Substantive Changes

Related pages:

Upcoming dates and deadlines

  • July 1, 2020: Deadline to submit substantive changes to be implemented January 1, 2021, through June 30, 2021, requiring notification or requiring approval by the Executive Council of the SACSCOC Board of Trustees
  • September 1, 2020: Deadline to submit substantive changes requiring approval by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees in December 2020: governance change; institution, program, or location acquisition; level change; merger/consolidation; ownership, means of control, or legal status change; offering 50% or more of a direct assessment competency-based education program; review of substantive change policy and procedures; any substantive change requiring approval from institutions on sanction(except program or site closures).

Updates and announcements

  • Monitor the Coronavirus and SACSCOC webpage for new information and developments.
  • Substantive change reviews are proceeding without delay. Existing deadlines apply.
  • We understand the challenges of creating submissions while working remotely. Use your professional judgment for workarounds or alternatives that fit your situation while meeting content requirements. For example:
    • create electronic documents only and mail from home on a flash drive;
    • don’t worry about wet signatures or signature images–a typed name is okay;
    • don’t worry about letterhead stationery,just make sure we know who you are;and
    • if state coordinating agency and/or governing board approval is required but not available, note in the submission it wasn’t available when submitted. We’ll contact you for approval documentation at the time of review but please DON’T mail it and DON’T email it until we ask. (Everything else, though, must be complete.)
  • Incoming mail is being delivered by all carriers.
    • Tracking and delivery confirmation are strongly encouraged.
    • Don’t send with receipt signature required: this will delay delivery and risks return to sender.
    • Allow extra time for delivery: all carriers are taking longer than usual.
    • Submissions cannot be accepted by email.
  • Outgoing mail is delayed because staff cannot be in the office. In the interim,
    • substantive change decisions by the Executive Council of the SACSCOC Board of Trustees are emailed to liaisons (except for program and site closure approvals) and printed letters will follow as soon as possible, and
    • responses to notifications of temporary emergency relocation of instruction are emailed to liaisons and printed letters will follow; responses to other notifications are not being emailed and printed letters will follow as soon as possible.

Substantive change policy and related policies

Webinars

The webinar series is designed for liaisons and others with substantive change responsibilities.  Webinars are one hour including interactive Q+A.  Each webinar address a single topic that often presents challenges in managing an institution’s substantive change obligations.  Registration is required for each webinar.

Webinars require either Adobe Connect application for desktop (recommended) or Flash Player for browser. Test your computer and network connections before joining a webinar.

Upcoming webinars:

  • All 2019-20 webinars have been delivered and are available on-demand below.
  • A new substantive change policy is forthcoming. We’ll offer webinar training this summer and early fall. Sign-up to be notified by email when new webinars are available on this web page.

On-demand Webinars:

Documents and Templates