Syracuse Sun

Syracuse University Art Museum is among the cultural organizations in the 2025-26 cohort being considered for accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). This recognition is the highest national honor for museums in the United States, indicating excellence to various stakeholders including governments, funders, and the public. Currently, only about 1,000 out of an estimated 33,000 U.S. museums hold this status, with just 16% being university museums.

The museum staff has spent five years preparing for this process by examining operations and creating five core documents required for accreditation. This effort has improved operations and adherence to best practices while facilitating strategic planning.

Additionally, staff completed two Museum Assessment Programs (MAP) focusing on Collections Stewardship in 2021 and Community and Audience Engagement in 2024. These programs are part of a cooperative agreement between AAM and the Institute of Museum and Library Services and are seen as initial steps toward full accreditation.

Museum director Emily Dittman commented on their efforts: “Over the past five years, our team has been diligent in our path towards accreditation and already witnessed that this process is both vigorous and complex, yet highly rewarding.” She acknowledged her team's hard work leading up to this final step toward securing AAM accreditation.

The next phase involves six-to-eight months of self-study followed by a site visit from peer reviewers scheduled for Spring 2026.