Reaffirmation of Accreditation by SACSCOC

Texas A&M University-Commerce is pleased to announce its reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). This announcement was made at the SACSCOC annual meeting on December 9.

“This is a moment to celebrate!” said President Dan Jones. “However, it is not a time to relax. Now is the time for us to continue the progress we have made in our understanding of institutional effectiveness and move forward because it will directly benefit our academic programs and support units.”

The mission of SACSCOC is “to assure the educational quality and improve the effectiveness of its member institutions.” Every ten years, an institution is required to be found in compliance with SACSCOC's Principles of Accreditation by virtue of an extensive review process. As a regional accreditor, SACSCOC accredits the entire institution including any off-campus locations and distance learning.

This process includes preparation of a Compliance Certification, with documentation supporting the narrative for more than 97 principles in areas such as educational programs, institutional effectiveness, financial resources, and faculty credentials. The institution must also develop an acceptable quality enhancement plan (QEP). The QEP must involve “an institutional process for identifying key issues emerging from institutional assessment,” and it must focus on student “learning outcomes and/or the environment supporting student learning and accomplishing the mission of the institution.” The overarching objective of A&M-Commerce's QEP is “preparing students for an interconnected world” through a focus on improved global competence. Other components include a review by peer evaluators serving on off- and on-site committees, along with focused and response reports that the institution prepares for SACSCOC review.

After the SACSCOC committee's visit this year, no monitoring report or follow-up will be required of A&M-Commerce. However, while SACSCOC reaffirmation occurs every ten years with a required fifth-year report as well, there are relevant pieces that must be ongoing, such as institutional effectiveness, in order to document compliance.

For more information on SACSCOC, visit http://www.sacscoc.org/.