What is SACS?
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, often referred to as SACS, is the accreditation agency that Meredith voluntarily asks to review the institution and to attest to its quality. The SACS Commission on Colleges (COC) is charged with carrying out the accreditation process for the higher education institutions in the Southern region that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s or doctoral degrees. A member institution is reviewed every ten years to determine if it meets the requirements and standards for accreditation that have been established and agreed upon by member institutions. Having last been reaffirmed in 2000, Meredith’s decennial review will take place in 2010.
Dr. Belle S. Wheelan, President of SACS COC, often says that SACS stands for “Students Are Central to Success,” and this is a good thought to keep in mind while preparing for our official review. The work we are doing will ensure that the outcomes for Meredith students are those we want them to be. It focuses our attention on where Meredith excels but also on areas in which improvements can be made. The College, and the students we serve, will benefit greatly from the critical self-examination that is an essential part of seeking SACS COC reaffirmation.
Meredith College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate and masters degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097 or call (404) 679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Meredith College.
The Commission should be contacted only if there is evidence that appears to support an institution’s significant non-compliance with a requirement or standard.
A lot of work goes into preparing for reaffirmation, and that work is well underway on campus. There are two major areas to address satisfactorily, with reports to be written and submitted for review.
The College will complete an extensive internal review and produce a Compliance Certification report that provides responses to the following:
- Core Requirements
- Comprehensive Standards
- Federal Requirements
The Commission on Colleges will provide information to determine if Meredith fully complies with its expectations of institutional integrity and compliance with all Commission policies and reporting requirements.
Click here for a link to the published requirements and standards.
The College will develop a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) proposal that focuses on improving student learning outcomes. The QEP must have broad-based campus involvement and must emerge from institutional planning, assessment and research. It will address an area that clearly demonstrates Meredith’s commitment to continuous improvement of student learning. Click here to learn more about the development of Meredith’s QEP topic.
A satisfactory QEP proposal is one of the Core Requirements for reaffirmation of accreditation. Once the proposal has been approved, the plan will be implemented and assessed. The institution must then provide a five-year impact report showing how the QEP has made a difference in learning outcomes for students. This impact study will be part of The Fifth-Year Interim Report that will also address various requirements, standards and federal requirements for which continued compliance reports are essential.
Off-Site Review – Meredith will submit its Compliance Certification Report in September 2009. It will be thoroughly examined by a team of peer evaluators, all of whom will come from outside of North Carolina but from within the Southern region. This team will meet in Atlanta in early November 2009 to identify any areas in which it appears that Meredith is not in full compliance. The College will have an opportunity to provide a follow-up focus report and additional documentation to address any issues identified prior to the on-site visit.
On-Site Review – The Quality Enhancement Plan will be submitted about six weeks before an on-site team visits the campus in early February 2010. The on-site evaluators will carefully examine Meredith’s QEP proposal and will pay close attention to any areas of concern raised in the off-site committee’s report and to certain federal regulations and areas of interest. This committee will determine if there are areas of non-compliance and will make its report and recommendations to a Committee on Compliance and Reports of the Commission on Colleges.
COC Review – The Committee on Compliance and Reports will review the report of Meredith’s On-site Committee and make its recommendation to the COC Executive Council. Its report goes to the full Commission on Colleges for a final decision about reaffirmation and any follow-up activities that might be required. The COC will report its decision on December 7, 2010.
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Appointed SACS Leadership Team - Summer 2007
Identified QEP Focus Area / Conduct Compliance Audit - 2007-2008
Sent Leadership Team to Atlanta for Orientation Session - June 2008
Appointed QEP Committee Summer - 2008
Develop QEP / Complete Compliance Certification Report - 2008-2009
Submit Compliance Report to SACS COC - September 10, 2009
Receive Report of Off-Site Review Committee - November 2 – 5, 2009
Submit Quality Enhancement Plan (and Focus Report, if any) - December 2009
Host On-Site Review Committee - February 2 – 4, 2010
File any necessary follow-up response to Committee’s report -- TBA
Receive decision of Commission on Colleges, based on reviews/recommendations of the Committee on Compliance and Reports and the Executive Council - December 4 - 7, 2010
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Leadership Team
Dr. Maureen Hartford, President (Chair)
Laura Davidson, Dean of Library Information Services
Dr. Ellen Goode, Professor and Director of Faculty Development
Dr. Jean Jackson, Vice-President for College Programs
Sue Kearney, Asst. to the President for Special Projects (Vice-Chair and
Accreditation Liaison 2007-08/2008-09)
Dr. Allen Page, Vice-President for Academic Programs
Dr. Pamela Steinke, Director of Research, Planning and Assessment
Dr. Deborah Tippett, Professor and Head, Department of Human Environmental Sciences
William Wade, Vice-President for Business and Finance
Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Committee
Ann Gleason, Dean of Students (Co-Chair)
Dr. Tim Hendrix, Associate Professor of Mathematics
Andrea Irby, Director of Academic Advising
Dr. Erin Lindquist, Assistant Professor of Biology
Dr. Mark O’Dekirk, Associate Professor of Psychology (Co-Chair)
Dr. Toni Parker, Professor of Education
Dr. Kelly Roberts, Assistant Professor of English
Dr. Pamela Steinke, Director of Research, Planning and Assessment
Jill Triana, Assistant Director of the Counseling Center, Coordinator of Disability Services
Dr. Deborah Tippett, Professor and Head, Department of Human Environmental Sciences
Jessica Brittain, Student
Chelsea McGlaughlin, Student
MaryCraven Poteat, Student
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Broad campus involvement is very important to the success of Meredith’s reaffirmation efforts. In 2007-08, many members of the community were involved in helping to identify a focus area for the Quality Enhancement Plan, and the QEP Committee will continue this year to encourage participation in defining and shaping the QEP topic. The Leadership Team has assumed responsibility for preparing responses and collecting documentation for the Compliance Certification Report, but many people across the campus have been asked to assist with these efforts by serving on work groups or providing information. The Leadership Team and QEP Committee will seek to keep students, faculty and staff informed about progress and about ways to participate. Here are a few things to watch for in order to stay informed and to find ways to be of help:
- Articles in "In a Nutshell," The Meredith Herald, and other print and electronic sites
- Comments / discussions at faculty, staff, and student government meetings
- Calls for participation in forums, focus groups, and other discussion venues, including a discussion board requesting input for the QEP Committee
- Opportunities to continue learning about / improving assessment efforts
- Requests to participate in surveys and other research / data collection efforts
- Requests for various documents / reports for inclusion in the certification report
Please answer the call to be part of our SACS COC readiness process!
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