10-year reaccreditation nearing for University
Every 10 years, colleges and universities must apply for reaccreditation with their regional accrediting agency. The University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges. Since the University is due to be considered for "reaffirmation of accreditation" in 2008, Provost June Aprille has appointed Susan Breeden, University registrar, and Steve RiCharde, director of institutional research, to guide the process.
SACS has a newly adopted reaccreditation process with two parts: 1) a compliance certification and 2) a quality enhancement plan. The compliance certification requires the University to provide evidence that it complies with the Principles of Accreditation, including 12 core requirements and 61 comprehensive standards specified for universities. One of the hallmarks of the new process is the requirement that each department, and the University as a whole, continually assess progress towards the goals it has set for itself. The leadership team has completed a preliminary audit, and several workgroups will be meeting during the fall to update documentation in various areas.
In addition, SACS asks institutions to consider ways to enrich student learning. In the past the process required a self-study, which asked schools to look back and describe what they had done. The new principles require each university to prepare a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), a "carefully designed and focused course of action that addresses a well-defined issue or issues directly related to improving student learning." In order for the QEP to have genuine relevance and wide support, SACS requires institution-wide involvement in its development. Kathy Hewett-Smith, associate professor of English, will direct the University's QEP project using a series of teams to identify, develop and implement projects.
A QEP planning team has been formed and charged with identifying viable topics by December 2005. During the fall semester, the team will solicit ideas from the University community. If you are interested in reading more about the SACS reaccreditation project or submitting an idea for the University's QEP, visit: http://oncampus.richmond.edu/sacs.
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