Dr. Stephen L. Pruitt, President of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), provided an accreditation update.
Dr. Pruitt reviewed the Commission's guiding priorities:
Students First, Always
Strengthening Trust and Transparency
Modernizing Processes While Maintaining Rigor
Supporting Innovation and Workforce Alignment
Positioning the Commission as the Gold Standard
He discussed accreditation purposes, including quality assurance, standards compliance, and the Commission's gatekeeping responsibilities, as well as the characteristics of accreditation and the reaffirmation process.
Dr. Pruitt also reviewed the proposed Accreditation Innovation Modernization (AIM) regulations, including areas of alignment and potential misalignment.
Additional topics included:
Workforce initiatives
Reduced-credit-hour degree programs
Credit transfer consortium efforts
Proposed revisions to accreditation standards
Elimination of the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)
Potential changes to accreditation review cycles
Regents Fields, Obielodan, Hatchett, and Moyer asked questions and provided comments throughout the discussion.
Dr. Pruitt concluded by encouraging the University to leverage its data, identify a unique niche, embrace its HBCU heritage, and continue making sound strategic decisions.