the Associate in Applied Science degree programs in Dental Assisting and Medical Assisting at San Antonio College, a college of the Alamo Community College District.

"The programs met or exceeded all standards for exemplary status," said Glenda O. Barron, Assistant Commissioner of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, regarding the results of the "desk review" of those programs in "the institutional effectiveness evaluation process."

"We are very pleased with the exemplary status designation," said Betty Larson, Dean of the Professional-Technical Division at San Antonio College.

She said, "The rating is an indication that the Dental Assisting and Medical Assisting programs have gone above and beyond the expected standards."

Larson explained that the Coordinating Board considers many factors in determining a program's exemplary status rating, such as the rate of employment, the number of students who complete the programs, and the curriculum.

San Antonio College was the first in Texas to offer an associate degree in Dental Assisting. Both the Dental Assisting and Medical Assisting programs are accredited, and their graduates are in high demand. For example, the American Association of Medical Assistants state on their web site, "Through at least the year 2010 employment of medical assistants will far exceed the average growth for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics."

For more information, call Stella Lovato, Coordinator of Dental Assisting Technology, at 785-6184, or Cheryl Startzell, Coordinator of Medical Assisting Technology, at 733-2437.