Accreditation
On July 13, 2022, The Jesuit Dallas Museum (JDM) achieved accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the highest national standard of recognition possible for a museum. The accrediting commission found that the museum not only meets the National Standards and Best Practices for a U.S. Museum. Accreditation signifies a museum’s quality and credibility to the entire museum community, to governments and outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. This certifies that JDM meets the most stringent standards of excellence, following a strenuous review process that AAM member museums undergo every 10 years to maintain their accredited status. Of the nation's estimated 35,000 museums, approximately 3 percent are currently accredited. Twenty of the nearly 150 museums located in New York City share this honor, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Museum of Modern Art.
In April 2022, Museum Directors conducted a site visit to Jesuit for the third stage of the Jesuit Dallas Museum’s Accreditation with AAM, Alliance of American Museums. Todd Smith is the Executive Director of the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte, NC and Julian Rankin is the Executive of the Walter Anderson Museum of Art, Ocean Springs, MS.
The Accreditation Self Study for AAM was completed and passed on November 17, 2021.
JDM completed the Accreditation Application which included a letter of support to AAM from Howard Taylor, Director of the San Angelo Museum which was the first Museum accredited in Texas. The Museum completed the online Self-Study with the following sections: Organizational Data, Museum Overview, Operational Data, Educational Role, Public Service Role, Collections Stewardship Role, Planning, Organizational Heath and a Wrap-Up on why it is important, to whom, and how it makes a difference.
On December 1, 2020, The Jesuit Dallas Museum passed Core Documents Verification from AAM, Alliance of American Museums. Earning Core Documents Verification means an internationally recognized professional organization for the museum industry has verified that the museum has an educational mission, strategic plan, code of ethics, and emergency and collections stewardship policies in place that meet standard practices of professional museums. These five documents are designated as “Core Documents” and evaluated because they are fundamental for basic professional museum operations and embody core museum values and practices.