Proposed Changes for SACSCOC

SACSCOC institutions recently received an email indicating that there will be a vote in December 2023 on proposed changes to The Principles of Accreditation. Approximately a year ago these proposed changes were circulated to the membership and included changes to the principles and changes to the Resource Manual. This more recent communication only included changesContinue reading “Proposed Changes for SACSCOC”

What is an institution to do with 14.5?

Just the other day I answered a question about 14.5 and thought that it would make a good post. Then the same question popped up on one of the accreditation email lists with some excellent advice. Made me wonder if I needed to write it, but since I do regularly get questions on 14.5… UsuallyContinue reading “What is an institution to do with 14.5?”

Accreditation reports are just like vacations. No, really!

Having just returned from vacation and having just completed a conversation with a friend about to leave on one, I was reflecting that the events of a vacation closely mirror those of writing an accreditation report. I do realize that many of you are not nerds about accreditation like I am, but bear with me.Continue reading “Accreditation reports are just like vacations. No, really!”

What do you do when a review committee gets it wrong?

Review committees come in all shapes and sizes and individual reviewers are somewhere on the spectrum between first-time team members and people who have been on more review committees than can be conveniently counted. The expectation that review committees get it right all the time is unrealistic so let’s talk about best practices when aContinue reading “What do you do when a review committee gets it wrong?”

Does online instruction help or hurt your IE metrics?

Inside Higher Ed posted an interesting article about online instruction the other day. You can find it here. Even before the pandemic, students were voting with their class registrations, pushing institutions to increase online offerings, which brought about a decrease in face-to-face instruction. It is not difficult to meet the minimum requirements of your accreditor,Continue reading “Does online instruction help or hurt your IE metrics?”

Mixed Signals on 8.2.a?

Standard 8.2.a (Student Outcomes: educational programs) is one of the most common areas of non-compliance in the SACSCOC region. That makes sense since it is a complex standard that impacts nearly every corner of the academic division of an institution. It does not help when you get mixed signals about what is required to makeContinue reading “Mixed Signals on 8.2.a?”

SACSCOC Annual Meeting

In a little less than a month, we will gather in Atlanta for the SACSCOC annual meeting. My first meeting was probably 2005 and that started me on this journey of becoming an accreditation nerd. I’m OK with that label. Reflecting on my approach to the annual meetings tells an interesting story. Early on IContinue reading “SACSCOC Annual Meeting”