SACS Review and Reaffirmation WCU

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SACS Review and Reaffirmation _at_ WCU

• Training and Orientation
• Thursday, February 24, 2005
• Carol Burton, Director, SACS Review

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Southern Association of Colleges and Schools -
SACS

• 785 member institutions of higher education
• (includes private, public, junior colleges and
  universities)
• Eleven southernmost states, Latin America and the
  Caribbean
• Voluntary process/federal involvement
• Process AND product
• Integrity AND commitment
• Self regulation AND self-government

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Southern Association of Colleges and Schools -
SACS

• Commission on Colleges oversight
• Emphasis on institutional assessment of
  effectiveness related to
• Mission
• Compliance with common standards
• Enhancing quality of student learning
• Programs and services
• Evaluation and continuous assessment
• Accountability to external and internal groups

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SACS Review - Overview
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Review Process - Compliance

• Core Requirements institutional mission and
  effectiveness educational programs faculty.
• Comprehensive Standards governance degree
  programs faculty credentials library and
  learning resources student affairs physical and
  financial resources.
• Federal Requirements HE Amendments,
  recruitment academic policies publications.

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Compliance Core Requirements

• Twelve Basic Qualifications
• Degree-granting power
• Governing Board
• CEO
• Mission
• Effectiveness
• General Education
• Quality Enhancement
• (etc., see pp. 15-17)

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Compliance Comprehensive Standards

• Institutional mission
• Institutional governance and effectiveness
• Administration
• Assessment
• Educational programs
• graduate
• undergraduate
• post-baccalaureate
• professional

• Faculty (credentials)
• Library/learning resources
• Student affairs
• Student services
• Distance education
• Resources
• physical
• financial
• (see pp. 21-27)

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Compliance Federal Requirements(see p. 31)

• Quality indicators (job placement, state
  licensing exam rates, course completion data)
• Curriculum relevance
• Quality control of public documents
• Student complaints
• Recruitment materials
• HE Amendments

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Examples Compliance Certification (see handout)
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Quality Enhancement Plan (see handout)
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Quality Enhancement Plan contd

• Complement strategic planning and institutional
  mission
• Enhance student learning
• Focused and futuristic
• Reflect current best practices
• Capitalize on university strengths and weaknesses
• Engage university community
• 75 (25 reference) Pages

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Evaluation of the QEP

• Development and topic selection
• Capability for initiation, sustenance, and
  resource allocation
• Assessment
• University community involvement

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SACS Review Committees (see handouts)
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SACS Review - Committees
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SACS Peer Review Process

• External Review
• Three Stages

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1. Off-Site Review Committee

• Determines institutional compliance with core
  requirements, comprehensive standards, and
  federal requirements
• Does NOT review QEP
• Reviews cluster of compliance certification
  reports by institution type
• Convenes in November, 2006.

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2. On-Site Review Committee

• Reviews QEP
• Reviews all core requirements and comprehensive
  standards found non-compliant
• Responsible for the reaffirmation report
  submitted to the Commission on Colleges
• Visit institution in late spring, 2007.

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3. Commission on Colleges Review

• Reviews institutional and on-site committee
  reports
• Determines reaffirmation status
• Creates follow-up/further action report if
  necessary
• Convenes in June and December, 2007.

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SACS Review - Abbreviated Timeline

• June 13, 2005SACS Orientation, Atlanta
• December 3-6, 2005SACS Annual Meeting, Atlanta
• August 15, 2006Compliance Certification due
• December 1, 2006QEP due
• March April, 2007On-Site Team Visit

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http//www.wcu.edu/sacs

• Carol Burton, Director, SACS Review
• 560 H. F. Robinson Administration Bldg.
• Western Carolina University
• 227-7497/3019
• burton_at_email.wcu.edu