SACS GENERAL OVERVIEW

The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is the regional body for the accreditation of higher education institutions in the Southern states ( Alabama , Florida , Georgia , Kentucky , Louisiana , Mississippi , North Carolina , South Carolina , Tennessee , Texas , and Virginia ) and Latin America that award associate, baccalaureate, master's, or doctoral degrees. Accreditation by the Commission on Colleges signifies that an institution has a purpose appropriate to higher education and has resources, programs, and services sufficient to accomplish and sustain that purpose. Accreditation indicates that an institution maintains clearly specified educational objectives that are consistent with its mission and appropriate to the degrees it offers, and that it is successful in achieving its stated objectives.

Self-regulation through accreditation embodies a traditional U.S. philosophy that a free people can and ought to govern themselves through a representative, flexible, and responsive system. Accordingly, accreditation is best accomplished through a voluntary association of educational institutions. Accreditation enhances educational quality throughout the region by improving the effectiveness of institutions and ensuring that institutions meet standards established by the higher education community, and serves as a common denominator of shared values and practices among the diverse institutions. Both a process and a product, accreditation relies on integrity, thoughtful and principled judgment, rigorous application of requirements, and a context of trust. It provides an assessment of an institution's effectiveness in the fulfillment of its mission, its compliance with the requirements of its accrediting association, and its continuing efforts to enhance the quality of student learning and its programs and services. Based upon reasoned judgment, the process stipulates evaluation and improvements, while providing a means of continuing accountability to constituents and the public.

The product of accreditation is a public statement of an institution's continuing capacity to provide effective programs and services based on agreed-upon requirements. The statement of an institution's accreditation status with the Commission on Colleges is also an affirmation of that institution's continuing commitment to the Commission's principles and philosophy of accreditation. The Commission on Colleges supports the right of an institution to pursue its established educational mission; the right of faculty members to teach, investi gate, and publish freely; and the right of students to access opportunities for learning and for the open exchange of ideas. However, the exercise of these rights should not interfere with the overriding obligation of an institution to offer its students a sound education.

Integrity

Integrity, essential to the purpose of higher education, functions as the basic contract defining the relationship between the Commission and each of its member institutions. It is a relationship in which all parties agree to deal honestly and openly with their constituencies and with one another. Without this commitment, no relationship can exist or be sustained between the Commission and its member institutions. The Commission's requirements, policies, processes, procedures, and decisions are predicated on integrity. The Commission on Colleges expects integrity to govern the operation of institutions. Therefore, evidence of intentionally withholding information, deliberately providing inaccurate information to the public, or failing to provide timely and accurate information to the Commission will be seen as the lack of a full commitment to integrity and may result in the loss of membership in the Commission on Colleges. (See

Commission policy ''Integrity and Accuracy in Institutional Representation. '7

Quality Enhancement

The Commission on Colleges expects institutions to dedicate themselves to enhancing the quality of their programs and services within the context of their missions, resources, and capacities, and to create an environment in which teaching, public service, research, and learning occur. The concept of quality enhancement is at the heart of the Commission's philosophy of accreditation; this presumes each member institution to be engaged in an ongoing program of improvement and able to demonstrate how well it fulfills its stated mission. Although evaluation of an institution's educational quality and its effectiveness in achieving its mission is a difficult task requir i ng careful analysis and professional judgment, an institution is expected to document quality and effectiveness in all its major aspects.

AN ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is a private, nonprofit, voluntary organization founded in 1 895 in Atlanta , Georgia . The Association comprises the Commission on Colleges, the Commission on Secondary and Middle Schools, and the Commission on Elementary and Middle Schools. The three Commissions carry out their missions with considerable autonomy: they develop their own standards and procedures, and govern themselves by a delegate assembly. All three operate under the Association's Board of Trustees. The College Delegate Assembly includes one voting representative (the chief executive officer or the officer's designee) from each member institution. Its responsibilities include electing the seventy seven-member Commission on Colleges to guide the organization's work; to approve all revisions of accrediting standards as recommended by the Commission; to approve the dues of candidate

and member institutions as recommended by the Commission; and to elect an Appeals Committee to hear appeals of certain accreditation decisions. The Commission on Colleges is responsible for preparing a statement on the standards for candidacy and membership; authorizing special visits; taking final action on the accreditation status of institutions based only on its published standards, policies, and procedures; nominating to the College Delegate Assembly persons to succeed outgoing members of the Commission; electing an Executive Council of the Commission that will act for the Commission while it is not in session; appointing ad hoc study committees as needed; and approving the policies and procedures consistent with the Association's charter and bylaws.

The thirteen-member Executive Council is the executive arm of the Commission and functions on behalf of the Commission and the College Delegate Assembly between sessions. However, the actions of the Council are subject to the review and approval of the Commission. The Council interprets Commission policies and procedures; develops procedures for and supervises the work of ad hoc and standing committees of the Commission; approves goals and objectives of the Commission; reviews and approves the Commission's budget; oversees and annually evaluates the work of its executive director; and initiates new programs, projects, and policy proposals. The Council receives and acts on reports from all ad hoc and standing committees and submits them to the Commission. In the case of institutions applying for candidacy, membership, or reaffirmation of accreditation, the Executive Council receives recommendations from the Committees on Compliance and Reports, the standing evaluation committees of the Commission, and in turn submits its recommendations on these institutions to the Commission for final action.