The Department of Theatre, Cinema, and Dance has become an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST). The University is now one of 190 NAST-accredited schools in the country. The School of Fine Arts founding dean, Dr. Bob Willenbrink, along with Jeff Stover, chair of the Department of Theatre, Cinema and Dance, spearheaded the self-study and review process.
NAST was founded in 1965 and establishes national standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees and other credentials for theatre and theatre-related disciplines, and provides assistance to institutions and individuals engaged in artistic, scholarly, educational, and other theatre-related endeavors.