SACSCOC Updates and Information

M E M O R A N D U M

TO:                  SACSCOC Membership

FROM:             Belle S. Wheelan, President

DATE:              January 26, 2021

Greetings!  I hope the semester is starting out on a positive note for all of you and that the trials and tribulations that might come your way will be manageable.  This note contains just a few reminders for you to consider as you begin your semester.  As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

  1. All of our visits and meetings scheduled for the spring 2021 semester will be held virtually.  This includes Off-site, On-site and Special Committee visits.  Additionally, the Small College Initiative will be held virtually.
  1. There have been some concerns expressed about the requirement for an institution to post disaggregated student achievement data on their websites.  SACSCOC does NOT require disaggregated data to be posted.  We do require that it be made available to visiting committees but we do NOT require the data to be posted.
  1. If a new CEO is appointed at your institution, please make sure you let ME know.  I will then make sure our records are updated and that the SACSCOC Vice President assigned to your institution knows.  If you only let the staff member know, I might not get the information.
  1. The Commission has developed two (2) portals for the purpose of uploading information for SACSCOC use in a timelier manner.  The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Institutional Accreditation Liaison (IAL), have access to both the Institutional and Evaluator/Volunteer Portals. When changes occur, please update the relevant information in each of the portals as soon as you can.

The Institutional Portal gives the CEO and IAL access to review and update information relating to the institution that is used by SACSCOC for accreditation-related purposes.  This portal is also where the CEO and IAL can maintain the individuals who are currently in our Evaluator Registry who represent the institution on Visiting Committees.  Please click here to access the user’s guide for further information about how to access and use this portal.  If you have any issues or questions relating to the Institutional Portal, please contact institutions@sacscoc.org.

The Evaluator/Volunteer Portal gives access to the CEO and IAL to update their own contact information as well as professional information that assists the Commission not only in contacting them, but in better creating Visiting Committees.  Evaluators are also asked to use this portal to update their evaluator profile.  Please click here for a copy of the user’s guide for further information about how to access and use this portal. If you have any issues or questions relating to the Evaluator/Volunteer Portal, please contact evaluators@sacscoc.org.

  1. The Substantive Change Policy was revised in 2020.  It includes many new requirements and changes to previous requirements as required by new federal regulations.  The “Substantive Change Policy and Procedures” and learning resources are available on the substantive change webpage at https://sacscoc.org/accrediting-standards/substantive-changes/. 

One new substantive change requirement has generated a lot of questions:  adding distance education (a method of delivery) to an existing program.  Previously, if the institution was approved to offer distance education, no action was required to offer additional existing programs by distance education.  This change now requires notification to SACSCOC.  The “method of delivery” applies to how the majority of a program’s content is delivered.  For the information to submit to SACSCOC, please refer to “Method of Delivery – Notification” in the Substantive Change Policy.  For institutions on Substantive Change Restriction, adding a method of delivery requires approval.  Staff in the Substantive Change Office are always available to answer any additional questions you may have.

Please stay safe and have a great semester.