LITTLETON, Colo. (July 10, 2012) - Arapahoe Community College's Interior Design program has earned the "Excellence in Education Award" from the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) for the 2011 calendar year.

Three "Excellence in Education Awards" are bestowed every spring during the annual Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), and the competition includes two-year and four-year institutions from across the country.  Even more, ACC student Liz Long earned an Outstanding Student Award this year.

As part of accreditation standards, every NKBA-accredited college, university or technical institute submitted two student design projects which followed the requirements of the current year's NKBA Student Design Competition.  Student work samples included a floor plan, elevation, construction plan and mechanical plan.  These work samples were then assessed on their compliance with the NKBA Planning Guidelines, NKBA Graphic and Presentation Standards and how well the solution met project needs.

The "Excellence in Education Awards" are given to the top entries that meet the NKBA's challenging goal of earning an average score of at least 93 out of a possible 100 on its two student designs.  The winners of the 2011 "Excellence in Education Awards" were announced at the annual Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) this past April in Chicago.  Brevard Community College (Melbourne, Fla.) and BYU - Idaho (Rexburg, Idaho) were the other two schools to earn "Excellence in Education Awards" for 2011.

For more information, please contact Dawn Viola, Interior Design Faculty at ACC, at dawn.viola@arapahoe.edu or 303.797.5861.